If Not Jesus, Then Who?

Understanding Alternative Views of Isaiah 53

In the previous article, we walked through Isaiah 53 and saw how vividly it describes the suffering, death, and ultimate triumph of the Servant of the Lord.

To view the previous article, and all others, click on this link: www.fromstuart.com/archive

For many Christians, the connection to Jesus seems unmistakable.

But that raises an important question:

If Isaiah 53 appears to point so clearly to Jesus, why do most Jewish people not see it that way?

Let’s take a look at the most popular alternatives.

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Early Jewish Interpretation: A Personal Messiah

It may surprise some readers to learn that…

Early Jewish interpreters often understood Isaiah 53 to refer to an individual Messiah.

Some of the earliest written interpretations describe a servant who would suffer on behalf of others. In these early traditions, the servant was not primarily seen as the nation of Israel, but as a person—an individual chosen by God.

This is significant because it shows that the concept of a suffering Messiah did not originate with Christianity. It already existed within Jewish interpretation before the rise of the Christian church.

But over time, another interpretation gained influence.

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The Rise of the Israel-as-Servant Interpretation

Beginning in the medieval period, a different explanation gradually became dominant.

This interpretation taught that the Servant in Isaiah 53 represents the nation of Israel, not an individual Messiah.

The figure most closely associated with this interpretation is Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, better known as Rashi, who lived in the eleventh century.

Rashi proposed that the suffering described in Isaiah 53 reflects the suffering of the Jewish people throughout history—their persecution, exile, and hardship among the nations.

In this reading:

• The servant is Israel

• The suffering represents national hardship

• The future exaltation reflects Israel’s eventual restoration

Today, this interpretation remains widely taught within traditional Judaism.

Yet when we examine the text closely, several challenges arise.

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The Difficulty of Identifying the Servant as Israel

When Isaiah 53 is read carefully, certain details appear difficult to reconcile with the idea that the servant represents the nation as a whole.

Consider Isaiah 53:6:

“All of us like sheep have gone astray…
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.”

Notice the distinction:

• “us” — those who have sinned

• “Him” — the one who bears sin

The servant is portrayed as bearing the sins of others. If the servant represents Israel collectively, the picture becomes difficult to explain: Israel would be both the guilty party and the sin-bearing substitute.

Another example appears in Isaiah 53:8:

“…He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due.”

Here, “my people” refers to Israel. The servant suffers for Israel—not as Israel.

And in Isaiah 53:9:

“…He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”

The servant is described as completely innocent—without violence or deceit. Yet the Old Testament repeatedly portrays Israel as a nation in need of repentance, not as a sinless substitute.

For these reasons, some Jewish scholars themselves questioned the national interpretation.

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Jewish Voices That Favored a Personal Servant

Not every Jewish interpreter accepted the Israel-as-servant view.

For example, Rabbi Moshe Kohen ibn Crispin, a fourteenth-century Jewish scholar from Spain, argued that interpreting Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel:

“…distorts the passage from its natural meaning.”

He believed the chapter described a personal Messiah rather than a collective nation.

Other interpreters who rejected the national interpretation still proposed individual alternatives. Among the suggested identities were:

• Isaiah himself

• King Cyrus

• King Hezekiah

• Josiah

• Jeremiah

• Ezekiel

• Moses

• Job

• Or an unnamed righteous individual

These proposals demonstrate that, even among those who rejected the Israel interpretation, there was no universal agreement about the servant’s identity.

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Why the Israel Interpretation Became Influential

Understanding historical context helps explain why the Israel-as-servant interpretation became widely accepted.

After the rise of Christianity, believers frequently used Isaiah 53 to argue that Jesus was the promised Messiah. In response, Jewish scholars developed alternative readings that preserved traditional expectations of a Messiah who would triumph politically and restore national strength.

Over time, Rashi’s interpretation gained prominence and became widely taught within Jewish communities.

Today, many Jewish readers encounter Isaiah 53 through this inherited interpretive tradition.

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A Personal Observation: The Missing Chapter

Allow me to share a personal memory.

In Jewish tradition, when a boy turns thirteen, he celebrates his Bar Mitzvah. During the ceremony, he chants a passage of Scripture assigned according to the weekly reading cycle.

Based on the timing of my birthday, I should have been assigned a reading from Isaiah 53.

But I was not.

Instead, the reading moved directly from Isaiah 52 to Isaiah 54.

Isaiah 53 was skipped.

At the time, I did not question it. That was simply the assigned reading. But later, after reading Isaiah 53 for myself, I began to wonder why such a remarkable passage would not be included in the regular synagogue cycle.

That discovery became part of my own journey toward recognizing Jesus as Messiah.

And I am not alone.

Many Jewish believers in Jesus have described similar moments—encounters with Isaiah 53 that led them to reconsider long-held assumptions.

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The Question Still Stands

So we return to the central question:

If Isaiah 53 is not about Jesus—then who is it about?

Is it:

• A nation?

• A prophet?

• A king?

• A symbolic figure?

Each proposal faces challenges when measured against the details of the text.

But when those details are compared carefully with the life of Jesus, the correspondence is striking.

Consider again what Isaiah foretold:

• A servant rejected by his own people

• A man of sorrows

• One who suffers silently

• One pierced for transgressions

• One buried with the rich

• One who lives again after death

• One who bears the sins of many

Taken together, these details form a portrait that aligns remarkably with the Gospel accounts of Jesus.

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An Understanding Approach Matters

When discussing Isaiah 53 with Jewish friends, humility matters.

These are sacred texts within Jewish tradition. Interpretations are shaped not only by theology but also by history, identity, and community experience.

Many Jewish people have inherited centuries of misinterpretation of texts like Isaiah 53.

Understanding that background encourages better conversations.

It replaces confrontation with thoughtful dialogue.

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A Simple Invitation

One of the most meaningful ways to begin such a conversation is also the simplest.

Share Isaiah 53:6:

“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.”

Then ask:

Who do you think Isaiah is describing?

That question invites reflection.

Not argument.

Not pressure.

Reflection.

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A Final Word

Isaiah 53 stands as one of the most remarkable passages in all of Scripture.

It speaks of suffering.

It speaks of substitution.

It speaks of redemption.

And it leaves every reader with a decision:

Who is the Suffering Servant?

We Christians believe the answer is clear.

The servant is Jesus—the One who bore sin, died in our place, and rose again.

For many readers—Jewish and Gentile alike—Isaiah 53 has been the doorway to discovering the Messiah.

And perhaps it still will be.

May the Lord grant you the privilege and opportunity of sharing Isaiah 53 with a Jewish or Gentile friend.

I am ETERNALLY grateful for the Gentile friend who shared it with me.

—Stuart