The Messiah Our Redeemer: Part 8 of 12

VIII. Israel And The Messiah Are One

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.” (Isa 42:1)

The identity of “my servant”, has been a point of contention between Jews and Christians for centuries. While Christians identify the Servant as Yeshua the Messiah, Judaism identifies the Servant as the nation of Israel. Both interpretations have merit and are a demonstration of the frequent inseparability between the Messiah and the nation that bore him.

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." (Ps 2:7-9)

So whom do you think the Psalmist is referring to in the preceeding passage when he said “You are my Son, today I have become your Father”? Most Jewish believers in God the Father would say, “Israel” because the nation is called in the Torah “my firstborn son” (Ex 4:22). Yet, in the apostolic text, Yeshua is referred to as “the firstborn of creation” (Col 1:15) and “the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). However, Hosea appears to be referring to the nation and citing the Exodus event when he wrote, “When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). Yet, the apostolic writers quote this passage in reference to the time Yeshua was carried out from Egypt following the death of Herod the Great (Matt 2:15). You get the picture. The same prophecy often has different interpretations.

At times in prophecy, the identity of the Messiah and Israel overlap to the point of being inseparable. The Messiah is the quintessential Israelite. What befalls Israel also befalls the Messiah. Therefore the nation of Israel can often be substituted into passages seen as Messianic, while at the same time, the Messiah can be also be inserted into passages previously seen by some as only referring only to the nation of Israel. We understand that even the name “Israel” represents both the individual Patriarch Jacob, and the physical descendants from him.

This understanding helps to explain why both Jew and Gentile can look at a passage of prophecy in scripture and one see fulfillment in Yeshua the Messiah, while the other sees the nation of Israel. The classic prophecy of contention is the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. Because all translations from the original language are translated through the theological eyes of the translators, shown below is the Jewish Publication Society’s version to remove any perceived bias of other translations.

1 Who can believe what we have heard? Upon whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he has grown, by His favor, like a tree crown. Like a tree trunk out of arid ground. He had no form or beauty, that we should look at him; no charm, that we should find him pleasing.
3 He was despised shunned by men, A man of suffering, familiar with disease. As one who hid his face from us, He was despised, we held him of no account.
4 Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, Smitten and afflicted by God;
5 But he was wounded because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, and by his bruises we were healed.
6 We all went astray like sheep, Each going his own way; and the LORD visited upon him The guilt of all of us.
7 He was maltreated, yet he was submissive, He did not open his mouth; Like a sheep being led to slaughter, Like a eve, dumb before those who shear her, He did not open his mouth.
8 By oppressive judgment he was taken away, Who could describe his abode? For he was cut off from the land of the living through the sin of my people, who deserved the punishment.
9 And his grave was set among the wicked, And with the rich, in his death – Though he had done no injustice And had spoken no falsehood.
10 But the LORD chose to crush him by disease, That, if he made himself an offering for guilt, He might see offspring and have long life, And that through him the LORD’s purpose might prosper.
11 Out of his anguish he shall see it; He shall enjoy it to the full through his devotion. My righteous servant makes the many righteous. It is their punishment that he bears;
12 Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion, He shall receive the multitude as his spoil. For he exposed himself to death and was numbered among the sinners. Whereas he bore the guilt of the many and made intercession for sinners. (Isa 53:1-12, JPSTanakh)

Gentile and Jew have argued back and forth for centuries about the true interpretation of this prophecy. Gentiles hold this passage as a vivid description of Yeshua’s sacrificial substitutional death “like a sheep being lead to slaughter…he was cut off from the land of the living through the sin of my people, who deserved the punishment” and “he made himself an offering for guilt”. Jewish interpretation generally hold to the views expressed by Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yizchaki, 1040-1105 CE), that references to “he” are speaking of the nation of Israel. This interpretation ignores the verse calling him a “man of suffering”. Following the interpretation of Rashi, the frequent use of “we”, “our”, and “us” must be seen as the “Gentiles nations”, but then who is “we”? Has Isaiah disassociated himself from the Jewish people and place himself among the Gentiles in this narrative? Not likely. Finally, Rashi’s interpretation forces “my people” (verse 8) to be seen as the Gentile nations. This view runs contrary to the predominant use of the term in the Jewish text as a reference to the nation of Israel. The clearer understanding of the passage is to view one individual, the Messiah, as substituting and receiving the punishment due the nation for the sins of the nation.

