ברוך הבא מלך המשיח!

The Scriptures are clear that Isaiah 53 is about the Jewish Messiah. The early rabbis taught that Isaiah 53 was about the Jewish Messiah. Modern anti-Messiah (anti-Missionary) organizations insist that it’s about Israel. So what’s the real scoop? Isaiah 53 is about Mashiach, NOT Israel!

By His Wounds We Are Healed. Who Was Isaiah Talking About? One of the most oft-disputed passages in the Tanach is Isaiah 53.

Bible Believers have, for centuries, claimed that it speaks about the Messiah, but Jews have recently become very outspoken against that claim. Before we take a look at what the rabbis have traditionally said about the passage, let’s take a look at the text of Isaiah 52:12-53:12 (from the Jewish Publication Society, 1917 edition):

Yeshayahu / Isaiah 53

52:12 For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rearward. 13 Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 According as many were appalled at thee–so marred was his visage unlike that of a man, and his form unlike that of the sons of men– 15 So shall he startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they perceive. 53:1 ‘Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, nor beauty that we should delight in him. 3 He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with disease, and as one from whom men hide their face: he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed. 6 All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath made to light on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yea, he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and with his generation who did reason? for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. 9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his tomb; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.’ 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offer itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of the Lord might prosper by his hand: 11 Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The common argument made by Jewish apologists today is that the “suffering servant” described in this passage is a reference to the Jewish nation. There are quite a few holes in that theory; however, the biggest hole is the plain fact that the suffering servant has been attributed as a claim to Moshiach by Jewish rabbis for centuries. Only in the last 50 to 100 years has it been disputed. Let’s take a look:

