The Shocking Truth About Isaiah 53 That Most Christians Don't Know

Summary

In a captivating breakdown by Blogging Theology, the speaker delves into Isaiah 53—a biblical text often cited as a prophecy concerning the life and death of Jesus Christ. However, using historical and literary analysis from academic scholarship, the speaker challenges traditional Christian interpretations. They reveal that Isaiah 53 might not reference a future Messiah at all, but rather reflects on past suffering, specifically the tribulations of Israel. By closely examining verb tenses and contextual evidence, the analysis presents a different perspective, sparking intriguing debates within religious and scholarly communities.

Highlights

• Isaiah 53 is a cornerstone for many who believe it predicts Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, but its true meaning may surprise you. 🌟
• Academics like Bart D. Ehrman provide a fresh take, suggesting Isaiah 53 is about past events, not future prophetic figures. 🎓
• Unlike popular belief, the term 'Messiah' is completely absent in Isaiah 53, raising questions about traditional teachings. ❓
• The passage is part of the 'suffering servant' songs, thought to refer to Israel's historical tribulations. 🙏
• Examining verb tenses in Isaiah 53 reveals it might describe events that have already happened, contrary to common beliefs. ⏲️

Key Takeaways

• Isaiah 53 is traditionally considered a prophecy about Jesus, but historical analysis suggests otherwise. 🧐
• The chapter doesn't mention the term 'Messiah,' leading to alternative interpretations. 🤔
• Scholars argue Isaiah 53 may reflect past events related to Israel, not future prophecies. ⌛
• Christian interpretations often stem from traditional teachings rather than textual evidence. 📜
• This kind of analysis encourages looking at the Bible with critical thinking, opening new perspectives. 🔍

Overview

Isaiah 53 has long captivated religious scholars and believers for its supposed prophetic insights into Jesus Christ's life and passion. However, when Diving deeper, critically examination reveals surprising insights contradicting long-held beliefs. The analysis begins with the importance of reading the text closely, taking note of the absence of the word 'Messiah' and considering the tense of the verbs—an entry point to rethink what this chapter truly addresses.

Key insights from academic sources, like Bart D. Ehrman's work, emphasize that Isaiah 53 might not predict a future savior but rather recounts the pain and trials that Israel endured historically. This interpretation aligns with other texts in Isaiah describing the servant of Yahweh, which scholars suggest symbolizes Israel and its suffering rather than an individual future figure. Such revelations can be startling, offering both food for thought and a fresh perspective on ancient texts.

