MESSIANIC PROPHECY. Part 4 It Makes a Difference in The World. By Dr. Galen Peterson 2013 American Remnant Mission

Transcription

1 MESSIANIC PROPHECY Part 4 It Makes a Difference in The World By Dr. Galen Peterson 2013 American Remnant Mission A consideration of historical Messianic characters would not be complete without addressing a prominent one that came on the scene in the Second Century. We know that the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. brought great changes to Jewish life. The people continued to live in towns and villages in the surrounding regions, but without the Temple, they had no religious focal point. But the Roman emperor Vespasian permitted one rabbinic school to be established in the town of Yavne, about ten miles south of modern Tel Aviv. 1 It was a school that led the way for the reinvention of Judaism after the loss of the Temple and the priesthood, and thus was unable to carry out sacrifices and other forms of Temple worship. One of the students of the Yavne Academy, Akiva ben Joseph, became an influential rabbi during that tumultuous period. He has been called The father of rabbinic Judaism because he led the way in formulating the application of halakah (Mosaic Law) in a more nonliteral fashion. In fact Akiva claimed that he was able to discover things that were even unknown to Moses. 2 Meanwhile there was much talk among the Jewish people about rebuilding the Temple. In response, the Roman emperor Hadrian in the year 131 A.D. initiated an act that was intended to suppress the Temple desires of the Jewish people. So work was begun on building a Roman colony called Aelia Capitolina on the rubble of Jerusalem. It followed the standard Roman manner of building cities. They built a wide avenue in the center of the city on a north-south line called the Cardo Maximus. If the prospects of modern Roman city covering over the soil of the beloved Jewish city of Jerusalem wasn t bad enough, Hadrian also began work on building a temple dedicated to the god Jupiter on the site of the biblical Temple. 3 That was the last straw for the Jewish people who remained in the land. They began a second revolt about sixty years after the devastation of Jerusalem. Their leader was named Simon ben Kosiba. Remarkably the Jewish rebels were able to defeat the Roman legion that had been stationed in Judea, killing virtually all of the 5,000 Roman soldiers. Rabbi Akiva, the most influential Jewish leader of that century who was now over 90 years old, heralded ben Kosiba as the Messiah. 4 And his name was changed to Bar Kochba, Aramaic for Son of a Star as a way of forcing the fulfillment of Balaam s oracle: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab (Num. 24:17). Coins were minted in honor of Bar Kochba, with a star above the Temple and the ark of 1 Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 56a-b. 2 Pesikta de-rab Kahana. 3 Cassius Dio, Roman History Jerusalem Talmud, Ta anit

2 the covenant inside. Rabbi Akiva was convinced that not only was Bar Kochba the Messiah, but the Messianic age had begun. Indeed for two and one-half years, starting in 132 A.D., a Jewish nation was independent once again, under the rule of Bar Kochba. But Rome was not finished with the matter. A massive force of twelve Roman legions, nearly half of all Roman soldiers throughout the empire, were sent to Judea. They began a scorched earth policy, completely annihilating fifty Jewish towns that had walls, and 985 villages. Altogether 580,000 Jewish people perished. 5 Bar Kochba and his remaining soldiers made their last stand at the town of Betar, southwest of Jerusalem. It is said that they all fell on the 9th day of Av in the year 135 A.D., the same day that the First and Second Temples fell according to the Jewish calendar. The head of Bar Kochba was delivered to Hadrian. The Romans were so infuriated did not allow the Jewish bodies to be buried, and they laid on the ground for an extended period of time. 6 After incurring more losses than with any other people in the history of the empire, the Romans wanted no more rebellions from the Jews. So the physical destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was now followed by the destruction of the Jewish culture in 135 A.D. Hadrian banished the use of halacha in the land. No longer could the Jewish calendar be used. The ten leading rabbis, including Rabbi Akiva, were executed. The Talmud says that Jewish boys were wrapped in Torah scrolls and then burned. 7 Jews were forbidden to set forth in the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina, which was completed on the ruins of Jerusalem, including the Temple to Jupiter. Also, according to the historian Eusebius: Before its gate, that of the road by which to go to Bethlehem, [Hadrian] set up an idol of a pig in marble, signifying the subjugation of the Jews to Roman authority. 8 Lastly, he mockingly renamed the region of Judea as Syria Palaestina after the Philistines. 9 With the Jewish world now essentially ceasing to exist, most Jewish people left the land of their heritage and started new lives in many different countries. And so it would remain until our modern day. It is story that dramatically depicts the ultimate characteristic of a false and failed Messiah. Bar Kochba was false because he never met the qualifications of the Messiah as set forth in Scripture, and his ways were political and militant rather than spiritual. He was promoted as Messiah by rabbis who improperly applied the Word of God. And Bar Kochba was a failure because he never made a difference in the world, unless, of course, you call the destruction of a way of life on a national level making a difference. His legacy is that of death and disaster. No one remembers him for any good that he did. No one s life was changed for the better in any way, including spiritually. You might say that his was a falling star and he certainly failed to fulfill any other biblical prophecies. So once again we have a great contrast to the One who did in fact fulfill prophecy after prophecy, including those passages that called for tremendous changes and benefits to be given to all who believe in Him. The most profound of those prophetic passages is found in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah. In terms of reliability, the book of Isaiah is considered to be extremely accurate because 5 Cassius Dio, Roman History Midrash Rabbah, Lamentations 2: Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 58a. 8 Eusebius, Chronicle, Hadrian 19 9 The strongest confirmation of this change is found in the coins from the period inscribed with the name of Hadrian and the words Aelia Capitolina, Syria Palaestina. 2