• Targum Jonathan (4th Century) gives the introduction on Isa. 52:13: “Behold, my servant the Messiah…”
• Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b: Rav said: The world was created only on David’s account. Samuel said: On Moses account; R. Johanan said: For the sake of the Messiah. What is his [the Messiah’s] name? – The Rabbis said: His name is “the leper scholar,” as it is written, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted.
• Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b: Messiah… what is his name? The Rabbis say, “the leprous one”; those of the house of the Rabbi say: “Cholaja” (the sickly), for it says, “Surely he has borne our sicknesses” etc. (Isa. 53:4).
• Maimonides (1135-1204) wrote to Rabbi Jacob Alfajumi: Likewise said Isaiah that He (Messiah) would appear without acknowledging a father or mother: “He grew up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground” etc. (Isa.53:2).
• Rabbi Moses Alschech (1508-1600) says: Our Rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of the Messiah, and we shall ourselves also adhere to the same view.
• Abrabanel (1437-1508) says: This is also the opinion of our own learned men in the majority of their Midrashim.
• Rabbi Yafeth Ben Ali (second half of the 10th Century): As for myself, I am inclined to regard it as alluding to the Messiah.
• Abraham Farissol (1451-1526) says: In this chapter there seem to be considerable resemblances and allusions to the work of Mashiach and to the events which are asserted to have happened to Him, so that no other prophecy is to be found the gist and subject of which can be so immediately applied to Him.
• Gersonides (1288-1344) on Devarim 18:18: In fact Messiah is such a prophet, as it is stated in the Midrash on the verse, “Behold, my servant shall prosper…” (Isaiah 52:13).
• Yalkut Schimeon (ascribed to Rabbi Simeon Kara, 12th Century) says on Zech.4:7: He (the king Messiah) is greater than the patriarchs, as it is said, “My servant shall be high, and lifted up, and lofty exceedingly” (Isa. 52:13).
• Tanchuma: Rabbi Nachman says: The Word “man” in the passage, “Every man a head of the house of his father” (Num.1,4), refers to the Messiah, the son of David, as it is written, “Behold the man whose name is Zemach” (the Branch) where Jonathan interprets, “Behold the man Messiah” (Zech.6:12); and so it is said, “A man of pains and known to sickness” (Isa. 53:3).
• Pesiqta Rabbati (ca.845) on Isa. 61:10: The world-fathers (patriarchs) will one day in the month of Nisan arise and say to (the Messiah): “Ephraim, our righteous Anointed, although we are your grandparents, yet you are greater than we, for you have borne the sins of our children, as it says: But surely he has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him and through his wounds we are healed”(Isa.53:4-5).
• Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai (2nd Century), Zohar, part II, page 212a and part III, page 218a, Amsterdam Ed.: There is in the garden of Eden a palace called: “The palace of the sons of sickness.” This palace the Messiah enters, and summons every sickness, every pain, and every chastisement of Israel: they all come and rest upon Him. And were it not that He had thus lightened them off Israel, and taken them upon Himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel’s chastisement for the transgression of the law; this is that which is written, “Surely our sicknesses he has carried.” (Isa. 53:4) As they tell Him (the Messiah) of the misery of Israel in their captivity, and of those wicked ones among them who are not attentive to know their Lord, He lifts up His voice and weeps for their wickedness; and so it is written, “He was wounded for our transgressions.” (Isa.53:5)
• Midrash on Ruth 2:14: He is speaking of the King Messiah “Come hither,” i.e. Draw near to the throne; “eat of the bread,” i.e., The bread of the kingdom. This refers to the chastisements, as it is said, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.” (Isa. 53:5)
• Rabbi Elijah de Vidas (16th Century): The meaning of “He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities” is, that since the Messiah bears our iniquities which produce the effect of His being bruised, it follows that whoever will not admit that Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities must endure and suffer for them himself.
• Sifre: Rabbi Jose the Galilean said, “Come and learn the merits of the King Messiah and the reward of the Just – from the first man who received but one commandment, a prohibition, and transgressed it. Consider how many deaths were inflicted upon himself, upon his own generation, and upon those who followed them, till the end of all generations. Which attribute is greater, the attribute of goodness, or the attribute of vengeance?” He answered, “The attribute of goodness is greater, and the attribute of vengeance is the less.” – “How much more then, will the King Messiah, who endures affliction and pains for the transgressions (as it is written, ‘He was wounded,’ etc.), justify all generations. This is the meaning of the word, ‘And HaShem made the iniquity of us all to meet upon Him’” (Isa. 53:6).
• Rabbi Eleazer Kalir (9th Century) is credited with writing the following Yom Kippur Musaf prayer, although there is some evidence that it dates back to the first century C.E.: Our righteous Messiah has departed from us. Horror has seized us and we have no one to justify us. He has borne our transgressions and the yoke of our iniquities, and is wounded because of our transgressions. He bore our sins upon His shoulders that we may find pardon for our iniquity. We shall be healed by His wounds, at the time when the Eternal will recreate Him a new creature. Oh bring Him up from the circle of the earth, raise Him up from Seir, that we may hear Him the second time.
• Rabbi Moses, “The Preacher” (11th Century) wrote in his commentary on Genesis (page 660): From the beginning God has made a covenant with the Messiah and told Him, “My righteous Messiah, those who are entrusted to you, their sins will bring you into a heavy yoke” … And He answered, “I gladly accept all these agonies in order that not one of Israel should be lost.” Immediately, the Messiah accepted all agonies with love, as it is written: “He was oppressed and he was afflicted.”
• Pesiqta (on Isa. 61:10): Great oppressions were laid upon You, as it says: “By oppression and judgement he was taken away; but who considered in his time, that he was cut off out of the land of the living, that he was stricken because of the sins of our children” (Isa. 53:8), as it says: “But the LORD has laid on him the guilt of us all”. (Isa.53:6)

I don’t think that much in the way of conclusions is necessary for this section. The rabbis very obviously connected Isaiah 53 to the Moshiach, and they show multiple times that the Moshiach definitely suffers. For what or whom does he suffer? Apparently for the people.

Remember: The Mashiach is not a Torah abolishing, Jew hating, long haired, toga wearing, European/paganistic "Jesus" that was born on Christmas morning and raised on Easter Sunday.