Isaiah 53: Suffering Servant
Gerald Sigal
Question: According to Isaiah 53:8, why does the servant of the Lord suffer?
Answer: There is no indication in verse 8 that the servant of the Lord
suffers to atone for the sins of others. What this verse states is that he
suffers as a result of the misdeeds of others, who treat him unfairly and
unjustly. Hence, the conclusion of the verse, in which the enemies of the
servant admit responsibility for the cruel treatment they have meted out to
him.
This is the confession of the Gentile spokesperson, who now expresses the
Gentile realization that it was they and their people who deserved to suffer
the humiliation inflicted on the servant of the Lord, as admitted in verses
4-6. In short, the servant's enemies admit that his suffering stemmed from
their own sinful imposition of hardships upon him: "From the transgression
of my people there has been affliction to him [them]." The servant of the
Lord suffers not on behalf of others' sins but because of the things that
sinful men do to him.
Source:
Jews for Judaism [http://jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq077.html]
Copyright Gerald Sigal, 1999-2003
--
Machque
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the
future." Lumbee
"The one who tells the stories rules the world." Hopi
"Sing your death song and die like a hero going home." Shawnee
.
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