3 the Masoretic text, which is used as the basis for modern translations, is effectively identical to the Isaiah Scroll that was discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in That particular Isaiah scroll, which is displayed at the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, has been dated to the Second Temple period. If you compare the words of that ancient scroll to the manuscripts that we have been using to translate Scripture into modern languages, they are virtually identical, with just a couple of inconsequential spelling variances. So we can read it today just like the people did over one hundred years before Yeshua was born. The question is, however, do we all actually make the effort to read it? Just when you think you ve seen just about everything in life, there is bound to be something that catches you by surprise. Such was the case one day when I was discussing Messianic prophecy with a group of people and I mentioned a reference from Isaiah 53. In response, a Jewish woman, interrupted by saying, We shouldn t be talking about that chapter. When I asked her why that is so, she replied, My rabbi says we Jews do not read that chapter. He even said we could just as well cross it out of our Bibles. So she raised up her Bible, and there on the page for Isaiah 53 was a big X. She had taken her rabbi s words quite literally. Indeed it is true that the 53rd chapter of Isaiah is a forsaken chapter of the Hebrew Scriptures. If you analyze the Haftarah 10 readings in the synagogue, something incredible emerges. The Haftarah portions have this pattern for Isaiah chapters...49, 50, 51, 52, 54, Do you notice something missing? It s chapter 53. It is simply not read in the synagogue, which generally means it is not read at all by most Jewish people. What is it about this section of Scripture that is so taboo in the Jewish world? There isn t a rabbinic curse on the chapter, like there is on the book of Daniel. It s more like being in the hockey penalty box the referees just took it out of the game. It is clear that there is a conclusion about this passage that some people want to avoid. The book of Acts tells about how Philip, a deacon of the church of Jerusalem, came upon an Ethiopian eunuch who was sitting in his chariot and reading from the book of Isaiah. He was reading out loud, as was the custom in those days. Philip recognized that he was reading from Isaiah, so he walked over and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? (Acts 8:30). The Eunuch replied, How could I know unless someone guides me? (v. 31). Philip then climbed on the chariot so they could talk further. The passage in question was Isaiah 53. The Eunuch s key question is very understandable, for he asked Philip. Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else? (v. 34). Today, that remains the key question for everyone to answer who is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53? Three primary solutions have been suggested: 1. The Servant is Israel The servant is clearly identified as the nation of Israel in passages such as Isaiah 41:8; 42:19f; 43:8-13 and 49:3. For proponents of the critical theory of Isaiah, the servant of Isaiah 53 likewise must be national Israel. In this view, the suffering detailed in this chapter must be the historical suffering of the nation. It is a position that is prevalent among Jewish writers, first set forth by Ibn-Ezra and Rashi in the Middle Ages and continues on with modern writers. 11 But prior to the Middle Ages, that was not what was believed, which means there is a disconnect in understanding. 10 The Haftarah is the weekly reading from the Prophets that is read as an accompaniment to the current Torah passage. 11 Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra, Ibn-Ezra on Isaiah; Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi); Commentary on Isaiah. 3

