Here we go again -- a claim by the creator of the list of 365 supposed prophecies Jesus fulfilled that is not supported by the biblical text. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:3 has the non-Jewish nations stating that they had thought that the servant "was despised and isolated from men, a man of pains and accustomed to illness. As one from whom we would hide our faces; he was despised and we had no regard for him" Context. When understanding what biblical passages mean one must always read them in context. The context of this passage is that the gentile nations are speaking about their shock that one they had thought was despised, isolated, subhuman, and avoided by others is in fact G-d's high and lofty servant. Read the last three lines of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52: "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. " Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13 - 15. (The quote is from the Artscroll Stone Edition translation, the link is to the Judaica Press translation). Ergo the servant is not someone who is simply avoided (one from whom we would hide our faces), but one who, when the nations speak of him, is now the nations are amazed because "My servant will succeed; he will be exalted and become high and exceedingly lofty." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13. The nations and their kings were not amazed at Jesus becoming exalted, high and exceedingly lofty. Jesus was unknown to the nations in his lifetime and death. Likewise Isaiah tells us that the nations who are shocked see the transformation of the servant from subhuman. . . from whom they hid to exalted. This never happened with Jesus before or after his death. While Christianity has 2 billion followers none of those people "saw it for themselves." Christians were told about Jesus (by Paul and others), and this is the opposite of the prophecy Isaiah gives us about the servant. 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. " Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:15. Even if one takes the passage out of context and ignores that Isaiah tells us that the servant's rise will be SEEN by the gentile nations (and not told) did people "turn their faces" away from Jesus? The Christian bible states that after Jesus was arrested his own followers hid from him. It is for this reason that Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:3, out of context, seems to fit Jesus. However, was Jesus "universally rejected"? Not according to the Christian bible which states that the authorities had to hide Jesus so that the people would not riot and try to save him. This is the opposite of people deserting Jesus! Mark 14:1 - 2 says Jesus was arrested "When it was time to take him away to be crucified, Jesus had to be spirited away since the rulers feared "a riot of the people" Luke 22:49 is even more adamant that Jesus was not deserted (the people did not "hide from his face"). Luke 23:49 says "When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?" The people did not hide from Jesus per the Christian bible itself (this IS Isaiah's prophecy). Jesus' followers offered to fight for him! Luke goes on to say, 22:50 "one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear"! Even ignoring the context of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:3 Jesus does not fit the description that the servant was "one from whom we would hide our faces." Those followers who offered to fight for Jesus, going so far as to cut off the ear of a man, did not hide from Jesus! Placing Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:3 in context re-enforces that Jesus "does not fit it." Prophecy is always based on p'shat (פְּשָׁט) - the "plain" ("simple") meaning of a passage. The Talmud tells us: "A verse cannot depart from its plain meaning." Shabbat 63a, Y'vamot 11b, and Y'vamot 24a. Rashi, the 11th century Torah commentator, quotes this at B'reshit / Genesis 15:10, 37:19 and Sh'mot / Exodus 12:2). To understand Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53 one must know "who is speaking?" as well as "who is the suffering servant?"
Context -- know who is speaking to understand who is being spoken about! In Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13 - 15 the subject is the gentile nations and the speaker is G-d. In Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:1 -9 the gentile nations speak about their amazement that the servant they thought was abhorrent, disfigured, rejected is in fact G-d's servant. The last section, Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10 - 12, Isaiah tells us what will happen to the servant in the messianic age -- vindication and reward which includes a long life (did not happen to Jesus) and many children (did not happen to Jesus). Yet another false claim. People did not hide from Jesus as if he was a leper. Jesus had followers (Luke 22:49) -- he was widely respected. "Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him." Matthew 4:25. Jesus was not even rejected during his execution. Mark 14:1 - 2 says "When it was time to take him away to be crucified, Jesus had to be spirited away since the rulers feared "a riot of the people" Even given the "proof text" of Mark 14:50 - 52 which says "everyone deserted him and fled" the Christian bible itself shows this was not true (those people who would have rioted are one example). Mark 15:40 - 41 states that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome were watching Jesus die (they were not hiding from him). Matthew 27:55 - 56 says that "many women" watched Jesus die (they did not hide from him). Among the women, per Matthew, differ from Mark -- they were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of Zebedee's sons. None of these people were hiding from Jesus. They all watched him die (remember Isaiah says the servant was "As one from whom we would hide our faces." Why? The servant "was despised, and we had no regard for him." These women did not despise Jesus. These women "had regard" for him. No, this is not about Jesus. Read Luke's gospel as well. Luke 23:47 has a Roman centurion watching Jesus (not hiding from him) as well as "all the people who had gathered to witness the sight" -- they likewise were not hiding from Jesus. According to Luke they "beat their breasts and went away" -- but nary a word that they hid from Jesus. Luke also says that "all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things." They did not hide from Jesus either. (Luke 23:47 - 49). Missionaries may say that those who despised Jesus and hid from him were the Jews -- but this is not supported by Isaiah itself or even the Christian bible. Jesus' followers were all Jews -- including those women who watched him die. Not all Jews despised Jesus per the Christian bible -- only some of them did. Keep in mind that pesky context as well -- the speakers are not the Jews, but the gentile nations and kings who are amazed that the servant they rejected is now raised high. . . Only by ignoring context, and even ignoring what the Christian bible itself tells us (remember Luke who says Jesus' followers offered to fight for him!) can one take a word or partial sentence and claim it is about Jesus. Research for yourself -- reading Isaiah and the Christian bible -- and the falseness of the claim becomes clear as crystal. Another point of interest is that the list maker ignores the last portion of Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:3 Jesus is not described as a person who "was despised, and we had no regard for him." Perhaps this is why the list maker does not mention it in the list of 365 supposed prophecies about Jesus. 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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