The prophet Isaiah, approximately 750 years before the death of Jesus our Messiah, wrote these words (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."

What an amazing prophecy! What an amazing promise of hope! Every time I read those words, I am flooded with gratitude for what Jesus, the Suffering Servant, accomplished.

However what appears to be so obvious to Christians around the world is a source of conflict within the Jewish community. The "official" interpretation of this verse is that the Suffering Servant song represents the nation of Israel. Other possible identifications for the suffering servant range from Moses to Cyrus, the king of Persia. But all these interpretations fall apart under the weight of the manner, character and purpose of the Servant.

Moses and Cyrus, while great men who were contributors to the history of Israel, were sinful men. Moses was not allowed to enter into the Holy Land because of the sin of striking the rock twice (Numbers 20:7-13). Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to the Promised Land after the seventy years of exile (Ezra 1) but he was a pagan king who did not worship the God of Israel.

And any attempt to identify Israel as the Suffering Servant fails apart under the weight of the Pronoun Problem. A close reading of this verse (along with the entire 53rd chapter) reveals that a third-person singular pronoun (HE/HIM) is rescuing a first-person plural pronoun (OUR/WE). How could Israel as the innocent, suffering servant, rescue a sinful, disobedient Israel?

The truth is that no one can rescue themselves from their transgressions and iniquities, not even Israel. We need a savior, a redeemer, a suffering servant to pay the price for us. And who but Jesus could fit the mold?