Probably one of the most telling examples of the differences between the Jewish and Christian positions on this chapter can be seen by comparing the fifth verse. Consider the theological undercurrent behind each of the following translations.

New International Version: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
English Standard Version: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
JPS Tanakh Version: “But he was wounded because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, and by his bruises we were healed.”
Jewish Bible, Stone Edition: “He was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed through our iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds, we were healed.”

What stands as a notable difference in the translations is how “my servant” (Isa 52:13) suffered. Was he “pierced and crushed”, “wounded and crushed”, or “pained and oppressed”? Even without knowing, a person could probably guess which translation comes from believers and which comes from those who do not believe in Yeshua as Messiah. Therefore short of reading the original language, it is always good to be consult multiple versions when studying any given verse in scripture.

The book of Daniel teaches us that prophecy can hold imagery, but at the same time its fulfillment can be very literal. When presented with multiple options for the interpretation of any prophecy, the believer should always gravitate to the most literal fulfillment possible. The covenant given to Abraham came with literal promises of land, prosperity, and blessing for the nation that cannot be allegorized to another (Gen 12:1-3). The LORD further told Abraham,

“Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as salves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.” (Gen 15:13-14).

In time, this prophecy received a literal fulfillment as the nation was enslaved in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41). After the Exodus, Moses foretold of a future time when the Jewish nation would be scattered among the nations finding “no resting place for the sole of your foot” (Deut 28:65) and “left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven” (Deut 28:62). In time, this prophecy received a literal fulfillment that continues even into today. Yet, the Jewish people await the literal fulfillment of the re-gathering of the nation foretold by Moses (Deut 30:1-5).

While the nation of Israel has clearly suffered unprecedented persecution for centuries, the most literal interpretation of Isaiah’s prophecies would be of an individual suffering, disfigured, humiliated, and publicly displayed in a Roman crucifixion. As Isaiah has written…

See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness — so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. (Isa 52:13-15)

The Psalmist spoke of a similar fate when he said…

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. (Psa 22:14-18).

Written 1000 years before the perfection of crucifixion by the Romans in the years proceeding the first century, this Psalm of David accurately describes the process of crucifixion. The victim was publicly displayed with hands and feet pierced in a manner that pulled apart the bones as the muscles gave out. The victim succumbed to death either by loss of blood or suffocation, unable to breathe by the continuing compression on the lungs from the weight of the hanging body. This is the most literal fulfillment of the Psalm and Isaiah passages. Further, a significant, if not majority, of early Rabbinical interpretations understood Isaiah 53 as referring to the Messiah, while Rashi’s interpretations are 1000 years removed from the timeframe.

In addition, the heart of Isaiah’s writings about “My Servant” (Isa 42:1) are seen in the Targum Yonatan, not as the nation, but as “My Servant the Messiah” (Isa 42:1). “My servant” must be the Messiah, not the nation, for the following passage to make sense. How can the nation restore itself? Only the King of Israel (Messiah) has the power and authority from God to gather and restore the nation.

"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." This is what the LORD says — the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel — to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." (Isa 49:6-7)

It is not the nation, but the Messiah whom Isaiah prophesized when he wrote:

For a child has been born to us, A son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named “The Mighty God is planning grace, The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler” – In token of abundant authority and of peace without limit upon the throne and kingdom, that it may be firmly established in justice and in equity now and evermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts shall bring this to pass. (Isa 9:5-6, JPS Tanakh)