The discussion promotes engaging with the scriptures historically and literarily to unveil their genuine messages, unearthing layers often missed by conventional teachings. When longstanding beliefs are challenged with evidence-backed analysis, a new understanding surfaces—one that considers Isaiah 53's historical context over interpretative tradition, encouraging independent thought and deeper spiritual exploration.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Significance of Isaiah 53 in Christianity Chapter 53 of the Book of Isaiah is considered one of the most crucial prophecies by the Christian church, as it is believed to foretell the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It prophesizes Jesus' death, crucifixion, and resurrection with significant detail. This chapter holds immense importance in Christianity. The speaker intends to provide a brief examination and share mainstream interpretations of this chapter.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Common Christian Interpretations of Isaiah 53 The chapter explores how Isaiah 53 is interpreted within Christian theology. It highlights that Isaiah 53 is often seen as prophetic, detailing the coming, suffering, death, and resurrection of the Messiah or Christ. The chapter also mentions the perspective of biblical scholarship on this passage, which is not widely known outside academic circles. Additionally, the chapter references how a casual search reveals Christian depictions that align with these interpretations.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Mainstream Biblical Scholarship on Isaiah 53 This chapter discusses the interpretation of Isaiah 53 in mainstream biblical scholarship, focusing on its prophetic references to the coming Messiah. The transcript emphasizes the clarity and explicitness of the prophecy concerning the Messiah's crucifixion and resurrection as a suffering servant.
• 02:30 - 04:00: The Suffering Servant and Historical Context This chapter discusses the famous biblical prophecy of the Suffering Servant found in Isaiah 53. The speaker emphasizes the significant impact and influence of this prophecy, which is frequently referenced. Although the speaker does not read the entire text, it is noted that the passage consists of 12 concise verses that can be explored further in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The chapter aims to highlight the historical context and the enduring importance of the Suffering Servant passage.
• 04:00 - 06:00: Points Challenging Traditional Christian Views The chapter discusses challenging traditional Christian views, particularly focusing on Isaiah 53 as a significant proof text for the Christian gospel. The narrator clarifies that the analysis of Isaiah 53 is not aimed at being polemical from any religious perspective - Muslim, atheist, or Jewish. Instead, the purpose is to purely analyze the text.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Catholic Perspective and Other Interpretations The chapter urges readers to approach religious texts, like the Bible, by reading them directly rather than relying solely on interpretations. It emphasizes verifying claims by engaging with the original material themselves. The chapter also references a notable work: 'The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction' by Bart D. Ehrman, a respected biblical scholar. Ehrman's insights might provide additional perspectives on biblical texts, adding depth to the Catholic perspective and other interpretations.
• 07:30 - 08:30: Conclusion and Invitation for Discussion The chapter discusses the quality and reputation of an undergraduate textbook published by Oxford University Press, which is widely used in courses teaching the Bible across the English-speaking world. It emphasizes that the textbook is highly respected and of extremely good quality, as evidenced by its publication by a reputable publisher like Oxford University Press. The chapter specifically mentions the textbook's treatment of Isaiah 53, highlighting that the discussions are based on mainstream scholarship and are not intended to be an attack on any particular viewpoint.

