1Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
8By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.
9He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
11After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53 Section and Chapter Commentary
Isa 53:1-12
Luke's Theology of the Cross
While Luke omits Mark 10:45 (the ransom saying), he develops a theology of the cross by emphasizing Jesus's innocence (dikaios) in his passion narrative. This is highlighted by the centurion's declaration, the crucified criminal's testimony, and Pilate's repeated pronouncements. This focus on Jesus as a righteous martyr, combined with the Ethiopian eunuch's reading of Isaiah 53 in Acts, suggests Luke does have an atonement theology, albeit nuanced.
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Selective Use of Old Testament Passages
While the New Testament contains 251 direct Old Testament passages, totaling 317 citations with duplicates, the authors were selective. They favored books like Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Isaiah, often overlooking passages that modern readers might consider obvious connections to Jesus, such as the Binding of Isaac or Isaiah 52-53.
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Isaiah 53 refers to Israel, not Jesus
Isaiah 53, the 'suffering servant' passage, is widely believed by Christians to predict Jesus. However, within Isaiah itself, the servant is identified as the nation of Israel, which suffered for the sins of the people. While some argue against this due to the use of a third-person singular pronoun, the Old Testament often refers to collectives like nations in the singular, as seen with kingdoms in Daniel 7.
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Isaiah 53's Contextual Meaning
When read in its full context within Second Isaiah, Isaiah 53 does not appear to be a prophecy about a future Messiah. The passage describes suffering in the past tense, indicating events that have already occurred, not future predictions. The broader context of Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55) focuses on the Babylonian exiles' suffering for their sins and God's promise of restoration.
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Absence of a Suffering Messiah Tradition in Judaism
Prior to Christianity, there is no evidence in Jewish writings, including the Old Testament and subsequent texts, of a tradition anticipating a future suffering Messiah. The concept of a suffering Messiah was considered nonsensical, as the Messiah was expected to be a powerful figure who would defeat enemies and establish God's kingdom, not one who would be tortured or killed.
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Early Christian Interpretation of Isaiah 53
Early Christian writers, such as those in the book of Acts and 1 Peter, clearly linked Isaiah 53 to Jesus. Acts 8 describes Philip interpreting Isaiah 53 to an Ethiopian eunuch as a reference to Jesus' death. 1 Peter paraphrases Isaiah 53, applying the concept of Christ dying for the sins of others. This demonstrates that Christians quickly adopted Isaiah 53 as a prophecy about Jesus.
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Isaiah as a Theological Template for Jesus' Death
The book of Isaiah, particularly chapter 53, provided a theological template for early Christians to understand and explain Jesus' death. After Jesus' crucifixion, his disciples, initially believing he would be a ruling Messiah, reinterpreted his death through the lens of scripture. They connected his death to the concept of a sacrifice for sins, finding resonance in passages like Isaiah 53, which describes a righteous figure suffering for the transgressions of others. This led to the widespread Christian belief that Isaiah 53 predicted Jesus.
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The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53
The passage in Isaiah 53, which describes a 'suffering servant,' is often interpreted by Christians as a prophecy referring to the crucifixion of Jesus. This interpretation is a significant point of discussion regarding the prophetic nature of Old Testament texts and their fulfillment in the New Testament.
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Isaiah 53: Not a Messianic Prediction
When read in its historical context, Isaiah 53 does not mention a messiah, son of David, or future king, but rather refers to the 'servant of the Lord.' The passage describes suffering that has already occurred, not a future prediction, and anticipates the servant's vindication.
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The Servant as Israel
Other 'servant songs' in Second Isaiah, specifically in chapters 44 and 49, explicitly identify the servant of the Lord as Israel, the people of God. Therefore, the suffering described in Isaiah 53 refers to the nation of Israel's past suffering during the Babylonian destruction and exile, and their subsequent restoration.
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Pre-Christian Jewish Interpretation of Isaiah 53
There is no evidence of any Jewish interpretation prior to Christianity that understood Isaiah 53 as referring to a future suffering Messiah. This suggests that Jesus himself likely would not have interpreted the passage in this way, as the historical Jesus did not appear to expect crucifixion but rather the imminent arrival of God's kingdom.
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Christian Reinterpretation of Isaiah 53
Early Christians faced a dilemma because the Messiah was not expected to suffer and die. After Jesus' crucifixion and subsequent belief in his resurrection, they reinterpreted passages like Isaiah 53 to explain his death as part of God's plan. This led to the concept of two advents of Christ and a shifted understanding of the 'suffering servant' as Jesus.
