The prophet Isaiah's ultra accurate description of the Messiah's sufferings

Summary:

The portrait of the "Suffering Servant" is painted very eloquently by the prophet Isaiah, especially in chapter 53 of his book:

"Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased"(Is 42:1).
"Upon him I have put my Spirit" (Is 42:1).
"He will not cry out, nor shout, nor make his voice heard in the street" (Is 42:2).
"See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted." (Is 52:13).
"Kings shall stand speechless before him" (Is 52:15).
"He was spurned and avoided by men" (Is 53:3).
"A man of sorrows, familiar with suffering "(Is 53:3).
"Like someone whose face is hidden, despised, we took no notice of him "(Is 53:3).
"Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured" (Is 53:4).
"And we regarded him as punished, struck down by God and humiliated "(Is 53:4).
"He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities "(Is 53:5).
"The chastisement that gives us peace is upon him" (Is 53:5).
"In his wounds we find healing "(Is 53:5).
"The Lord has laid on him the iniquities of us all" (Is 53:6).
"Though harshly treated, he humbled himself; he did not open his mouth "(Is 53:7).
"Like a lamb led to slaughter "(Is 53:7).
"Like a mute sheep before the shearers, he opened nothis mouth" (Is 53:7).
"Seized and condemned, he was taken away" (Is 53:8).
"Who would have thought any more of his destiny? For her was cut off from the land of the living "(Is 53:8).
"For he was struck for the sins of his people " (Is 53:8).
"He was given a grave among the wicked, a burial place with evildoers" (Is 53:9).
"But it was the LORD’s will to crush him with pain" (Is 53:10).
"By making his life as a reparation offering, he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days" (Is 53:10).
"and the LORD’s will shall be accomplished through him." (Is 53:10).
"Because of his anguish he shall see the light; because of his knowledge he shall be content" (Is 53:11).
"My servant, the just one, shall justify the many" (Is 53:11).
"their iniquity he shall bear"(Is 53:11).
"Therefore I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty"(Is 53:12).
"Because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors" (Is 53:12).
"Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors" (Is 53:12).

Psalm 22 is also very prophetic:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Ps 22:2).
"All who see me scorn me, they sneer and shake their heads" (Ps 22:8).
"He counted on the Lord: let him deliver him! Let him save him, for he is his friend" (Ps 22:9).
"Like water I run away; all my bones are broken" (Ps 22:15).
"My tongue sticks to my jaw" (Ps 22:16).
"A band of rascals surrounds me" (Ps 22:17).
"They pierce my hands and feet" (Ps 22:17).
"I can count all my bones" (Ps 22:18).
"They divide my garments and cast lots for my clothing" (Ps 22:19).
"Not one of his bones will be broken" (Ps 34:21).
"Even my trusted friend who ate my bread betrayed me" (Ps 41:10).
"Insult has broken my heart, and I despair" (Ps 69:21).
"I hoped for compassion, but in vain, for comforters, and I found none "(Ps 69:21).
"When I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink"(Ps 69:22).

This passage from the Book of Wisdom also evokes the persecuted righteous man:

"Let us lay snares for the righteous, since he hinders us and opposes our conduct, reproaching us for our faults against the Law and accusing us of faults against our upbringing "(Wis 2:12).
"He prides himself on his knowledge of God and calls himself a child of the Lord" (Wis 2:13).
"He has become a reproach to our thoughts; even the sight of him is a burden to us" (Wis 2:14).
"For his way of life is not like others, and his paths are all different" (Wis 2:15).
"He judges us debased, and avoid our paths as from uncleanness" (Wis 2:16).
"He proclaims the final fate of the righteous to be a happy one and boasts that God is his father" (Wis 2:16).
"Let's see if what he says is true, let's find out what his end will be" (Wis 2:17).
"For if the righteous man is the son of God, he will help him and deliver him from the hands of his enemies" (Wis 2:18).
"Let us test him by insult and torture, that we may know his gentleness and put his resignation to the test" (Wis 2:19).
"Let us condemn him to a shameful death, since, according to what he says, God will take care of him" (Wis 2:20).
"So they reason, but they are mistaken, for their wickedness blinds them" (Wis 2:21).
"They know not the secrets of God; they expect no reward for holiness" (Wis 2:22).
"They do not believe in the reward of pure souls" (Wis 2:22).
"Yes, God created man to be imperishable; he made him an image of his own nature" (Wis 2:23).
"Death entered the world through the devil's envy "(Wis 2:24).
"Those who belong to him experience it" (Wis 2:24).