The Shocking Truth About Isaiah 53 That Most Christians Don't Know Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 One of the most important prophecies that the Christian church points to uh about Jesus in the Old Testament is the book of Isaiah chapter 53. They say that this chapter speaks of the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ and it prophesies his death in great detail, his crucifixion and his resurrection from the dead. And this is an immensely important chapter and I want to briefly look at it and share with you what mainstream
• 00:30 - 01:00 biblical scholarship is saying about this passage because this is little known outside of academia. But before we look at what they say, I just want to share with you these are almost at random. I want on Google images and typed in Isaiah 53 Messiah or the Christ. And so these are almost random. These are clearly Christian uh images. Isaiah chapter 53 is a prophecy of the coming Christ or the Messiah being chasened, put to death, resurrected and
• 01:00 - 01:30 the reasons for it very clear. Isaiah 53 is another one. Messiah revealed through the holy prophets, his coming crucifixion and resurrection. There's a clear prophecy in Isaiah 53 of the coming Messiah. Very explicit. Another one Isaiah preached about the Messiah. Isaiah 53. The main point God said the Messiah would be a suffering servant. God's very explicit and clear. This is what the passage in Isaiah says. An
• 01:30 - 02:00 amazing uh prophecy. Um so this is why it's so important, so influential. I I hear it mentioned all the time. And this uh is the 12 verses in question. Just get them up. So this is uh from the new revised uh standard version is Isaiah 53 as you can see who has believed what we have heard. Now I'm not going to read all the way through it. It's only 12 short verses. You can read it for yourself. You can
• 02:00 - 02:30 read it here. You can slow it down or you can just Google Isaiah 53 very quickly and easily see it for yourself. Very short but immensely uh important chapter. So why am I making a fuss about this great proof text for the truth of the Christian gospel? Well, well, this is the catch. Now, this is not is not pmical. What I'm saying is not intended to be Muslim palemic or atheist or Jewish palemic. It's simply looking at the text doing two things. One is
• 02:30 - 03:00 something that people often don't do and that is to read the text just to read it. Does it say what people claim it does say? And secondly, I'm going to share with you uh some words from this book. Here we go. The Bible, a historical and literary introduction uh by Bart D. Urman who is the distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States, one of the leading biblical scholars in America. This text
• 03:00 - 03:30 is published by Oxford University Press. It's a standard undergraduate text and this book is used on undergraduate courses teaching the Bible all over the English-speaking world and it's highly respected. Ox University Press indeed publish it which they wouldn't do if unless it was extremely good quality stuff. So what does uh this undergraduate text say about Isaiah 53? And I'm just going to share what he says. And remember this is mainstream scholarship. It's not meant to attack
• 03:30 - 04:00 the Bible or cause doubt or or skepticism. It's simply looking at it historically and and in terms of its own context. And this, it turns out, makes all the difference, all the difference in the world to what we read. And what I'm going to share with you, if you're not familiar with it, can be quite shocking and quite disturbing actually if one is a Christian who is not familiar with what Christian scholarship and Jewish scholarship. So the suffering
• 04:00 - 04:30 servant, no passage of Isaiah has intrigued readers and interpreters, especially among Christians, writes by man, more than the four passages that are dedicated to describing a figure known as the suffering servant. So yes, it's not just Isaiah 53. There are other sections of Isaiah which also speak of the same suffering servant. It's really important we grasp this. And he goes on, "Some commentators have called these passages songs or songs of the suffering
• 04:30 - 05:00 servant. These passages are Isaiah 42:es 1-4, Isaiah 49:es 1-6, Isaiah 50:es 4-11, and Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12. These are our that last passage is our passage we're looking at today." Scholars debate whether these passages were composed at the same time as the rest of the book or whether instead they
• 05:00 - 05:30 existed independently of the book, possibly composed earlier by the author himself and were then incorporated into the book in four places. We're not going to go there. That's not of interest to us today. In these passages, so these are the four servant songs. The servant of Yahweh is said to have suffered horribly for the sake of others. But God will vindicate him. He in fact is the delight of Yahweh and will be used by
• 05:30 - 06:00 him to accomplish his will on earth. Isaiah 42 says, "I have put my spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth." Isaiah 42 uh:es 1-4. Beautiful uh beautiful prophecy there. Apparently, the author believes that this unnamed servant shall prosper. He shall be exalted and lifted up. That's Isaiah
• 06:00 - 06:30 52:13. But the most important, impressive, and well-known comments about the servant involve his horrible sufferings for the sake of others. These comments have been highly important since the times of the New Testament because Christian readers have widely thought that Isaiah was describing the crucifixion of Jesus for the sins of the world. And then he actually quotes Isaiah 53 a couple of verses. He was
• 06:30 - 07:00 despised and rejected by others. A man of suffering acquainted with infirmity and as one from whom others hide their faces. He was despised and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our sicknesses. And yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was