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The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 as Israel
The 'suffering servant' passages in Isaiah, particularly chapter 53, are often interpreted by Christians as prophecies of Jesus' suffering. However, within the context of Isaiah, the servant of the Lord refers to the nation of Israel, which suffered during the Babylonian exile for its sins. Isaiah 49 explicitly identifies the servant as 'Israel,' indicating a collective rather than an individual figure.
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Isaiah 53 and the Suffering Servant
Isaiah 53, which describes the 'suffering servant,' is widely interpreted by Christians as a prophecy about Jesus, despite its original context not referring to a Messiah. The New Testament's application of the suffering servant motif to Jesus makes it difficult for many Christians to read Isaiah 53 without seeing Jesus in it, illustrating the strong influence of Christian intertextuality.
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Jesus did not quote Isaiah 53 to self-identify as the Suffering Servant
While Jesus quotes from the Hebrew Bible, including Isaiah, he never quotes Isaiah 53 or any of the Suffering Servant songs in the New Testament. In Jesus's time, the Suffering Servant in Isaiah was commonly interpreted as representing the nation of Israel, not a future Messianic figure. The idea of Jesus as the Suffering Servant is a post-Easter development by his disciples, who sought to understand how God's chosen one could be crucified.
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Suffering Servant Not Initially Messianic
The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53, a figure who is humiliated and killed, was not read as a messianic text before the death of Jesus. While the Teacher of Righteousness in Qumran hymns may have alluded to Isaiah 53, seeing himself as a suffering figure God would lift up, this did not make him a Messiah in the sense of restoring the Davidic kingdom. Isaiah 53 only became interpreted as messianic by Jesus' followers to explain his crucifixion and resurrection.
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Isaiah 53 Verse Notes
Isa 53:1
Christ's Dual Coming
Justin explains that Jews' inability to accept a crucified Messiah stems from their failure to understand that Christ must come twice. The first coming was in disgrace and suffering as a blood sacrifice, while the second will be in glory and judgment. He warns that there is limited time for conversion before Christ's final judgment.
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Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus
Evangelicals believe that Old Testament passages clearly and unequivocally predict Jesus. For example, Isaiah 53 is seen as a direct prophecy of Jesus' suffering and crucifixion, and Isaiah 7:14 about a virgin conceiving is understood as foretelling Jesus' birth. This interpretation leads to confusion about why Jewish people do not recognize these prophecies as referring to Jesus.
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Contextual Interpretation of Prophecy
A scholarly approach to Old Testament prophecies involves reading passages within their historical and cultural context, rather than in isolation. When Isaiah 53 is read in context, the 'suffering servant' is identified as Israel, specifically the exiles in Babylon, who suffered for the sins of the people. This contextual reading reveals that the passages are not about a future Messiah.
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Theological motivation for Jesus' birth in Bethlehem
Early Christians believed Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, including the Messiah being born in Bethlehem, as stated in Micah 5:2. Both Matthew and Luke, despite knowing Jesus was from Nazareth, constructed narratives to ensure his birth occurred in Bethlehem, thereby affirming his messianic identity.
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Reinterpreting Scripture for the Suffering Messiah
Once Christians redefined the Messiah as a suffering and resurrected figure, they began reinterpreting passages in the Hebrew Bible, such as Isaiah chapter 53, to support this new understanding. They argued these passages, which speak of suffering and vindication, were prophecies about the Messiah, leading to conflicts with Jewish interpretations that did not connect these texts to a messianic figure.
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Isaiah 53 and the Suffering Servant
Isaiah chapter 53, part of the 'four songs of the suffering servant,' describes a servant who suffers for the sins of others. However, the text does not use the word 'Messiah' and refers to past suffering rather than future. The author explicitly identifies the servant as Israel, specifically the leaders in Babylonian exile who suffered for their ancestors' sins and would be restored, not a future individual Messiah.
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Scriptural Predictions of Messiah's Death
Early Christians, particularly after Jesus' death, sought Old Testament passages to explain how the Messiah could die, as this was contrary to Jewish expectations. Key passages included Isaiah 53, describing the suffering servant, and Psalm 22, which begins with 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.' These were interpreted as referring to Jesus' suffering and sacrifice.
