Isaiah is saying that the suffering servant of G-d, who had been perceived as subhuman and despised, went to his deaths (PLURAL) even though he was innocent of any violence or crimes that would warrant being put to death. The servant had done nothing worthy of being executed -- yet executed he was -- for no crime, no deceit, no violence. . . One can understand why missionaries would "see" Jesus in the above. The fly in the ointment for "seeing" Jesus in the passage is that Isaiah speaks of deaths / executions (בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav) “in their deaths." The plural in verse 9 hearkens back to the phrase נֶ֥גַע לָֽמֹו / nĕga lamo ("they were afflicted") at the end of verse 8, yet, most Christian translations have "death" (singular) and "he was stricken" singular -- both incorrect. Jesus was only one man -- he did not die multiple deaths. Hence he cannot be the servant Isaiah is speaking about in Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:9. Was Jesus innocent? While the trial as described in the Christian bible could never have happened (this was discussed in the blog post Sanhedrins (what were they?) and Pontius Pilate) the Romans might have had cause to kill him, after all they crucified some 200,000 Jews on one pretext or another. . . But, innocent or guilty of any death penalty offense Jesus does not "fulfill" Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:9 since Isaiah is speaking of multiple deaths. But who, other than "without sin" Jesus could fit the passage: "He submitted himself to his grave like wicked men; and the wealthy (submitted) to his EXECUTIONS (plural) for committing no crime and with no deceit in his mouth." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:9? Isaiah is not saying that in his entire life(s) the servant never lied ("had deceit in his mouth"). Isaiah is saying that the punishment of death is not due to any deception or crime committed by the servant. While the Jewish nation has been far from perfect, in comparison with the evil done to it by the gentile nations Israel is righteous. In the messianic era, when G-d returns all Jews to the land of Israel, rebuilds the Temple and the entire world is at peace G-d will remove any remaining sins from the Jewish people: "I, yea I erase your transgressions for My sake, and your sins I will not remember." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 43:25. The servant, the Jewish nation, was innocent of any wrongdoings that could possibly result in the murders over thousands of years by the gentile nations. Yet, the servant goes to his deaths (plural) for simply being Jewish. See the Wikipedia article "Timeline of Antisemitism" for example after example , or simply read about the woman in the picture -- Maria Barbara Carillo was burned at the stake for heresy in Madrid in 1721 at the age of 95 years. Her crime? Maria Carillo was part of a Jewish family forcibly baptized as Christians who allegedly practiced her Jewish faith secret. Innocent, without violence and deceit this 95 year old woman was murdered -- put to death. People think of the Holocaust when they think of Jews dying for the "crime" of being Jewish -- but these deaths have happened often in 2000 years. 31,912 "heretics" were burned at the stake during the Spanish Inquisition alone. In 1492 the Jews who would not convert were forced to convert to Christianity or leave Spain, choosing exile.. 200,000 Jews were exiled in the same month that Christopher Columbus sailed on his famous voyage which was not paid for by Queen Isabella as you may have been taught in school. Columbus was funded by two Jewish Conversos (a Jew who converted to Roman Catholicism in Spain or Portugal during the Inquisition). Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez were the Conversos who gave Columbus an interest free loan of 17,000 ducats to help pay for the voyage. A third financial source for Columbus was a famous Jewish sage -- Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel. Exiled. Killed. Innocent. Without violence. With no deceit on their lips. No doubt missionaries would say that the Jewish people are not innocent, without violence and without deceit. . . . They ignore the context of Isaiah which clearly frames these qualities as being worthy of being put to death for a crime they did not commit. The T'nach makes it clear time and again that the Jewish nation is considered righteous, and without deceit. Now keep in mind that the Jewish nation as a whole is not every Jew who ever lived. Some Jews cut themselves off from the Jewish people and become idolaters. The T'nach makes it clear that the Jewish nation is a small remnant of our people -- a righteous remnant, small in number. Read D'varim / Deuteronomy 30. Moses tells the people that there will come a time when the Jewish people will exiled from the land, and only a remnant (a small number) will remain faithful to G-d. Even Y'shayahu / Isaiah (chapter 10:20) states "the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob." The servant in Isaiah 53 is the righteous remnant of Jews who, throughout history, have remained faithful to G-d and His covenant with us. This is not some "excuse." Time and again the T'nach (bible) tells us that the Jews will be exiled as a punishment and that over time only a few, a "righteous remnant" will remain. It is this righteous few who are the suffering servant of Isaiah. Contrary to Brown (and other missionaries) claims -- the T'nach (bible) tells us that the Jewish nation IS righteous. The Hebrew word is צדיק / tzadik -- and it translates to a righteous one. "Open the gates, so that a righteous nation, awaiting the realization [of G-d's promise], may enter." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 26:2. and "And your people, all of them righteous, shall inherit the land forever, a scion of My planting, the work of My hands in which I will glory." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 60:21, What of the claim that there was no deceit in his mouth fits the Jewish people? Read the words of the prophet Tzefaniah / Zephaniah 3:13: "The remnant of Israel shall neither commit injustice nor speak lies; neither shall deceitful speech be found in their mouth, for they shall graze and lie down, with no one to cause them to shudder." The remnant -- the righteous remaining nation of Jews. Missionaries will quote Isaiah 29:13 where the prophet says that G-d found deceit in the Jewish people. Isaiah is speaking of the citizens of the northern Kingdom of Israel -- a kingdom destroyed hundreds of years before the destruction of Judah (where Jesus supposedly lived). The missionaries are lumping the citizens of that northern kingdom, most long lost to assimilation and intermarriage, to fit their assertion that "Jews" cannot be without deceit. Ignoring the words of the prophet Tzefaniah / Zephaniah who is speaking of the Jews who remain loyal to G-d in Tzefaniah / Zephaniah 3:13. Before we ask ourselves if Jesus was without deceit put this passage in context to realize it does not fit him. Jesus did not die multiple deaths (Christian versions mistranslate this passage to say "his death" but it is clearly speaking of more than one death. . . "He submitted himself to his grave like wicked men; and the wealthy (submitted) to his executions for committing no crime and with no deceit in his mouth." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:9. Artscroll's footnote to this verse puts it well: "Ordinary Jews chose to die like common criminals, rather than renounce their faith; and wealthy Jews were killed for no reason other than to enable their wicked conquerors to confiscate their riches (Radak)." What about Jesus? Did Jesus ever lie? According to the Christian bible Jesus did lie -- including lying to save his life when he was in front of the high priest. "I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.” John 18:20-21. This statement by Jesus is a lie. Deceit. Read: "And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted." Matthew 13:10. He told the high priest that he spoke openly to the world. Lie. He told his followers that he spoke in parables to hide his teachings from all but his followers -- not openly. Jesus also lied to the high priest when he said that "“I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret." Did he "always" teach in synagogues or the temple? No, of course not. "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him," Matthew 5:1 (Sermon on the Mount) and Jesus also preached from a boat (Mark 13). These are just a few examples of Jesus being deceitful -- and interestingly enough lying at his trial (sent to his death for not having been deceitful? Quite the opposite!). Other examples of Jesus' lying is found in John 7:8-10. Jesus said he wasn't going to a feast and as soon as they left he snuck out. "But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as it were, in secret." Jesus lied -- everyone lies. The point of Isaiah is not that in his entire life(s) the servant never lied ("had deceit in his mouth"). Isaiah is saying that the punishment of death is not due to any ;deception committed by the servant. The servant goes to his deaths (plural) without cause -- being innocent of anything that would warrant being put to death. For thousands of years Jews were given the choice to convert to Christianity or Islam -- or die. Many chose death. Refusing the option of turning their back on G-d and His covenant with the Jewish people by lying and "accepting" Jesus or Islam these Jews chose death with “no deceit" in their mouths (praying to Jesus or giving up the mitzvot for Islam). Jews did not want to die, but they “submitted to the grave” –rather than renounce our covenant with G-d, including Maria Barbara Carillo, burned at the stake for being Jewish. Here is a translation along with the Artscroll Stone Edition footnotes at the bottom of each response to aid in your understanding of the passage. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My servant will succeed; he will be exalted and become high and exceedingly lofty. 14 Just as multitudes were astonished over you (saying) "His appearance is too marred to be a man's, and his visage to be human, 15 so will the many nations exclaim about him, and kings will shut their mouths (in amazement) for they will see that which had never been told to them, and will perceive things they had never heard. 53:1 Who would believe what we have heard! For whom has the arm of HaShem been revealed? 2 In the past he grew like a sapling or like the root from dry ground; he had neither form nor beauty. We saw him, but without a desirable appearance. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and accustomed to being sick. As one from whom we would hide our faces; he was despised and we had no regard for him. 4 But in truth it was our ills and he carried our pains -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted! 5 He was wounded as a result (because of) our rebellious transgressions, and oppressed as a result our iniquities. The chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed. 6 We have all strayed like sheep each of us turning his own way and HaShem inflicted upon him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was persecuted and afflicted but did not open his mouth; like a sheep being led to the slaughter or a ewe that is silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 he was removed far away from the land where they lived and a plague came upon them (לָֽמוֹ / lamo) through the transgression of my people (the gentile nations). He submitted to the grave with the wicked and joined with the wealthy in his executions (בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav) 9 He submitted himself to his grave like evil men; and the wealthy (submitted) to his executions for committing no crime and with no deceit in his mouth. 10 HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his physical being would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand. 11. He (he servant) would see (the purpose) and be satisfied with his life's (not immortal soul) distress. With his knowledge My servant will cause the multitudes to be righteous; it is their וַעֲוֹנתָם / iniquities (for impulsive, lustful wrongdoings) that he will carry. 12. Therefore, I will assign him a portion in public and he will divide the mighty as spoils -- in return for having poured out his life for death and being counted among the wicked, for he bore the sin of the many, and prayed for the wicked. Footnotes from Artscroll Stone Edition: Isaiah 52:13 i.e. G-d's servant the people of Israel (Rashi) 52:15 Just as Israel had once been astonishingly degraded, so it will astonish the nations by its exaltedness when the time of redemption arrives. 53:1-3 this is the prophecy foretelling what the nations and their kings will exclaim when they witness Israel's rejuvenation. The nations will contrast their former scornful attitude toward the Jews (vv. 1-3) with their new realization of Israel's grandeur (vv 4-7). 53:5 we brought suffering upon Israel for our own selfish purposes; it was not, as we had claimed, that G-d was punishing Israel for its own evil behavior. 53:6 We sinned by inflicting punishment upon Israel. Such oppression is often described as "Hashem's punishment" (see 10:5, Habakkuk 1:12), for He decreed that it should happen (Abarbanel). 53:8 When Israel's exile is finally ended the nations will marvel that such a generation could have survived the expulsion from "the land of the living, i.e. Israel, that the nations had sinfully inflicted upon it. 53:9 Ordinary Jews chose to die like common criminals, rather than renounce their faith; and wealthy Jews were killed for no reason other than to enable their wicked conquerors to confiscate their riches (Radak). 53:10 That is, Israel. G-d replies to the nations that Israel's suffering was a punishment for its own sins; and when the people realize this and repent, they will be redeemed and rewarded. 53:11 Israel will teach the nations of G-d's righteousness.
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