Isaiah 53 Does Not Refer to Jesus

I wish to thank my partner for an excellent debate; it sure was nice to debate in a scholarly fasion. Because this is the last round, I will summarize quickly and respond as necessary. I. Historical EvidenceEvidence 1: Contra CelsusMy partner concedes this point. This shows that the Jewish people, at least in the 4th century till now, did understand that Isaiah 53 is not about Jesus; rather, it is the nation of Israel as a whole.Evidence 2: The New TestamentYes this was the verse I was talking about. My partner, once again, concedes this point. My question to con is if what you are saying is true, is it not logically possible for them to have mistaken Jesus as messiah? Moreover, why didn't Jesus back up the crucifixion with Isaiah 53? That should remove all doubt. Lastly, we know Jesus (and his brother, which was one of the disciples) knew the scriptures extremely well. The evidence is in the story of Jesus' converse with the Jewish leaders when he was 12. [1]II. Who is the servant? My partner concedes that Israel is G-d's servant. However, he has shown a lack of knowlege of the Hebrew language (with all due respect to you). 'Abid(or a moreproper transliteration of "ebed) can refer to Israel. We know this as Isaiah 41:8 ("you are my 'ebed, O Israel) uses the same word 'ebed for servant. [2] III. Does Jesus fit the suffering servant? A. Despised and rejectedMy partner concedes that Israel is dispised and rejected. However, he once again shows a lack of knowlege of the Hebrew language (with due respect to you). The Artscroll Tanach (one of the best of all commentaries) says, "The nations [remember, we already identified the gentile kings as the speakers] exclaim that they were convinced that G-d had caused Israel to suffer because it did not believe in Him. Now the nations realize that their sins were the reason that Israel suffered." [3] ReferencesB. Did not open his mouth Conceded this point.C. Offspring Ze'ra makes perfect sense in these passages. Remember, Ze'ra can refer to a "plant" or "fruit"; however, in the context of Isaiah 53, ze'ra refers to a literal offspring of the nations. (Remember: these are the commentaries of NATIVE speakers of Hebrew!) D. Prolonged ya'arich yamim is the word used in this passage. It means "long life" or "prolonged life." IT DOES NOT MEAN ETERNAL LIFE!!!!! Rather, it is a lengthening of days which will come to an end. [4] Moreover, if Jesus truly is eternal, then how can Jesus' life be prolonged? it makes no sense in this passage. I still await your answer. Final Notes “There is no doubt that Isaiah 53 is to be understood in the context of the Isaiah tradition. Insofar as the servant is Israel – a common assumption of Jewish interpretation – we see that the theme of humiliation and exaltation serves the Isaiah rendering of Israel, for Israel in this literature is exactly the humiliated (exiled) people who by the powerful intervention of Yahweh is about to become the exalted (restored) people of Zion. Thus the drama is the drama of Israel and more specifically of Jerusalem, the characteristic subject of this poetry. Second, although it is clear that this poetry does not have Jesus in any first instance on its horizon, it is equally clear that the church, from the outset, has found the poetry a poignant and generative way to consider Jesus, wherein humiliation equals crucifixion and exaltation equals resurrection and ascension.” [5] I concede that Israel has been violent; but at the same time, so has Jesus. We must concede that the 53 chapter of Isaiah discusses the RIGHTEOUS remnant of Israel (which I should have mentioned earlier).References [1] See Luke 3. I am of the opinion that this story is fiction, but for the purpose of debate, I will concede to that historical part of the gospels.[2] Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for `ebed (Strong's 5650)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011. 30 Nov 2011. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H5650&t=KJV&page=26 > [3] Artscroll English Tanach: Isaiah 53.[4] Rabbi Tovia Singer. http://www.outreachjudaism.org...;[5] Walter Brueggemann Ph.D., Isaiah 40 – 66 (Louisville: Kentucky, 1998), p. 143