The lamb Jews sacrificed was a symbol for Jesus
Christ. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Jews
The
last part of chapter 52 in the book of Isaiah, is about the same issue that the
entire chapter 53 deals with. It is the then future expiatory sacrifice of
Jesus Christ. From chapter 52:13 on, it is evident that the prophet is talking
about God's
"13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men. 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they consider." (Isaiah 52:13-15)
In 52:14 it is clear that should not be hoped that a great general, a super leader, a superman human style to be the Messiah. That was one of the reasons why Jesus was rejected by the Jews at that time. They wanted as their Messiah, an astounding leader, a victorious general, not just a carpenter who sprinkles with his expiatory blood many people, including Gentiles, as said in 52:15.
Isaiah 53:1-3 states that this special God's Servant would be despised and rejected by the people of Israel, who will hide their faces from him and not esteem him. This was perfectly fulfilled in Jesus.
"1 Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground, he hath neither form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:1-3)
As
we can understand from what we have read, it was prophesied that God's Chosen
(the Messiah), would be despised and rejected. Which other celebrity of messianic standing has been despised and
rejected so unanimously by the people of
Verses 4-6 clearly show which was the main function that would be performed by the Messiah: wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. It was made clear that God Himself charged him for our sins, the same way that in old Jewish religion they symbolically charged their sins in a lamb. Could it be more clearly predicted that the Messiah, in his first coming came to suffer and be charged with our sins? What other person of a messianic standing fulfilled all these but Jesus?
"4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (Isa 53:4-7)
In
verse 8 still referring to God's
"He was taken from prison and from judgment;
and who shall declare his generation? For he
was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people
was he stricken."
( Isa 53:8 )
"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." ( Dn 9:26 )
Isn't it also clear enough in verse 53:9 the Messiah would die? If we read the Gospel will find that even that he was crucified with two criminals, his burial was carried out by Joseph of Arimathea, a senator, a rich man, who asked the body from Pilato, so fulfilling what the prophecy says: "…with the rich in his death".
"And
he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither
was any deceit in his mouth." (Isa 53:9)
Verse
53:10 speaks clearly of God's
"Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." ( Isa 53:10 )
Finally, in verse 53:11 it is evident that Isaiah continues to prophesy of the Messiah, because God calls "my righteous servant" the person spoken of. Therefore, there is no doubt that what is going to be said refers to the Messiah. And what was said? God said that his Messiah shall bear the iniquities of the people in himself. It is the same thing that, symbolically, Levites did when the people laid their hands in the head of the lambs and sacrificed it for their sins. Verse 12 finishes confirming once again that the Messiah would die. If it was prophesied that the Messiah would die, why say that Jesus could not be the Messiah because he was crucified?
"11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isa 53:11-12)
Greeks are proud of Alexander the Great
notwithstanding his bloody battles to conquer the world. Italians pay respect
to Julius Caesar regardless of his gruesome bloodshed while conquering the
But Jews are ashamed of Jesus Christ, the Jew. Many just reject him, others despise him, and still some even hate him. And all of this despite the fact that it was with his own blood and not with others people's blood, and his own suffering, that he redeemed us from our sins, and conquered an everlasting empire of thousands of millions of voluntary subjects. Jesus Christ is the only Jew who reigns firmly and lovingly over thousand of millions of Goim, and yet, Jews are not proud of him!
Is
it reasonable sons of
To hate Jesus is as unjust as if Japanese
hated the Jews, because Albert Einstein, a gifted Jew, gave origin to the
atomic bomb the Americans dropped in
The
New Testament, (rejected by the Jews), is full of good will toward the Jews, it
contains only a few reproaches. The Old Testament, (accepted by the Jews)
contains hundreds of times more reproaches and criticism against the Jews than
New Testament. Sons of
Now let's collate the Scriptures referenced above and read them uninterruptedly.
"Isa 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonished at thee; his visage
was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.
15 So shall
he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for
that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not
heard shall they consider.
53:1
Who hath believed our report? And
to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and
when we shall see him, there is no
beauty that we should desire him.
3 He
is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief; and we hid as it were our
faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted.
5 But he
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon
him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the
LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet
he opened not his mouth; he is brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment;
and who shall declare his generation? For he
was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people
was he stricken.
9 And
he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because
he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he
hath put him to grief; when thou shalt
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied; by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isa 52:13-15 & 53:1-12)