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The Messiah in Isaiah
The Suffering Servant
By I Gordon
Introduction
The following study was
written in response to a Jewish reader’s objection to identifying the ‘servant’
of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as the Messiah. His objection stated that
‘The
real proof Isaiah is talking about
Now that is a
fair enough question. What proof is there that Isaiah spoke of more than the
nation of
The Two Servants of Isaiah
The ‘servant’ of the Lord
is the key theme of Isaiah between chapters 41-53. The word ‘servant’ can be
found 17 times within these chapters and large portions of scripture describe
the character and work of the ‘servant’. When these passages are examined
closely however, it becomes clear however that two separate ‘servants’ are
spoken about. The first is the nation of
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The Righteous Servant
(Messiah) |
The Unrighteous Servant ( |
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Isa
42:1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my
chosen one in whom I delight Isa 49:3 He said
to me, “You are my servant, |
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The servant Messiah is an individual (singular) Isa
42:6 I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your
hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a
light for the Gentiles. Isa
50:6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled
out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. |
The servant Isa
43:10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have
chosen. |
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The servant Messiah is righteous in character |
Servant Isa
48:1-4 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of |
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The Lord delights in His servant Messiah |
The Lord poured out his anger on His servant Israel
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The servant Messiah listens to God |
The servant Isa
48:8 You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been
open. |
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The servant Messiah is not rebellious to God Isa 50:5 The Sovereign LORD
has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. |
The servant Isa
48:8 Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from
birth. |
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The servant Messiah opened the eyes of the blind |
The servant |
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So we see that one servant
is righteous and obedient to the God (the servant Messiah), while the other
servant mentioned was stubborn and rebellious (the nation of
‘Since you are
precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in
exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I
am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the
west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold
them back.’ (Isa 43:4-6)
Now, what is interesting is
that part of the righteous servant’s commissioning involves bringing the
unrighteous servant (
The Righteous Servant to bring the Unrighteous Servant
back to God
Isa 42:1-7 “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. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand .I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
The key thought that is introduced above is
that the servant, in whom God delights, is going to be a covenant for both the
people (
Isa 49:5-7 ‘And now the LORD says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to
him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength— he says: “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
Now this is a very interesting passage. Note the following points:
- The servant is commissioned to ‘bring Jacob back to Him (God) and gather
- Yet at the same time, the Lord says that it is ‘too small a thing for you to be my
servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of
- Notice also this important point. The scripture above tells us
that initially the righteous servant’s mission to the nation of
- Please note however that though initially rejected by the
nation of
The
Righteous Servant (Messiah) Rejected
We have seen that the righteous servant,
the Messiah, will be ‘despised and abhorred by the nation’ of
Isa 50:4-7 The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Chapter 50 adds more detail concerning the rejection and persecution of the righteous servant. It shows that even though He was awoken and taught by God daily, and was faithful in delivering the word given to Him, yet ultimately He would be despised, mocked and beaten. Yet in all this the righteous servant Messiah would not draw back or disobey His God! The fulfilment of these verses can be seen from what Jesus faced as described in many passages in the New Testament.
Luke 22:63-65 ‘The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him. ‘
Mark 15:16-20 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
So
what have we seen so far?
- Two servants are presented in Isaiah – a righteous servant in
whom God delights (the Messiah) and a rebellious servant that is stubborn
(nation of
- The commissioning of the righteous servant involves bringing
the nation of
- The righteous servant (Messiah) will be despised and rejected by the Israelite nation at first, but the Gentiles will bow down to Him.
- Though mocked, spat upon, and beaten, the righteous servant will not turn away from that which His God has required of Him.
So the development of detail concerning the righteous servant leads us right to the most specific and important verses on this topic… Isaiah 52:13-53:12. We have seen so far that the righteous servant will be rejected and even beaten, but so far no reason for this is given. The passage now before us will, as we shall see, elaborate further upon the rejection of the righteous servant, the Messiah, and even declare the very reason for His suffering and death!