4 Moreover, there are severe flaws in this interpretation. A close look at all of the Servant passages of Isaiah reveals two distinct types of servants a national servant Israel, and an individual servant who arises from the nation. When we compare the national servant passages with the individual servant passages, Scripture clearly shows why Israel cannot be the suffering servant: 12 The national servant Israel... Is admonished to trust God (40:27-31; 41:8-16; 42:18-19). The individual Servant... Expresses total trust in God (50:7-9). Complains bitterly (40:27). Suffers patiently (53:7.) Is sinful and has been punished for her sins (40:1-2; 42:22-25; 54:4-8). Is the recipient, not the agent, of salvation (40:9-11; 43:1). Is innocent and suffers for the sins of others (50:5-6; 53:4-12). The Servant is referred to as asham, a guilt offering (53:10), a sacrifice that had to be perfect, without spot or blemish (Lev. 5:6). The chronicle of history demonstrates that Israel was never innocent nor perfect. Performs a ministry on behalf of the nations and Israel (53:11). Altogether, as this comparison demonstrates, the Suffering Servant cannot be descriptive of national Israel. 2. The Servant is a common individual Various biblical characters have been nominated to fill the role of the servant, including Isaiah, Hezekiah, Uzziah, Josiah, and Jeremiah. According to rabbinical tradition, 13 Isaiah was of royal birth and was martyred under Manasseh, except, there is no record of Isaiah suffering elsewhere in his writings. Similar deficiencies can be cited for each of these nominated individuals. No common human being fulfills all the characteristics of Isaiah 53, especially those verses that point out the sinlessness of the Servant and his bearing the sins of humanity. It is an interpretation, regardless of the individual, that fails to be 100% accurate. 3. The Servant is Messiah Once upon a time the Jewish people commonly understood this passage to refer to the Messiah as being the servant. Targums expanded translations of the Hebrew words of the Tanakh into Aramaic during the Second Temple period serve as windows into the minds of the Jewish people before the days of Yeshua. They reflect what was widely believed about the 12 F. Duane Lindsey, The Servant Songs. 13 Mishnah, Nahsim Sotah 10b. 4

5 interpretation of Scripture in that era. Here is how Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Isaiah 52:13 reads: Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper; He shall be exalted and extolled; and He shall be very strong. When we look closely at each of the verses of Isaiah 53, we are left with the same conclusion as the learned Jewish people of long ago. And it is the identical answer that was given to the Ethiopian Eunuch by Philip. The prophet was speaking about the Messiah. It is about Yeshua. The prophecy of Isaiah 53 The passage begins with this preamble in 52:13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. The word translated as prosper is ìë NÈ sakal, which has the sense of doing well because you are wise. It is often used to describe the actions of kings, and it is reflected in another unquestionably Messianic prophecy by Jeremiah: Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land (Jer. 23:5). Notice how the Servant starts out in a place of exaltation. In the ancient rabbinic text Midrash 52:13, He shall be higher than Abraham, more exalted than Moses, and loftier than the ministering angels. Clearly this is not a normal human being. This commentary is highly similar to that of the writer to the Hebrews who states: The Son is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of His being... He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs (Heb. 1:3,4). Then, from His high state of exaltation, Isaih tells us that He is plunged into a lower state. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men (52:14). The extent of the Servant s sufferings would be considerable, and they are linked to His calling in ministry: Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him. For what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand (52:15). The word translated as sprinkle is äæˆðˆ nazah. It is used 21 times in the Torah. Every one of those occurrences are of priests sprinkling sacrificial blood, including multiple uses in Leviticus 16 involving the high priest on Yom Kippur doing the work of atonement. Using this term consistently, then, since there are no exceptions to the rule, we are given a definitive picture of a sacrificial atoning work by the servant. Only in this case, the benefit goes to the nations of the world in covering their sins, not just the people of Israel. Sounds good right? Not to everyone: Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of Adonai been revealed? (53:1). The recipients of the message would disbelieve its content as well as the very person whom Adonai sent to reveal it. His rejection would arise in part because: For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has 5

6 no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him (53:2). That means the Servant would grow up just like any other human being, in obscurity. This same kind of questioning would reoccur many years later with the skeptical query, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (Jn. 1:26). This verse in Isaiah clearly reflects human nature. The idea of a Messiah who would die for sins is not satisfactory for most people, and this is an accurate description of what transpired historically in Israel. The preferred Messiah was a dashing world conqueror. The true one would not fit that idealized portrait. Consequently, the Servant:...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 (53:4). The prophet indicates that the reason for this rejection was because of his suffering. As one writer said, There was no kingly form, no regal majesty, no royal appearance. They wanted a king, but they got a carpenter. 14 As an ultimate demonstration of the Servant s rejection, the people to whom He was sent did not esteem Him. He was valued as being worthless. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (53:4). Nevertheless, the Servant undergoes a vicarious suffering, an exchange for life. The word here for grief is éìäçé choli. It is used to describe the feeling you have when you are sick. The Messiah as Servant would not only care for our sicknesses, but He would bear the punishment for our sins that brings sickness to the world. He suffered so that people might be delivered from the penalty of their sins. Yet from the perspective of the people witnessing his suffering, they think He is being punished by God because He did something wrong, not because they did anything wrong (sinned), and He was paying the price for it. The nature of His suffering is described in this manner: 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. The Hebrew word ììüçè halal, translated as pierced, wounded is an intense verb used to describe something boring into something else, creating an opening. It is a picture of the Servant having wounds of a nature of perforating, and piercing through. They are wounds leading to a violent and painful death. These words were also echoed prophetically by David in the 22nd Psalm, in which He described what would happen to his Messianic descendent. He declared in advance:...a band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. But You, O Lord, be not far off; O You, my help, hasten to my assistance (Ps. 22:16-19). Such was the nature of how the Servant would suffer. But most importantly, we must observe that it was not His sin, but our sin that caused His death. He would be a voluntary sufferer who bowed low to pay a great debt on our behalf: He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb that is 14 Robert Culver, The Sufferings and the Glory. 6

