I won't have much time but I will do what I can.
Please remember (I try to forget) that I have HIV/AIDS, Hep-C, Diabetes, genital warts (Yuck!) and more diseases in my body. Although I am weak, I am never sick with the deadly diseases that have killed millions. I've had HIV for over 20 years.
One of the most powerful and heatedly argued prophecies concerning the Messiah is found in Isa 53. Most Jews have left off all teaching of the fathers and say it is describing IsraEl. Funny, now many in the church describe many verses as describing IsraEl when challenged.
Who cannot fail to see God's hand in this?
Both IsraEl and now the church "experts" are dead wrong and all the glory goes to God alone!
Oh! How I love Him! His genius is infinite!
But back to Isa 53. I'll let God's Word do the talking. Isa 53 is quoted in Mat 8:17
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King James Bible Mat 8
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare [our] sicknesses.
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That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,.... In Isaiah 53:4 "He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows", here rendered,
himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses: very agreeable to the Hebrew text, "he himself", not another; "took up", upon himself voluntarily, freely, as a man lifts up a burden, and takes it on his shoulders; "our infirmities", diseases, sicknesses, whether of body or soul, , "and bare", or carried, as a man does a burden upon his back, "our sicknesses", or diseases, which occasion pain and sorrow. And that these words are spoken of the Messiah, the Jews themselves own; for among the names they give to the Messiah, "a leper" is one; which they prove from this passage (u).
"The Rabbins say, "a leper" of the house of Rabbi is his name; as it is said, "surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted". Says R. Nachman, if he is of the living, he is as I am, as it is said, Jeremiah 30:21 Says Rab, if of the living, he is as our Rabbi, the holy.''
Upon which last clause the gloss is,
"If the Messiah is of them that are alive, our Rabbi the holy is he, "because he bears infirmities".''
Elsewhere (w) they say,
"There is one temple that is called the temple of the sons of afflictions; and when the Messiah comes into that temple, and reads all the afflictions, all the griefs, and all the chastisements of Israel, which come upon them, then all of them shall come upon him: and if there was any that would lighten them off of Israel, and take them upon himself, there is no son of man that can bear the chastisements of Israel, because of the punishments of the law; as it is said, "surely he hath borne our griefs", &c.''
And in another ancient book (x) of their's, God is represented saying to the Messiah,
, "wilt thou bear chastisements", in order to remove their iniquities? (the iniquities of the children of God,) as it is written, "surely he hath borne our griefs": he replied, "I will bear them with joy".''
Hence it is manifest, that according to the mind of the ancient Jews, this passage belongs to the Messiah, and is rightly applied to him by the evangelist. But the difficulty is, how it had its accomplishment in Christ's healing the bodily diseases of men; since Isaiah speaks not of his actions and miracles, but of his sufferings and death; and not of bearing the diseases of the body, as it should seem, but of the diseases of the mind, of sins, as the Apostle Peter interprets it, 1 Peter 2:24. To remove which, let it be observed, that though the prophet chiefly designs to point out Christ taking upon him, and bearing the sins of his people, in order to make satisfaction for them, and to save them from them; yet so likewise, as to include his bearing, by way of sympathy, and taking away by his power, the bodily diseases of men, which arise from sin; and which was not only an emblem of his bearing and taking away sin, but a proof of his power and ability to do it: for since he could do the one, it was plain he could do the other.
(u) T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 98. 2.((w) Zohar in Exod. fol. 85. 2.((x) Pesikta in Abkath Rochel, l. 1. par. 2. p. 309. Ed. Huls.
Vincent's Word Studies
Bare (ἐβάστασεν)
This translation is correct. The word does not mean "he took away," but "he bore," as a burden laid upon him. This passage is the corner-stone of the faith-cure theory, which claims that the atonement of Christ includes provision for bodily no less than for spiritual healing, and therefore insists on translating "took away." Matthew may be presumed to have understood the sense of the passage he was citing from Isaiah, and he could have used no word more inadequate to express his meaning, if that meaning had been that Christ took away infirmities.
Geneva Study Bible
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
People's New Testament
8:17 Spoken by Isaiah. In the beautiful picture of the Messiah in Isa 53:1-12.
Wesley's Notes
8:17 Whereby was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah - He spoke it in a more exalted sense. The evangelist here only alludes to those words, as being capable of this lower meaning also. Such instances are frequent in the sacred writings, and are elegancies rather than imperfections. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and healing us of the diseases which were the fruit of sin. Isaiah 53:4.
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Now Isa 53 (KJV) on its own-
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4
¶
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5
But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7
¶
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8
He was taken from prison (Jesus was never in Prison as DaniEl was.) and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 (pay close attention to this verse)
¶
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12
Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
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Now let's take a look at the Jewish publishing society translation of Isa 53-
53:1 'Who would have believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
53:2 For he shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness, that we should look upon him, nor beauty that we should delight in him.
53:3 He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with disease, and as one from whom men hide their face: he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
53:4 Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
53:5 But he was wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our welfare was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed.
53:6 All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath made to light on him the iniquity of us all.
53:7 He was oppressed, though he humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yea, he opened not his mouth.
53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and with his generation who did reason? for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due.
53:9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his tomb; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.'
53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to crush him by disease; to see if his soul would offe\r itself in restitution, that he might see his seed, prolong his days, and that the purpose of the Lord might prosper by his hand:
53:11 Of the travail of his soul he shall see to the full, even My servant, who by his knowledge did justify the Righteous One to the many, and their iniquities he did bear.
53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
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Many are unaware of the richness of Messianic prophecies in the Pslams. Again, I'll let them speak for themselves. Psalm 41 is a recognized Messianic prophecy Psalm, having been quoted by Jesus concerning Judas sharing his bread, but look at the whole thing.
Psalm 41:4 I said, “Have mercy on me, LORD; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” 5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die and his name perish?” 6 When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around.
7 All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying, 8 “A vile disease (AIDS) has afflicted him; he will never get up from the place where he lies.” 9 Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned[b] against me.
10 But may you have mercy
Psalm 38 can now be added to the Messianic prophecies-
38:4 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease (genital warts): and there is no soundness in my flesh.
There is much more to come soon. Until then, Shalom and and grace to you.
P.S. Sebastion, there is and was much you could have done to help me, but all things being fulfilled, no one will. As it is written of the days of the Son of man
King James Bible Luke 17- But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Remember Sebastion, when it comes to bible exposition it is "context. context. context and the topic is the days of the Son of Man in Luke 17.
