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Often it is said that Yeshua/Jesus is the subject of Isaiah 53 and that he fulfilled Isaiah 53. It is not our intention in this short article to address such a claim, but I would like to take one passage and examine it because it is claimed in the New Testament that Yeshua fulfilled it. It is one thing to draw conclusions, right or wrong, about an Old Testament passage, but it is entirely another thing for the New Testament to say “in print” that Yeshua fulfilled and Old Testament passage when in reality he didn’t. The problem lies again in the purpose of the New Testament writer and his faithfulness in translating and misapplying passages from the Jewish Scriptures to suit his own purposes.
Let me encourage our readers to request the series of articles examining Isaiah chapter 53, for within those pages it is demonstrated conclusively that the “speaker” of Isaiah 53 is not the nation of Israel, but rather the kings and rulers of the Gentile nations. So it is the Gentiles who are speaking. Many overlook this and think that the "speaker" who is making the "confession" in Isaiah 53 are the Jewish people. Nothing could be further from the truth. One must look to be end of chapter 52 to see that the "speaker" of the passage changes and since there were no chapter divisions in the Hebrew manuscripts we find therefore that when one begins reading Isaiah 53 in verse one it is the Gentile Kings of the nations which make the following declarations throughout Isaiah 53. This is critically important; we must understand who is speaking and what the perspective is when we read the chapter.
With that understanding let us continue.
Since demonstrating without any doubt, in prior articles, that the pattern of the writer of Isaiah is the constant interchanging of "singular" and "plural" pronouns throughout his book when speaking of the nation of Israel. Sometimes the corporate nation of Israel is called "they" and sometimes "him." Again this is critically important because if you did not know then, or had not seen this, then when reading Isaiah and encountering the use of the singular pronoun "he" one might be mistakenly led to assume he is speaking of "one" person instead of a whole nation. Again we have devoted much space to proving this use of "pronouns" by Isaiah in our articles on Isaiah 53. Now, after understanding this, then let us address the issue at hand; namely, is Jesus the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 and Matt. 8:17.
So in summary fashion we must know three things before we proceed:
Now the text:
Let us look at the passage as taken from the Jewish Bible...the Stone Edition Tanakh
53:4
But in truth, it was our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried-but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d, and afflicted!
Answer for yourself: "Who" is speaking in these verses and who is making such a confession?
When we stop to "think" that the above declarations are made about the corporate nation of Israel ["he" and "him"] by the Gentile nations at the arrival of the Messianic Kingdom ["our ills," "our pains," "we regarded him (the Jews/Israel) diseased," "borne our griefs," "carried our sorrows,"....are referring to the Gentile's perspective of the Jewish people] the passage takes on a completely different meaning than what you might have originally thought since being taught it wrong your whole life.
Isaiah 53:4 "Surely our (remember the Gentile rulers of the nations are speaking...it is the Gentile's ills) diseases he (the nation of Israel was described in the singular remember?) carried and our pains he (the nation of Israel) bore."
It is rather obvious, one we understand who is speaking, that the Nation of Israel has carried the brunt of the Gentiles hatred and anti-Semitism throughout history. Nothing has changed. Yet, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew takes this passage out of context and applies it to Yeshua as if Yeshua is carrying the diseases of those whom he heals. Such is a complete falsification of the text and a terrible injustice to Biblical truth.
In Matt. 8:17, this passage from Isaiah 53:4 is recorded as being ”fulfilled” in Yeshua's healing of the sick, yet this Matthew passage is totally foreign to the original author’s intention as stated above.
Answer for yourself: Was it?
Answer for yourself: Did Peter's mother-in-laws sickness jump upon Jesus when G-d healed her through him? If so, what does that say about G-d?
This is another blatant misquotation of a Jewish Scripture taken out of context and twisted to bring a different meaning in the New Testament which was totally foreign to the original writer. Where as Isaiah was referring to the nation of Israel being the recipient of Gentile anti-Semitism for centuries whereby the nation of Israel carried the insults and physical pain of Gentile persecution (“surely he [the nation of Israel as addressed by the Gentiles who are speaking here] hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows”- bearing the Gentile diseases, afflictions, suffering), we are led to believe in this supposed “fulfillment” in the New Testament that the meaning of Isaiah was that Yeshua was to “carry the diseases of the people who he physically healed.” Nothing could be farther from the mind of Isaiah. Instead of Isaiah’s original meaning of Israel being brutalized by the Gentile nations and powers of the world, the quote from Isaiah is stripped from its original context, the meaning twisted, and now in the New Testament it is supposed to mean Yeshua/Israel is blessing others through physical healing.This is absurd. But if you don’t look up the quote yourself, read the context from where the quote is taken for yourself, notice who is talking, and notice how the writer of Isaiah constantly interchanges singular and plural pronouns when speaking of the Jewish people as a nation, then you like I are relegated to reading the New Testament and accepting at face value everything it says without questioning anything. Such is foolish as we are showing you. This is absolutely no “fulfillment” of anything in Matthew 8:17. Saying so does not make it happen. Biblical ignorance is our enemy! You must face the fact that Matthew 8:17 is totally inconsistent with the text from Isaiah. It is time you share such teachings with your Pastors and teachers and demand an answer for what they have taught you. We as the children of G-d deserve better teachers than what we have got!
Not only did the writer take the quote out of context in his uses of it in the New Testament, but to apply this verse of Isaiah to Yeshua is impossible as we have already shown that the servant is the nation and not an individual! I strongly suggest you read every article on this website concerning Isaiah 53 and learn the truth and what Isaiah was really sharing with G-d people. You have really not yet heard the true message of Isaiah. Shalom.