• 07:00 - 07:30 the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. Or we like sheep have gone astray. We have all turned to our own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. End quote. That's Isaiah 53:es 3-6. So clearly Christians believe this is a prophecy uh about Jesus who is to come in the future, the Messiah himself. Barman says, the author goes on to say
• 07:30 - 08:00 that the servant was silent before his oppressors, that he was cut off from the land of the living, that he made his tomb with the rich, and that it was and that it was quote the will of the Lord to crush him with pain end quote. Doesn't this sound, says Bartman, exactly like Jesus? Isn't this a prophecy about what what what would happen to the Messiah? It's so obvious, isn't it? Christians have
• 08:00 - 08:30 said this to me many times. It's so obviously about Jesus. How can you not think it's about Jesus? So obvious. So this is where it gets interesting. In response to that common Christian interpretation, several points are important to make. And this is the heart of this video. It gives us pause, food for thought, and a different way of viewing these verses from an historical critical, it's called the historic critical method. It's a way of
• 08:30 - 09:00 approaching the text that pays very close attention to what he actually says. Remarkable, isn't it? Anyway, one, this is the uh the point he wants to make. Now, point number one, it is to be remembered that the prophets of the Hebrew Bible were not predicting things that were to happen hundreds of years in advance. They were speaking into their own contexts and delivering a message for their own people to hear about their own immediate futures. This is a really
• 09:00 - 09:30 important point about the prophets in general. They weren't speaking of events in thousands of years time. They were speaking of things that would happen in their own context in their own time. Usually important background information there. Number two, in this case, the author is not predicting that someone will suffer in the future for other people's sins at all. What? How can this be the case? Many readers fail to
• 09:30 - 10:00 consider the verb tenses in these passages. Verb tenses. Interesting. They do not indicate they the verses do not indicate that someone will come along at a later time and suffer in the future. They are talking about past suffering. The servant has already suffered although he will be vindicated. And so this is not about a future suffering
• 10:00 - 10:30 Messiah. It is so obvious, isn't it, when you think about it? If you read Isaiah 53 and notice the tense, is it the past? Is it the present? Is it the future? What is talking about? And he's talking about a figure in the past. So, it's not a prediction. It's such an elementary point that's overlooked by everyone when they read this if they don't look at it carefully uh and attentively looking to what the words actually say. Point number three, and
• 10:30 - 11:00 for me this point is so obvious when you get it, but it's very, very unexpected. Who would have guessed what point number three is? The fact it's in fact, he says it is not about the Messiah at all. This is a point frequently overlooked in discussions of the passage. If you will look and have a look now viewer, have a look at Isaiah 53. Now you will notice that the term
• 11:00 - 11:30 messiah never occurs in the passage. This is not predicting what the Messiah will be. How can this be? Look, remember this passage. Look, Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. And look at this. Isaiah preached about the Messiah. He explicitly mentions the Messiah. God said the Messiah would be a suffering servant. So, how can they be so wrong? Well, have a look. Have a look at the passage. It never mentions a
• 11:30 - 12:00 Messiah and Christians don't see that. They they come to the text with a preformed idea of what should be in it because they're priests and pastors and evangelists have told them it's all about the Messiah. And so, they just see it there. But if you step back, pause, take a deep breath, and look at the passage, it never mentions a Messiah. Interesting, isn't it? Number four. Point number four. If the passage is not referring to the Messiah and is not
• 12:00 - 12:30 referring to someone in the future who is going to suffer, who is it talking about? This is a really interesting question here. There really here there really should be very little ambiguity. He says, as I mentioned, this particular passage Isaiah 53 is one of the four servant songs of Isaiah. And so the question is whom does Isaiah himself indicate that the servant is? Because he
• 12:30 - 13:00 does tell us. This is not a mystery. This is not a conspiracy theory. He actually states repeatedly who the servant is. Amazing, isn't it? Is that obvious? A careful reading of the passages says will makes the identification quite clear. And then he tells us he actually quotes this is the this is the book the Bible historical and literary introduction published by Ox University Press got some good good reviews from uh other academics on the
• 13:00 - 13:30 back. So who is the identity of the servant and then he quotes various passages in Isaiah. But now here oh Jacob my servant Israel whom I have chosen. This is one of the servant songs. Isaiah 44:1. Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant. This is Isaiah 44 verse 21. And he said to me, you are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be
• 13:30 - 14:00 glorified. Isaiah 49:3. The book of Isaiah itself indicates who the servant of the Lord is. It is Israel says uh by man God's people in Isaiah 53 when the author describes the servants past sufferings the tents past tense he is talking about the sufferings they have experienced by being destroyed and exiled by the