7 led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open 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 for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? (53:7,8). We have here a picture of a meek and quiet sufferer who did not profess his innocence in spite of having committed no sin (cf. 1 Pet. 1:18-19). Being cut off out of the land of the living leaves no doubt that the Servant would undergo physical death. It is a phrase that is used throughout the Tanakh as a form of a death penalty (cf. Gen. 9:11; Dan. 9:26; Obad. 1:9; Zech. 13:8). But unlike common criminals, the Servant s death was not a senseless and meaningless one. It was allowed to take place according to purposes of God: But Adonai 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 Adonai will prosper in His hand (53:10). Here in Isaiah we are shown that the Servant s suffering and sacrificial death were within the will of the Lord. The realization of this prophecy is both telling and moving. Concerning His own life, Yeshua said: No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again (Jn. 10:18). The taking of the Servant s life is characterized as a guilt offering. The guilt offering was a Levitical sacrifice that was necessitated when God or another person was deprived of that which rightfully belonged to him (cf. Lev. 5:14-6:7; 7:1-6). This type of offering involved restitution to the wronged party and it secured atonement and forgiveness (Lev. 5:16). In the same way, here in Isaiah 53 we see a picture of satisfaction of divine justice and the establishment of forgiveness: 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, and He will bear their iniquities (53:11). This righteous Servant would make many individuals righteous because of his sacrifice. This is the remarkable grace of God we receive His righteousness while He bears our sin (cf. Rom. 4:7-9). This chapter concludes with an all-encompassing statement of the mission of the Servant: 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. (53:12). The Servant would give His life for sinners. He would empty His soul and shed His blood. Since blood and life are synonymous in Hebrew thought (cf. Lev. 17:11), shedding His blood meant giving up His life. But by doing so, He made spiritual life possible for all who receive His act of redemption. Does that sound like anyone you know? Let it be said that the identity of the Servant as Messiah is strong. The messianic view predominated among Jewish scholars from biblical times well until the 12th century. What caused Jewish leaders to abandon this long-held interpretation of the Servant as Messiah? We need look no further than the gospels. For within their pages we find great harmony with the prophecy of Isaiah. Like the Servant, Yeshua: Was rejected by a great number people in Israel (Is. 53:1-3; Mat. 23:37-39). 7

8 Suffered innocently and in silence (Is. 53:7,9; John 8:46). Died vicariously for the sins of all (Is. 53:6; 1 Pet. 2:24). Mediated a new covenant and provided spiritual restoration for Israel (Is. 49:5-9; Rom. 11:25-27). And brought salvation to the Gentiles (Is. 49:6; Rom. 11:11). Yeshua Himself confirmed: It is written: `And he was numbered with the transgressors; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment (Lk. 22:37). Yeshua was the consummate Servant, for He also proclaimed: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). No one who has ever walked the earth approaches the description of Isaiah 53, except Yeshua. Every word, every detail applies to His character and the suffering He endured. Seven hundred years before the fact, Isaiah was given the understanding of God s necessary plan for the suffering unto death of His beloved Servant the Messiah. But how many of us have the full understanding of the chapter even with the benefit of looking backward in history? The prophet addressed the application of the passage across every generation and location by declaring: All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but Adonai has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (53:6). The personal pronouns we, us, our reflect the personal application of the Servant s ministry to all people. On our own, we all go astray, we do things our own way, including our spiritual lives. But in spite of our waywardness, Messiah was faithful in taking on the penalty of our sins. We just need to turn back to Him to receive that matchless gift. History has shown that time and time again, people, including very religious ones, missed the ultimate message of Scripture. They failed to understand the totality of the prophetic portrait of the Messiah. The end was tragic for them, and will be the same in a spiritual sense if we do likewise. But we all have an opportunity to comprehend that message, and to decide for ourselves if it is true. Even if we stray from Him, He will welcome us into His presence when we turn to Him. I trust that we will believe by faith that Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel, that He came just as the prophets foretold, and that He has made the biggest difference this world has ever known. 8