The Suffering Servant

Christianity is adamant that the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52-53 is a prophecy about Jesus. The alternative position is that it is about the nation of Israel. Note that there is some evidence that Jews also took the position this was a messianic prophecy, only abandoning that when Christianity became strong. However, that certainly does not indicate it was originally intended in that way.

Isaiah lived shortly before the Babylonia captivity, and many scholars believe chapters 1-39 date from that time. Chapters 40 to 55 appear to have been written much later, during the captivity, and 56 to 66 after the captivity. The evidence for this is largely internal. Only the earlier chapters mention the name "Isaiah". The part we are interested presents itself as written during the Babylonia Captivity, and it is generally accepted that that is the case.

It does, however, look to a time when the Jews are free to return to Jerusalem (not relevant here, but worth noting for completeness that the captivity only applied to the rulers and priests; the majority of Hebrews were not affected).

Isaiah 51:11 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
    and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
    they shall obtain gladness and joy,
    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

It also makes clear why they were in captivity in the first place. They suffered because God was angry with them:

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself,
    stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
    the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
    the bowl, the cup of staggering.

But he is no longer angry, and now his wrath is to be directed at the Babylonians:

22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord,
    your God who pleads the cause of his people:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;
the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;
23 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
    who have said to you,
    ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’;
and you have made your back like the ground
    and like the street for them to pass over.”

It continues, saying how the Jews will return to their land, under the protection of their God:

Isaiah 52:9 Break forth together into singing,
    you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from there;
    touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,
    you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
    and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
    and the God of Israel will be your rearguard.

At this point we get to the Suffering Servant text:

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely;[a]
    he shall be high and lifted up,
    and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you—
    his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
    and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so shall he sprinkle[b] many nations;
    kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
    and that which they have not heard they understand.

Note that there is no suggest that this is about the messiah here. The verse before was talking about the nation of Israel, and so it this. It is all part of the same narrative; the nation of Israel will be released from bondage, and will be set up by God to be higher than all the rest. What we see is a contrast between the lowly position of the time ("his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance") and the exalted position envisaged ("kings shall shut their mouths because of him").

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?[a]
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected[b] by men;
    a man of sorrows,[c] and acquainted with[d] grief;[e]
and as one from whom men hide their faces[f]
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

This again is emphasising the lowly status of the Hebrew people in their captivity in Babylon.

This is not about Jesus. Jesus was NOT rejected, not despised - at least, not according to the gospel accounts. He attracted crowds of 5000, and was hailed as messiah when he arrived at Jerusalem.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 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.

This may sound like Jesus, wounded for our transgressions, but again, this is the nation of Israel, suffering in captivity because of God's wrath, just as was said in the earlier chapters.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.

This again sounds like Jesus, keeping silent before Pilate. The reality is that the disciples had no way of knowing what happened when Jesus met Pilate, so made it up based on this verse.

8 By oppression and judgement he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?

"He was taken away" refers to the nation of Israel taken to Babylon, and "cut off out of the land of the living" means removed from the land God had given them.

9 And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;[g]
when his soul makes[h] an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Will Jesus see his offspring? No. This is not about Jesus.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see[i] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,[j]
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,[k]
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This is the end of the section Christians consider to be about Jesus. However, the truth is that it continues in the same manner.

Isaiah 54:1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
    break forth into singing and cry aloud,
    you who have not been in labour!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
    and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
    and strengthen your stakes.

The suffering servant, i.e., the nation of Israel, is to celebrate the end of captivity.

3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
    and your offspring will possess the nations
    and will people the desolate cities.

The nation of Israel will spread and become populous.

...
7 For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord, your Redeemer.

This is a summary of the last few chapters - including the suffering servant part. And it is clear that it is about the nation of Israel, becoming free from the Babylonians.