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Isa 53:2-3
Messiah's Unattractive Appearance in Prophecy
Early predictions about the Jewish Messiah, as interpreted by some church fathers, suggested he would not be physically attractive. The rationale was that people should be drawn to his message and teachings, not his physical form. This perspective implies the Messiah might even be somewhat repulsive, akin to figures like Aesop, emphasizing intellectual and spiritual appeal over physical beauty.
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Specific Prophetic Descriptions of the Messiah's Appearance
Further elaborating on the idea of an unattractive Messiah, some early descriptions suggested he would have patchy hair, possibly a unibrow, some physical deformity, and be relatively short and bow-legged. These specific, unflattering details were intended to reinforce the idea that attraction should stem from his message, not his looks.
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Messianic prophecy in Isaiah describes an unappealing appearance
Origen suggests that the Gospels omit Jesus' physical description because the prophet Isaiah foretold the Messiah would not possess an attractive or majestic appearance. This prophecy indicates that the Messiah would be despised and of no account, lacking any physical quality that would make him desirable.
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Isa 53:2
Messiah's physical appearance not attractive
The speaker notes a discrepancy between modern depictions of Jesus as physically attractive and ancient prophecies. According to the Old Testament, the Messiah was not expected to be physically appealing; instead, people were meant to be drawn to his message, not his physical person.
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Isa 53:3-6
The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53
Second Isaiah contains passages, notably Isaiah 53:3-6, that describe a 'man of suffering' who bears infirmities and is wounded for transgressions. This language is deeply ingrained in Christian tradition as a prediction of Jesus, the suffering Messiah, who would be executed for the sins of others.
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Isa 53:4
Matthew's Interpretation of Isaiah 53:4 and Healing
Matthew 8:16-17 quotes Isaiah 53:4, stating Jesus 'took our infirmities and bore our diseases' as a fulfillment of his healing ministry. Some argue Matthew forces the text, as Isaiah 53:4 typically refers to the suffering servant bearing sins. However, Matthew might have a developed theology of atonement, seeing Jesus' healing as a manifestation of his suffering servant role, taking infirmities upon himself, and looking forward to the cross.
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Isa 53:5
Messiah's suffering predicted in Isaiah
Early followers of Jesus, familiar with the Hebrew Bible, identified passages like Isaiah 53 as predictions of the Messiah's suffering. This passage describes a figure wounded for transgressions and bruised for iniquities, whose suffering brings healing, which they applied to Jesus.
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1 Peter: Atoning Death of Jesus
The book of 1 Peter, traditionally attributed to Peter, clearly articulates a doctrine of atonement. It states that Christ suffered for humanity, bearing sins in his body on the cross, so that believers might die to sins and live for righteousness. This view aligns with the concept of Jesus' death as a sacrificial act that brings healing and expiation for sins.
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Sacrifice for Sins in Jewish Tradition
The idea of a life being an offering for sin was a common theme in Israelite religion, particularly through animal sacrifices in the temple, as detailed in Leviticus 16 for the Day of Atonement. This practice aimed to resolve human sin and restore favor with God. In Isaiah 53, the concept is used metaphorically, where the suffering of the exiles (Israel) is presented as a sacrifice for the sins of the people, leading to their eventual salvation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did the Prophet Isaiah Predict Jesus' Crucifixion? · watch the clip
Isa 53:8
Sacrifice for Sins in Jewish Tradition
The idea of a life being an offering for sin was a common theme in Israelite religion, particularly through animal sacrifices in the temple, as detailed in Leviticus 16 for the Day of Atonement. This practice aimed to resolve human sin and restore favor with God. In Isaiah 53, the concept is used metaphorically, where the suffering of the exiles (Israel) is presented as a sacrifice for the sins of the people, leading to their eventual salvation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did the Prophet Isaiah Predict Jesus' Crucifixion? · watch the clip
Isa 53:10
Sacrifice for Sins in Jewish Tradition
The idea of a life being an offering for sin was a common theme in Israelite religion, particularly through animal sacrifices in the temple, as detailed in Leviticus 16 for the Day of Atonement. This practice aimed to resolve human sin and restore favor with God. In Isaiah 53, the concept is used metaphorically, where the suffering of the exiles (Israel) is presented as a sacrifice for the sins of the people, leading to their eventual salvation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did the Prophet Isaiah Predict Jesus' Crucifixion? · watch the clip