The Suffering
and Glory of the Messiah – The Righteous Servant
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Verse |
Comments |
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52:13 See, my servant will act
wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. |
The
righteous servant would be exalted above all others. He would be greater than
all before Him. Phil 2:9 ‘He humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and
gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.’ |
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Vs 14 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 |
But
before exaltation would come terrible suffering – to the extent that He would
be terribly disfigured. Before being crucified, Jesus was scourged with a
whip. As was the custom in those days, each strand had nails or pieces of
metal attached to it to literally rip the flesh off the bones of the victim –
leaving them horribly disfigured - Some didn’t survive the scourging. |
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Vs 15 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. |
Some
versions have startle or astonish instead of sprinkle. Both are valid. Kings
and nations will be astonished by the servant. That He would suffer so much
for the sins of others! And, like the Priests of the Old Testament sprinkling
the blood of bulls in the sin offering, so the Servants blood poured out
would bring cleansing for all who would believe. (See Lev 4:3-6 for the O.T
type) Heb 12:23-24 ‘You have come to…Jesus the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood
of Abel.’ See also Heb 9:14-15 |
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53:1 Who has believed our
message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? |
But the nation of |
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Vs 2 He grew up before him
like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or
majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire
him. |
Many
believe that Isaiah 53 is a yet future national confession of the nation of
Israel (before the 2nd coming of Jesus as they look to and upon
the one they have pierced - see Zech 12:10) In this verse we have Israel’s
confession as to why they didn’t accept the Messiah Jesus at His first coming
– That is, He seemed like an ordinary man from a humble background. He came
not as a royal King but as a commoner, growing up quietly amongst them. John 1:10-12 ‘He was in the world, and
though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all
who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God.’ |
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Vs 3 He was despised and
rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from
whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. |
Even more than His humble
beginning was the fact that He was a man of sufferings. The nation of |
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Vs 4 Surely he took up our
infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted. |
Here is the recognition of |
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Vs 5 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. |
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Vs 6 We all, like sheep, have
gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on
him the iniquity of us all. |
Note
the personal pronouns throughout verse 5 and 6. ‘Our transgressions’, ‘our
iniquities’, ‘by his wounds, we are healed’, ‘each of us turned to his own
way’, ‘the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ Isaiah wrote this on
behalf of his people, God’s people, |
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Vs 7 He 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. |
This
states that the servant would remain silent in the face of His oppression and
affliction. At both His Jewish and Roman trials Jesus remained silent. Matt
27:12-14 ‘When he was accused by the chief priests and the
elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then
Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against
you?” 14 But Jesus made no
reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. ‘
This verse couldn’t be applied to the nation of |
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Vs 8 By oppression and
judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was
cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he
was stricken. |
The
righteous servant would be taken away and cut off from the land of the
living. He would die and have no descendants. We see again here that this
righteous servant is separate to those whom Isaiah says are ‘my people’. In
fact it was for the sin and transgression of |
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Vs 9 He was assigned a grave
with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no
violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. |
Having
died as a criminal in the people’s eyes, the righteous servant was to be
assigned a grave with the wicked. However, in some way He would also be with
the rich in His death. This was fulfilled by the actions of Joseph of
Arimathea for we read in Matt 27:57-60 ‘As evening approached,
there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a
disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate
ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean
linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the
rock.’ |
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Vs 10 Yet it was the LORD’s
will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life
a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the
will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. |
This
verse shows us the one who was ultimately responsible for the death of the
righteous servant… It was the LORD! The Jews and Romans played their part in
carrying out the sentence but it was God who ordained it. And for a purpose:
The Messiah would die as an offering for sin! Yet if He did this in some way
He would get to see offspring and have His days prolonged. How could one who
was to die have His days prolonged? Through the resurrection! |
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Vs 11 After the suffering 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. |
The
servant would see the results of His suffering and He would again see life!
Yet another foretelling of the resurrection of the servant. The righteous
servant would justify many as He bears their iniquities. The New Testament
tells us that Jesus foresaw the results of His death and ‘for
the joy set before him endured the cross’ (Heb 12:2) |
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Vs 12 Therefore I will give
him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the
transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors. |
Finally
we see the result and position that would be granted to the servant because He
was willing to pour out His life unto death. The servant will be highly
exalted. He will be given a portion among the great. And though He bore the
sin of many, yet He would still intercede for them! When Jesus was on the
cross, He still prayed saying “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ (Luke 23:34) He
fulfilled this verse by interceding for the very ones who hated, persecuted,
and finally crucified Him! |
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Conclusion
We set out with the challenge to see if the
‘servant’ in Isaiah spoke of the Israelite nation or the Messiah. It has been
shown that two servants are mentioned - A righteous servant who is an
individual and an unrighteous servant who is the nation of
Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum, in his book
Messianic Christology offers the following 10 points to show that Isaiah 53 is
about the Messiah and not the nation of
1. This was the view of the ancient rabbis.
2. The distinctive pronouns we, us, our, must refer to Isaiah and his Jewish audience while he, him, his refer to the Messiah.
3. Throughout the passage the Servant is
portrayed as a singular personality and not a nation; there is no allegory or
personification of the Servant as
4. In verse 9, the servant’s suffering is
voluntary, willing and silent, which has never been true of
5. In verse 8, the Servant dies for ‘my people’;
Isaiah’s people were the Jews; the Servant and
6. The Servant is an innocent sufferer. (vs
4-6,8-9) but
7. The Servant suffers a vicarious and
substitutionary death (vs 4-6, 8, 10, 12) while
8. The sufferings of the Servant bring
justification and spiritual healing to those who accept it (vs 5b, 11b), but
9. The Servant dies (vs 8, 12) but the people of
10. The Servant is resurrected (vs 10-11), but
since the people of
The evidence is abundantly clear for those who want to know the truth. The righteous servant has a name. It is Yeshua… Jesus. He died for your sin and mine. And now the God of Israel has given Him a name above all others. Consider these words from the New Testament in closing:
Your attitude should
be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very
nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a
cross!
Therefore God exalted
him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Phil 2:5-11)