3. Prophets (The Gospel Evidence)
The word "Gospel" means "Good News". Once the Rabbinic appears convicted over the Law of God, it is time for the Good News to be introduced. Jesus, when first presenting that Good News after His resurrection, chose to do so through the Prophets:
13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see."
25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ [Greek for 'Messiah'] to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Israel has rejected many self-proclaimed Messiahs. Most were rejected for good reason. Anyone can claim to bring new Law. All but Jesus have faded into obscurity, their plans overthrown:
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council [Sanhedrin] and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.
38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."
Time has rendered Jesus true by the standard set forth by Gamaliel, the grandson of Rabbi Hillel of Talmudic fame. Jesus has indeed proven to be different. His Plan has not been overthrown. By Gamaliel's standard, that makes Him and His Plan "of God".
But what is God's metric? God Himself provides us, through His Scriptures, with a standard for verification that all other self-proclaimed Messiah figures have fallen short of: the Prophets.
Isaiah 53
While many prophetic passages can be used to point a Rabbinic to Jesus as their Messiah, few have the potency of Isaiah 53's Gospel presentation. It shows us in great detail why it was "necessary for the Christ [Greek for 'Messiah'] to suffer these things" (Luke 24:26) to quote our Lord Himself on the Road to Emmaus.
1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 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 For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
Usually, it is simply enough to ask the Rabbinic to read Isaiah 53 for themselves, and then ask the following question:
Question for the Rabbinic
"Who does this sound like Isaiah is describing?"
Responding to Doubt
If the Rabbinic seems unsure, eager to find room to escape the Messianic implications of Isaiah's clear prophecy, a few basic responses can be made. Firstly, however, it is good to know that while early Judaism understood Isaiah 53 to be about the Messiah, today's Rabbinic Judaism claims it is about Israel. Therefore, the following responses are made in light of this belief:
Scriptural Testimony
Verse 9 tells us the One it is speaking about "had done no injustice and had spoken no falsehood". Can we really say that about Israel? The Tanakh is replete with her speaking falsehoods about God's Prophets and doing injustice to them.
Note: If necessary, reference Israel's Pattern of Initial Rejection that was already established earlier on in the conversation.Gender Theory
You're right that in the prior chapter, Isaiah 52, it begins by talking not to a Messiah, but to the "captive daughter of Zion" (Isaiah 52:2). However, by verse 14 the pronouns of the person God is talking about have changed. God even comments on "His form" (Isaiah 52:14)!
Personally, I don't think God affirms transgenderism.
Responding to Objections
Rarely, if ever, will a Rabbinic have any serious, memorized objections. Those outside of the Rabbinic anti-Missionary Movement are not even familiar with this passage! However, in the rare possibility an anti-Missionary does engage in conversation, it is necessary to be familiar with the narrative of Isaiah 49-54 — a section of Isaiah known for the four Servant Songs.
Side Note
The Rabbinic anti-Missionary Movement is, ironically, very evangelistic. One needs only visit OutreachJudaism.org, for example, to see it. Their entire mission is to target other ethnic Jews and do one of the following:
- If Christian, convert them back into Rabbinic Judaism
- If non-Rabbinic, convert them into a Rabbinic (of any variety, it does not matter)
- If Rabbinic, keep them that way
So without further ado, let us examine the very beginning of this chapters-long narrative in Isaiah:
| Passage (Isaiah 49:3-6) | Breakdown |
|---|---|
| 3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will show My glory." | Israel is God's servant |
| 4 But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with the LORD, and my reward with my God." | Israel tells God she feels she has "toiled in vain", not living up to His standard. Yet Israel still acknowledges God's justice cannot be thwarted. |
| 5 And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), | God hears His servant Israel and replies by raising up an ideal Servant from the womb. This ideal Servant must be distinct from Israel because Israel will be gathered to the Servant,so the Servant cannot be Israel herself. |
| 6 He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.' | God declares that His raising up of this ideal Servant for Israel will not just uphold His justice, but even bring salvation — making His plan successful and not in vain. Another way we know this ideal Servant must still be distinct from Israel is that God says Israel will be raised up by the Servant.Therefore, the Servant cannot be Israel herself. Israel cannot raise Israel. |
The next several chapters, all the way through chapter 54, details a three-way conversation between God and His two servants: Israel, the faulty servant; and an ideal, faultless Servant. We call that ideal, faultless Servant 'Jesus': the Messiah. In fact, the dialog ends with this in chapter 54:
17 This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD.
Both Israel and Jesus will be vindicated. Messiah will return to crush His enemies (Psalm 110:1-2, Revelation 19:12-21), and all who mistreated Israel will be judged (Joel 3:2, Romans 9:27-28).
Years later, while Mary was pregnant with the Messiah, she seemingly reflected back on the Servant Songs of Isaiah in joy, concluding:
54 He [God] has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy.
By the time Isaiah 53 opens in the Servant Song narration, the ideal Servant is finally ready to unveil God's solution to Israel's faults. Below is listed a quick summary of the narration in its entirety:
| Passage | Summary |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 49:3-6 | Transitions from "My servant, Israel" to a singular Messiah Servant |
| Isaiah 49:7-13 | God describes the singular Messiah Servant's mission |
| Isaiah 49:14-50:2 | God turns back towards His servant Israel to promise them physical salvation |
| Isaiah 50:3-51:33 | Singular Messiah Servant says His mission will result in Israel's physical salvation |
| Isaiah 52:1-12 | God narrates the coming of the singular, Messiah Servant |
| Isaiah 52:13-53:12 | The singular Messiah Servant enacts part 1 of His mission: to remove Israel's sins |
| Isaiah 54:1-17 | God's servant Israel is now redeemed, with her spiritual salvation blossoming into part 2 of Messiah Servant's mission: her physical salvation |
Can there remain any doubt as to which Servant Isaiah 53 is talking about? With a full understanding of the Servant Song narration, even Rabbinic Judaism's early Sages — along with the Talmud and Zohar — largely agree there cannot be:
Conclusion
Isaiah 53 Verifies Jesus' Claim as Messiah While Presenting the Gospel
To echo the same question Jesus asked His disciples: who do you say that He is? They knew. Do you?
27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, 'Who do people say that I am?' 28 They told Him, saying, 'John the Baptist; and others [say] Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.' 29 And He continued by questioning them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said to Him, 'You are the Christ [Greek for 'Messiah'].' 30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him. 31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly.
Question for the Rabbinic
"So Who does it sound like Isaiah 53 is describing?"