Isaiah's Suffering Servant (analysis)

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.

NOTE:I have edited this page, 23/Jan/25, to tidy it up a bit and to focus on the specific verses Christians claim apply to Jesus. For a look at the context, chapters 40 to 54, see here.

It should be noted that Christians are not alone in seeing the text as a prophesy for a messiah; this was a popular belief among Jews around the time of Jesus. However, that does not prove that the author considered it to be a prophesy. So let us consider two completing scenarios.

In the first scenario, Isaiah is prophesying the arrival and crucifixion of Jesus.

In the second, Isaiah is bemoaning the fate of Israel. Later, his words are re-interpreted as a prophesy of a messiah, and later still Jesus' life is remodelled to fit that text.

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.

Isaiah 52:13-15

The text Christians claim applies t Jesus is Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12. They accept, perhaps grudgingly, the surrounding chapters are about Israel. The text starts:

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
    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 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 53:1-3

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
    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 by men;
    a man of sorrows,[c] and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    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.

Mat 21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,​

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”​

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”​

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”​

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”​

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

Isiah 53:4-5

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.

Verse 5 is often translated as "pierced" for our transgressions, and Christians will point to this being fulfilled in John when Jesus is prodded with a spear. But this event is absent from the earlier gospels. Why is that? Because it was made up, and this verse was likely the inspiration for it.

Isiah 53:6-7

 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 in part on this verse.

And it is contradicted by the gospels themselves !

Mark 14:60 And then the high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not offer any answer for what these men are testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of [aj]the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 

And then...

Mark 15:2 Pilate questioned Him: “So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 And the chief priests started accusing Him [b]of many things. 4 But Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You offer nothing in answer? See how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5 But Jesus said nothing further in answer, so Pilate was amazed.

In both instances, the author has Jesus say nothing for one question - undoubtedly to fulfill the supposed prophecy in Isaiah, but cannot help also having Jesus speak, and so the prophecy fails.

Isiah 53:8

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.

Isiah 53:9

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.

The exiled Jews had to bury their dead in a foreign land, and this was a big deal to them. This was the land of their oppressors - the wicked and the rich. This again is about being cut off from their own land.

The gospels tell us Jesus was assigned an unused tomb.

Mat 27: 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.

Not about Jesus!

Isiah 53:10

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.

Isiah 53:11-12

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,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
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.

Here God is saying that because his servant has suffered for the sins of all he will make his servant great in the afterlife. But if the servant is part of the holy godhead, he is great already! This cannot be about Jesus.

Instead, this is again rationalising why bad things happen to good people. The Jews are suffering now, and their suffering is great because they suffer for the sins of all. But they are God's chosen people, so they can expect to be well rewarded in the afterlife.

Not A Prophecy

If Christians are to be believed, the author wrote a lengthy text all about the nation of Israel, but broke off part way through to prophecise about the messiah.

And, rather more damning, the author uses the same name to refer to the nation as he does to the messiah.

Far more likely the entire text is about Israel.