1. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 1 of 14 Who Is the Suffering Servant in “Isaiah 53”? Part II – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson by Uri Yosef, Ph.D., Director of Education Virtual Yeshiva of the Messiah Truth Project, Inc. [The article on this topic is located here - http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53CP.pdf]http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Isa53CP.pdf Copyright © Uri Yosef 2015 for the Messiah Truth Project, Inc. All rights reserved Counter-Missionary Education

2. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 2 of 14 Introduction Testing of our new hypothesis continues in the Validation stage of the Scientific Method with the verse-by-verse analysis of Segment 4 – Isaiah 53:9-12. Here, once again, the “voice” switches to that of God, as He starts to respond to the nations with a description of what happened to the servant because of their actions, letting them know what is in store for the servant in the future. This "voice“ then continues to the end of the chapter. New Hypothesis: The Messiah is the servant in "Isaiah 53"

3. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 3 of 14 Segment 4 – Isaiah 53:9-12

4. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 4 of 14 Segment 4 – Isaiah 53:9-12 Cross-referenced passages for the table on Slide 3

5. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 5 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 Verification Stage This verse describes a non-violent and non-deceitful servant, who was put to death only because of his wealth, and buried as if he were a criminal.  [Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 53:9 apply to the Messiah? Although (the remnant of) Israel is described as non-violent and non- deceitful (Zephaniah 3:13), which could include the Messiah, since he will be part of Israel, such language is never used in the Hebrew Bible in connection with any of the prophecies that speak of him. Moreover, and aside of the fact that the Hebrew language indicates the servant as being a group of people, not a single individual, no accounts in the Hebrew Bible speak of the Messiah dying in the manner described here.  [Hebrew Bible] Answer: NO!

6. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 6 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued)  [New Testament] Question: Can Isaiah 53:9 apply to Jesus? Descriptions of Jesus in several accounts in the New Testament appear to conflict with the descriptions of the servant in this verse: He was buried among the wealthy (e.g., Matthew 27:38) He engaged in violent actions (e.g., Matthew 8:32, 21:18-21, John 2:15) He proposed to perpetrate violent acts (e.g., Matthew 10:34-36, Luke 19:27) He lied, deceived, and made false promises (Matthew 16:27-28, 24:34, Mark 16:17-18, John 14:12-14, Revelation 22:7,12,20) Many other accounts in the New Testament cast doubt on whether Jesus acted as an upright person.  [New Testament] Answer: NO!

7. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 7 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued) This verse describes a servant who was punished at God's behest, yet was also promised children, a long life, and success as rewards for his repentance.  [Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 53:10 apply to the Messiah? Since the servant cannot be an individual but an entity, i.e., a group, the Messiah is excluded as the servant in Isaiah 53:10. However, setting aside this fact for a moment, it is noted here that God promises to reward the servant for acknowledging his iniquity and his subsequent repentance. While the Hebrew Bible frequently speaks of promises made or rewards that would accrue to the Jewish people if they do God's will, such rewards are not individually promised to the Messiah.  [Hebrew Bible] Answer: NO!

8. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 8 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued)  [New Testament] Question: Can Isaiah 53:10 apply to Jesus? Here, too, as in the previous verse, multiple problems arise when comparing against it accounts in the New Testament, not to mention the fact that the cross-referenced verse, John 1:29, conveys a scenario that is inconsistent with the corresponding Hebrew text. The following are some examples of these issues: According to the New Testament, the only one who to be crushed by God is “Satan” (Romans 16:20). Of what illness did Jesus suffer? Why would God wish to crush him and make him ill, and how could he then be a perfect and unblemished sacrifice? How could a "sinless" Jesus acknowledge any guilt? Moreover, how could his sacrifice atone for all sins if a guilt-offering could atone for only a limited number of sins, while the Pascal Lamb did not atone for any sins? According to the New Testament, Jesus never fathered any children. How could a lifetime of some 30 years (Luke 3:23) be considered as prolonged when the Hebrew Bible defines a common lifetime as 70 years, and a prolonged one as 80 years (Psalms 90:10)? What was the purpose of Jesus being sent to earth if not to be successful? Would not an omniscient God know in advance that his incarnate divine "son" will fulfill all that was supposed to be done? Why would he be promised earthly rewards such as a long life and children?  [New Testament] Answer: NO!

9. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 9 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued) This verse describes how the servant will eventually see that God has had a special purpose in allowing such wickedness, and will be satisfied and will not challenge God's actions. The servant will vindicate mankind with his knowledge, and this will not come easily, since it will be at the expense of suffering inflicted by the multitudes.  [Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 53:11 apply to the Messiah? While the Messiah will be a widely respected and recognized spiritual and military/political leader (e.g., Isaiah 2:3, 11:2; Daniel 7:14), this verse cannot apply to him as an individual, though he will be among those included in the entity called “My servant”.  [Hebrew Bible] Answer: NO!

10. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 10 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued)  [New Testament] Question: Can Isaiah 53:11 apply to Jesus? The first cross-referenced passage in the New Testament alludes to (the divine) Jesus claiming equality with the Father and carrying out his ordained mission by laying down his life and being satisfied, and how he will be satisfied as the shepherd. The second cross-referenced passage in the New Testament conveys the message that mankind, which became infected with sin by what Adam had done, is justified through the work of Jesus. These passages reflect the Christian mistranslation and misinterpretation of this verse, and neither of them is consistent with the Hebrew text and its proper context. Aside from the fact that the servant cannot be an individual, this verse explains how the people will be vindicated by the servant's knowledge and not through his suffering, shed blood, and death, which conflicts with Christian theology.  [New Testament] Answer: NO!

11. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 11 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued) This verse describes a servant who will be compensated for having risked his life in dangerous situations, even to the point where he was counted among the criminals. Although he has borne the effects of, and suffered from, the sins of others, he will continue to intercede on their behalf.  [Hebrew Bible] Question: Can Isaiah 53:12 apply to the Messiah? Although the Messiah will be counted among those collectively referred to as “My servant”, there are no references in the Hebrew Bible to him, as an individual, being rewarded, having suffered due to the actions of others, being counted among criminals, and interceding on behalf of others.  [Hebrew Bible] Answer: NO!

12. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 12 of 14 Testing the Hypothesis: Segment 4 (continued)  [New Testament] Question: Can Isaiah 53:12 apply to Jesus? The Hebrew word שָׁלָל (shalal), booty, which appears in this verse, is used throughout the Hebrew Bible exclusively to describe the spoils of war in a literal sense, i.e., taking possession of material goods that belong to others. Attempting to apply the passage to Jesus raises some poignant questions: Did he ever fight in any war? Whom did he defeat? What were his spoils? With, or of, whom will he be sharing the spoils of war? Moreover, since Jesus was allegedly sacrificed and gave up his human body: How then could he intercede for anyone? As part of the godhead, should not he himself be the one to forgive rather than intercede?  [New Testament] Answer: NO!

13. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 13 of 14 Interim Summary – Segment 4: Isaiah 53:9-12 Our hypothesis: Results of the verse-by-verse testing: New Hypothesis: The Messiah is the servant in "Isaiah 53"

14. May 13, 2015Isaiah 53 – The Christian Interpretation: Valid or Not? Page 14 of 14 Final Summary & Conclusion Conclusion: The Christian interpretation of "Isaiah 53" is false, since neither the Messiah nor Jesus can be identified as the entity being referred to as “My servant”. This leaves the Jewish interpretation, that Israel is the correct identity of the entity being referred to as “My servant” in Isaiah’s Fourth Servant Song. Isaiah“the Messiah” = Servant?Jesus = Servant?Israel = Servant? 52:13  52:14  52:15  53:1  53:2  53:3  53:4  53:5  53:6  53:7  53:8  53:9  53:10  53:11  53:12  Totals: = 2 |  = 13 = 1 |  = 14 = 15 |  = 0 Legend = YES  = NO