• 14:00 - 14:30 Babylonians. This is the historical context of the passage. This is a suffering that has come about because of sins. that the suffering will be vindicated because God will now restore Israel and bring them back to the land and enter into a new relationship with them. Now, pause here for a sec. The reason why many Christians don't see it is because they parachute into the Bible into Isaiah and Isaiah 53. They don't
• 14:30 - 15:00 look at the chapters leading up to it and they don't read the chapters after it. They don't read the context. So they they are robbed of key indicators of who the servant is. They effectively ignore it. They don't read chapter 44. They don't read chapter 49. They just parachute, as I say, right into this what these 12 verses and don't look at the the bit before and the bit after. They don't see the clues. They don't see what Isaiah is actually
• 15:00 - 15:30 saying. And this decontextualized, dehistorical, unhistorical reading is why they can add their own content and make it say something it never originally meant actually. And we'll come to that in a sec. So Berman continues, "It may be fairly objected that the servant with a capital S is said to suffer for our sins and not his sins. Scholars have resolved uh that problem in a number of ways." He writes,
• 15:30 - 16:00 "It may be that the author is thinking that the portion of the people taken into exile have suffered for the sins of those in the land, those who remain behind. Some of them suffering for the sins of all. Those who have take those who have been taken into captivity have suffered displacement, loss, and exile for the sake of the sins of the nation. But now the servant Israel, clearly identified, Israel itself, will be exalted and restored to a close
• 16:00 - 16:30 relationship with God and will be used by him to bring about justice throughout the earth. See, this is a different reading, a different interpretation. Once you strip away later tradition ideas that are not in the text and you kind of listen to the words, the context as it is in Isaiah, you suddenly have a different reading of this whole story. No longer is God predicting that the Messiah will come to earth and die. There's no
• 16:30 - 17:00 mention of a future prophecy. There's no mention of the Messiah anyway. And the last problem uh sorry the last passage there may be problems with this interpretation. Bman says as there always are with every interpretation but the fact the facts remain that the suffering servant is never described as the messiah. His suffering is portrayed as past instead of future and he is explicitly identified on several
• 17:00 - 17:30 occasions as Israel. Later readers who have taken the passage as a reference to the Messiah then have seen Jesus as one who fills out or fulfills its original meaning giving it a new meaning it did not originally have. Now on on this point I I spoke to two uh Catholic uh Christians at speaker's corner on Sunday. We discussed this very passage and inshallah this
• 17:30 - 18:00 video will be upload uploaded in the next day or two. Um and I made this point and and you see Catholics have a particular doctrine called the census penor this greater or fuller meaning. So a Catholic uh scholar could acknowledge what Bman has said. Yes, in the historical context it doesn't refer to Jesus, but the fuller meaning uncovered by the inspiration of the Catholic Church can identify Jesus also in a
• 18:00 - 18:30 secondary sense. There's a fuller further sense of the meaning of Isaiah. Perhaps Isaiah didn't know this, but it's kind of there in the text. Now, you can argue that um and by the way, you could have no objection to Muslims seeing uh the prophet Muhammad upon whom be peace in many passages in the Bible. then as well if you argue that way. But the thing is the passage itself Isaiah 53 doesn't say doesn't mention the Messiah. It is in the past tense. It the the the sermon himself is clearly identified as Israel. So this is very
• 18:30 - 19:00 much a a meaning that's not there and you really have to read into the text do is Jesus or I see Jesus as one wag put it rather than exugesus uh where you're reading out of the text the meaning that is there hopefully and that is biblical scholarships is where you read things into things and you see Jesus everywhere in the Bible and Christians do this the problem is it's not there originally you have to bring it into the text to make it say things
• 19:00 - 19:30 that are not there. Isaiah 42 to change the subject um has uh as a prophecy of the prophet Muhammad upon him be peace is much more plausible because it really connects with elements in the Sierra in the life of the prophet Muhammad upon him be peace and it is a prediction so but I'm not going to talk about that in this video I want to focus on Isaiah 53 so this most amazing of all remember let's go back here we go Isaiah preached about the Messiah no he didn't again I'm
• 19:30 - 20:00 not being pmical I'm Not saying this because I'm a Muslim or anyone else could say this. It simply never mentions the Messiah. Isaiah 53, Messiah revealed through the holy prophets. Chapter 53 is a prophecy of the coming Messiah. The Christ. No, it's not because it doesn't mention the Christ. It doesn't mention the Messiah. These words mean the same thing. Of course, an anointed an anointed one doesn't mention them in the passage at all. So that's what I wanted to uh share with
• 20:00 - 20:30 you. I do recommend this book uh if you want a a good solid introductory uh undergraduate level um introduction to the uh the Bible, the whole of the Bible from the Christian Bible included as well as the Jewish Bible is pretty good. I do recommend I do use it in my own uh teaching as well. So I hope you found that interesting. Any Christians watching this, please comment below uh what you think of the this is the
• 20:30 - 21:00 mainstream historical way of understanding Isaiah 53. Do you agree with it? If you don't, please let me know why you think it's mistaken or where it's at for. Thank you. Until next time.