In Jewish tradition, the ancient Synagogue recognised the awaited Messiah in the figure of the Suffering Servant. The rabbis wrote, for example: "The Messiah is called the leprous member because it is said: 'He bore our sufferings and took upon himself our sorrows, and we regarded him as punished, smitten by God and afflicted'" (Is 53:4) " (Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b). The Midrash Yalkut similarly states that Psalm 22 describes the sufferings of the Messiah, as reported in the Dissertation on the invocation of the saints in the Synagogue by David-Paul Drach (DISSA, p. 33). Furthermore, the same David-Paul Drach explains that, from the earliest times, the Synagogue believed that the "cessation of the defilement or original stain was to take place only at the advent of the Messiah; which means that the Christ of the Lord was to extirpate this venom (cf. the great Yalkut-Reuben fol. 16, col. 1)" (DISSA, p. 31-33), adding: "Now, as regards the retroactive effect of the infinite merit of the sufferings of the son of David, let us ask the elders (Deut 32:7), and they will tell us (Midrasch Yalkut, second part, n 359 dealing with chapter 60 of Isaiah):

"Satan said before the Most Holy One, blessed be he: 'Master of the universe, whose light is this under your glorious throne?' God answered him, 'He who will one day turn you back and cover your face with confusion.' Satan said to him, 'Master of the universe, show me.' God answered him: 'Come and see him.' And as soon as he saw him, he was shaken with a great trembling, and fell on his face, saying, 'Surely this is the Messiah, who will one day cast me down into hell with all the unfaithful nations!'

Then the Most Holy One, blessed be He, began to make terms with the Messiah, saying to him: 'Those who have taken refuge with you, their sins will one day subject you to a yoke of iron and make you like a calf whose eyes are dim, and they will cause your soul to be oppressed by this yoke; and as a result of their sins your tongue will one day remain attached to your palate (Ps 22:16). Do you agree to this?' Then the Messiah said before the Most Holy One, blessed be he: 'Master of the universe, perhaps this torment will last for several years?' The Most Holy One, blessed be he, answered him: 'By your life and by the life of your head, I have pronounced upon you a week (Dan 9:5). If your soul grieves, I will reject those whom you must save from this moment.' And he said before him, 'Master of the universe, it is with the joy of my heart and the gladness of my heart that I accept everything, on condition that not a single one of Israel will be lost. And not only the living shall be saved in my days, but also those who are deposited in the earth. And not only the dead will be saved in my days, but also all those who have died since the days of Abraham, the first man. And not only these, but also the unborn will be saved in my days. This is what I agree to, this is what I accept.'

The Doctors also teach that in the week of the coming of the son of David, they will bring iron beams and load them on his neck until his waist bends in two, and he will cry out and weep so loudly that his voice will go up to heaven. He will say before God: 'Master of the universe, how far will my limbs be able to stand?Am I not flesh and blood?'"

It should be noted, however, that modern rabbis who have rejected Christianity try very hard to interpret these passages differently, or even to ignore them, especially the poignant chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah.

In Christianity's view of the accomplishment of the prophecies, the Passion of Christ and its profound meaning are truly in perfect correspondence with everything that was foretold by the prophets on this subject, down to the smallest detail (Lk 24:26).

Beyond reasons to believe:

• It is important to understand the logic of the Redemption brought by Christ and how it works, as Billy Graham explained to someone who asked "I don't understand why the death of Jesus almost 2,000 years ago makes any difference to me right now"

Going further:

• Website Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus Christ

More information:

• John Paul II' General Audience on Wednesday, 4 March 1987, focusing on he prophecies concerning the Messiah's sufferings and death.
• Catholic365 Messianic prophecies and their fulfillment