Isaiah 53 Does Not Refer to Jesus

I appreciate my opponent's time and his arguments; allow me to apologize for delaying my response time. I will be using the NIV translation of the Bible.RebuttalContentions I. and II. have no need to be addressed.III. Who is "My Servant?"Israel is certainly considered God's "Servant." However, Jesus is also referred to as a Servant. Not to mention that he was and is a direct descendant through the line of Abraham (Israel):"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.” Mark 10:45In this way, it is inconclusive as to "who" the servant is: Israel, or more specifically, Jesus. Both answers work for this debate.IV. Does Jesus Fit the Description of Isaiah 53?A. Despised and rejectedAllow me to remind my opponent of the context in which the Gospels were written. The Gospels were written by strong believers of Jesus Christ who reflected on the greatest events in Jesus' life. Nonetheless, there are instances in the Gospels were Jesus was despised and rejected, without mentioning his crucifixion:"Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. 'Where did this man get these things?' they asked. 'What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother off James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?' And they took offense at him. " Mark 6"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way." Luke 4:28-30"When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region." Mark 5:15-17B. "He did not open his mouth."My opponent pulls these verses out of context. Allow me to align them.Regarding Isaiah 53:7, there is one blatantly obvious symbolic metaphor within this verse:"... 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."My opponent brings an instance of Jesus' speaking after he was slaughtered, or after he was "sheared." However, before he was "led to slaughter," as the prophecy incurs, he was in fact silent; not opening his mouth to save himself:"When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies." Luke 23:8-12"The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, 'Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.' But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. " Mark 15:3-5One must understand, that Jesus did not speak against his arrest and his crucifixion. Although he did speak, he did not open his mouth to oppose the afflictions; in accordance to the context of Isaiah 53:7C. "He had done no violence."Matthew 10:34-35My opponent takes this verse out of context. Allow me to reveal the entire passage:“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." Matthew 10:34-40The context of this verse is to demonstrate the power and importance of Jesus' revelation to humanity. When Jesus states that he brings a "sword" he implies that he is here for one specific, serious reason; in other words, "no funny business." He has come to set things right; reconciling man to God. As for him stating that he will set families against themselves, this is in reference to faith. He is predicting how people will be at odds with each other because of differing beliefs. This quote by Jesus, was merely a bold public statement summarizing his reason for being here.Luke 22:36, 38Notice how my opponent skips verse 37, which reads as so:"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.”Jesus commands his disciples to buy swords, not because he is violent, but because it "must be fulfilled in him." Secondly, even if my opponent's out-of-context verses do in fact seem valid, Jesus himself never committed any act of violence. Anger, yes, but violence towards others; never. There are more instances of him performing miracles than anything."When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, 'Lord, should we strike with our swords?' And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, 'No more of this!' And he touched the man’s ear and healed him." Luke 22:47D. "He shall see his offspring."As convincing as this argument may sound, the error lies in the meaning of the word, "zera."zera: seed; figuratively fruit, plant, sowing time, posterity: - X carnally, child, fruitful, seed (-time), sowing-time. [1]The very definition of the word can be viewed from many different perspectives; meaning, one must discover the most appropriate context for the word. The main question is: what is Jesus' "offspring?" We know he will raise from the dead and "see his offspring." This is not predicting literal children. Rather, the servant will see the fruit of his labor, the redemption of his children. [2] fruit, meaning, result; a better context of the word, zera, in this instance.E. "He shall prolong his days."Prolonging his days in reference to the Resurrection of Jesus. So how long was Jesus on earth after he was Resurrected? He ascended 10 days before the holiday of Pentecost. We know that Jesus died during Passover. That would mean over a period of about 40 days. His days were in fact prolonged.V. If Not Jesus, who?My opponent supplies beautiful scripture from God's Word. Nevertheless, none of this directly prophecies God's future intentions for mankind. Seemingly, Israel in this context would seem a vague prophecy, as the prophecies concerning Jesus (Isaiah 53 & etc.) are specific. Also, my opponent contradicts himself. Recall back to my opponent's previous contention,"He had done no violence." Many a time has Israel been "violent." More so than Jesus Christ ever was. I will provide references later if needed; as I am limited to character restrictions.Onto Pro.[1] Strong's Concordance & Dictionary[2] http://www.christianmonthlystandard.com...