Is the ‘Suffering Servant’ of Isaiah 53 a prophecy about Jesus?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

All of the descriptions of Isaiah 53 fit Jesus so closely that it is hard to miss the parallels. The Servant was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3) just like Jesus was rejected (John 1:11; Mark 8:31). The Servant was to bear suffering and sin (Isaiah 53:4) just as Jesus suffered (1 Peter 2:24). The Servant was to be killed for the sin of others (Isaiah 53:5) which was what Jesus did (Romans 5:8). The Servant was prophesied to be silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7) just like Jesus was before His (Matthew 27:12–14). The Servant was to be with the wicked when He was killed yet assigned to a rich man’s grave (Isaiah 53:9) and Jesus was crucified with thieves (Luke 23:32–33) but buried in a rich man’s grave (Matthew 27:57–60). Finally, the Servant was to live after death (Isaiah 53:10), just like Jesus did (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Jesus and the Suffering Servant are the same person. So close are the parallels that the New Testament authors regularly applied Isaiah 53 to Jesus both in quotes and allusions.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Isaiah 53 is considered one of the most direct and powerful prophecies related to Jesus Christ as the suffering servant, fulfilling the role of the Jewish Messiah. Long before the death of Jesus on the cross, many Jewish teachers believed this important section of Isaiah predicted the coming of a redeemer who would arrive in Jerusalem. Often modern Jewish scholars argue the chapter relates to Israel, Moses, or another Jewish prophet of old. However, the text of Isaiah 53 strongly connects with the sufferings that Jesus endured.
• Isaiah 53:2 notes, “For He grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire HIm.” These words predict a man who would not stand out due to his looks or royal background. Jesus was born in a manger and grew up in a small Jewish town, fitting the prediction of these words.
• Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” Jesus was despised and rejected by the Jews. His death was so repulsive that men hid their faces from seeing His disfigured, beaten form.
• Isaiah 53:4–9 shares many details that match Jesus, alone; italics added. ‏
• “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
• But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
• upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
• All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;
• like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
• By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
• And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,
• although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” ”
• The ideas of being pierced, crushed, chastised, and wounded all fit the sufferings Jesus endured on the cross (see John 19:1, 17–18, 34; Matthew 27:26–31; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 4:25). Further, His wounds bring healing to those who believe in Him. Jesus has taken our sins upon Himself. He did not protest at His trials but was silent in His defense and was slaughtered similar to the manner of a lamb led to death. His grave, or death, was with the wicked since Jesus was crucified with two criminals. Yet, He was buried in the tomb of a rich man. He had done no violence yet had died as a criminal.
• There is good reason to think that the past tense language of this passage (“He was pierced,” “He was crushed,” etc.), despite being a prophecy of a future event, is more than for literary effect. It is likely that this exact passage will be spoken by Jews living just before Jesus returns. They will look back at Jesus, the Messiah whom they rejected, and finally understand that “He was pierced through for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). At that time, the people of Israel will repent and be saved (Zechariah 12:10; see Romans 11:25–27; Revelation 1:7).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The Isaiah 53 passage is quoted and echoed throughout the New Testament. Its authors understood that the Suffering Servant was Jesus (see Matthew 8:17; John 12:38; Acts 8:32-35; 1 Peter 2:24).
• Peter, in his letter about suffering (1 Peter 2:22—24), gives Jesus as the prime example for us to know how to suffer well. Borrowing language from Isaiah 53, he said that He “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed..”
• Paul, similarly, said, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Matthew said that Jesus’ healing ministry fulfilled “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases’” (Matthew 8:17).
• Philip, a disciple, connected the Servant with Jesus while explaining a passage from Isaiah 53 in a scroll that an Ethiopian had just acquired (Acts 8:32–33). The Ethiopian asked Philip who it was about and “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35).
• Luke quoted Jesus as referring to Himself as the Servant. He said, “For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for what is written about Me has its fulfillment” (Luke 22:37).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The examples provided above show clear connections between Jesus and the Servant in Isaiah 53. It would take books to show every way which the New Testament authors connected Jesus to the Servant. The Isaiah passage was a rich theological goldmine to the New Testament authors! But it is clear that Isaiah 53 is more than simply an interesting prophecy with a couple connections to Jesus. From beginning to end, Jesus fits the literal reading of Isaiah 53 to such a degree that it almost seems as if it was written after Jesus came instead of 600 years before.

Often, people assume that only the New Testament is adequate for teaching about Jesus. However, this passage is like a fifth Gospel in that it talks about Jesus in ways that are unmistakable. Because it is so clear, it is intentionally skipped during Scripture reading in modern synagogues. While denying that Jesus is their Messiah, the similarities to Jesus are too uncanny to allow its public reading.

It is fascinating that God left the Jews such a clear Gospel presentation within their works. This demonstrates how merciful our God is. This also gives us hope that God’s promises to save them are going to be fulfilled.

Because we know that God intends to save them, we should not be afraid to let them know about this Gospel. We cannot open their eyes, but God can! Because Isaiah 53 is not publicly read, many Jews today have no idea that Jesus is proclaimed in their Scriptures. What a great opening line to use when speaking with your Jewish friends!

UNDERSTAND

• Isaiah 53 describes suffering similar to Jesus’ rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection.
• Jesus' life and death fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy, such as His silent suffering and burial in a rich man's tomb.
• Isaiah 53 is applied to Jesus by the writers of the New Testament.

REFLECT

• How does the connection between Jesus and the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 deepen your understanding of Jesus' sacrifice for you?
• How does seeing the fulfillment of prophecy of Isaiah 53 encourage your trust in God’s Word?
• How does the clear prophecy in Isaiah 53 encourage you to share the message of Jesus with others, especially those who may not know Him?

ENGAGE

• What are some reasons why the Jewish community today may reject the idea that Isaiah 53 refers to Jesus, and how can we lovingly and with truth engage in this conversation?
• How do the New Testament authors' frequent use of Isaiah 53 influence our understanding of Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy?
• How can we apply the concept of silent suffering, as seen in Isaiah 53 and Jesus’ response to His accusers, in our own lives when facing unfair criticism or persecution?