Who is the suffering servant? Isaiah interpretation 53

Chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah may be the most controversial passage in all Scripture, with good reason. Christianity claims that these verses in Isaiah 53 predict a specific, individual person like the Messiah, or savior of the world from sin, while Judaism claims that they indicate instead a faithful remaining group of the Jewish people.

Key Takeaways: Isaiah 53
Judaism maintains that the singular pronoun "he" in Isaiah 53 refers to the Jewish people as an individual.
Christianity claims that the verses of Isaiah 53 are a prophecy fulfilled by Jesus Christ in his sacrificial death for the sin of humanity.
View of Judaism from the songs of Isaiah's servants
Isaiah contains four "Canticles of the Servants", descriptions of the service and suffering of the Lord's servant:

Song of the first servant: Isaiah 42: 1-9;
Song of the second servant: Isaiah 49: 1-13;
Song of the third servant: Isaiah 50: 4-11;
Song of the fourth servant: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12.
Judaism maintains that the first three songs of the servants refer to the nation of Israel, so the fourth must also do so. Some rabbis claim that the entire Hebrew people are seen as an individual in these verses, hence the singular pronoun. He who was constantly loyal to the one true God was the nation of Israel, and in the fourth song, the Gentile kings surrounding that nation finally recognize him.

In the rabbinic interpretations of Isaiah 53, the servant of the suffering described in the passage is not Jesus of Nazareth but rather the remnant of Israel, treated as one person.

View of Christianity of the song of the fourth servant
Christianity indicates the pronouns used in Isaiah 53 to determine identities. This interpretation says that "I" refers to God, "he" refers to the servant and "we" refers to the disciples of the servant.

Christianity claims that the Jewish remnant, although faithful to God, could not be the redeemer because they were still sinful human beings, unskilled to save other sinners. Throughout the Old Testament, the animals offered in sacrifice had to be spotless, spotless.

In claiming Jesus of Nazareth as the Savior of humanity, Christians point to the prophecies of Isaiah 53 which were fulfilled by Christ:

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of pain and he knew pain; and as one from whom men hide their faces; he was despised, and we didn't respect him. " (Isaiah 53: 3, ESV) Jesus was rejected by the Sanhedrin then and is now denied by Judaism as a savior.
“But he was transfixed for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; on him it was the punishment that brought us peace, and with his wounds we healed. " (Isaiah 53: 5, ESV). Jesus was pierced in his hands, feet and hips in his crucifixion.
“All the sheep we like have gone astray; we turned - each one - in his own way; and the Lord has placed upon us the iniquity of all of us. " (Isaiah 53: 6, ESV). Jesus taught that it was to be sacrificed in place of sinful people and that their sins would be placed on him, since the sins were placed on sacrificial lambs.
“He was oppressed, and was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the massacre, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so it didn't open its mouth. " (Isaiah 53: 7, ESV) When he was accused by Pontius Pilate, Jesus remained silent. He did not defend himself.

"And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, even if he had not done violence and there was no deception in his mouth." (Isaiah 53: 9, ESV) Jesus was crucified between two thieves, one of whom said he deserved to be there. Furthermore, Jesus was buried in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin.
“For the anguish of his soul he will see and be satisfied; with his knowledge the righteous, my servant, will ensure that many are considered righteous, and will have to endure their iniquities. " (Isaiah 53:11, ESV) Christianity teaches that Jesus was righteous and died in substitute death to atone for the sins of the world. His justice is imputed to believers, justifying them before God the Father.
“Therefore I will divide a part with the many, and will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; however it brought the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors ". (Isaiah 53:12, ESV) Eventually, Christian doctrine states that Jesus became the sacrifice for sin, the "Lamb of God." He assumed the role of High Priest, interceding for sinners with God the Father.

Jewish or anointed Mashiach
According to Judaism, all these prophetic interpretations are wrong. At this point some background is needed on the Jewish concept of Messiah.

The Hebrew word HaMashiach, or Messiah, does not appear in the Tanach, or in the Old Testament. Although appearing in the New Testament, Jews do not recognize New Testament writings as inspired by God.

However, the term "anointed" appears in the Old Testament. All the Jewish kings were anointed with oil. When the Bible speaks of the arrival of the anointed, the Jews believe that that person will be a human being, not a divine being. He will reign as king of Israel during a future era of perfection.

According to Judaism, the prophet Elijah will reappear before the anointed one arrives (Malachi 4: 5-6). They indicate John the Baptist's denial of being Elijah (John 1:21) as proof that John was not Elijah, although Jesus twice said that John was Elijah (Matthew 11: 13-14; 17: 10-13).

Isaiah 53 Interpretations of grace against works
Isaiah chapter 53 is not the only Old Testament passage that Christians say predicts the coming of Jesus Christ. Indeed, some Bible scholars claim that there are over 300 Old Testament prophecies that indicate Jesus of Nazareth as the Savior of the world.

The denial of Judaism of Isaiah 53 as a prophetic of Jesus goes back to the very nature of that religion. Judaism does not believe in the doctrine of original sin, the Christian teaching that Adam's sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden was passed on to every generation of humanity. Jews believe they were born good, not sinners.

Rather, Judaism is a religion of works, or mitzvah, ritual obligations. The myriad of commands are both positive ("You must ...") and negative ("You must not ..."). Obedience, ritual and prayer are paths to bring a person closer to God and to bring God into everyday life.

When Jesus of Nazareth began his ministry in ancient Israel, Judaism had become a burdensome practice that no one was able to perform. Jesus offered himself as fulfillment of the prophecy and response to the problem of sin:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish them but to satisfy them "(Matthew 5:17, ESV)
For those who believe in him as Savior, the righteousness of Jesus is attributed to them through the grace of God, a free gift that cannot be earned.

Saul of Tarsus
Saul of Tarsus, a student of the learned rabbi Gamaliel, was certainly familiar with Isaiah 53. Like Gamaliel, he was a Pharisee, coming from a severe Jewish sect with which Jesus often clashed.

Saul found the belief of Christians in Jesus as Messiah so offensive that he cast them out and threw them in prison. In one of these missions, Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, and from then on, Saul, renamed Paul, believed that Jesus was actually the Messiah and spent the rest of his life preaching it.

Paul, who had seen the risen Christ, placed his faith not so much in the prophecies but in the resurrection of Jesus. That, said Paul, was unquestionable proof that Jesus was the Savior:

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. So even those who fell asleep in Christ died. If in Christ we only have hope in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in reality Christ was raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who fell asleep. " (1 Corinthians 15: 17-20, ESV)