Gospel According to Isaiah 53

I work with a lot of Jewish people, and have even spent time reading and studying the Scriptures with them. I am always impressed at their attention to detail, their exuberance in debating the text, and their willingness to listen to alternative explanations. Sometimes the discussions can seem more like an argument than a dialogue, but in the end, everybody remains friends and expresses anticipation for the next time we gather to discuss Scripture.

To my shame, however, I have never had the courage to bring up Isaiah 53 in any of my Scripture discussions with Jews. I have often wanted to, but so far, have not done so. Part of this was that I have never fully studied the passage myself and was not sure how to handle Jewish objections to the Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53, but another part of my neglect of this passage is due to the fact that I did not know how essential it is to Jewish evangelism.

After having read The Gospel According to Isaiah 53, I have become more knowledgeable about both. I now know more about what the text means, how Jewish people interpret the text, how to respond to these interpretations, and how essential and central this chapter is for helping Jewish people see that Jesus truly is the promised Messiah.

I really wish more books like this would get written.

The book centered on a key text of Scripture, and spent several chapters showing what the text meant, before moving into chapters about how to practically apply the passage to our own lives and ministries.

The first part of the book contained chapters which delved into the traditional Jewish and Christian interpretations of Isaiah 53, and also showed from Rabbinic writings how Jewish scholars have interpreted this text. Then the book showed how Christian writers such as Matthew, Luke, Peter, Paul, and John understood this chapter and alluded to it in their own writings.

Then the book showed how central the book is to Jewish evangelism, and how the editor of this volume came to believe in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah by reading Isaiah 53, and how to enter into a fruitful dialogue with Jewish friends about the meaning of this vital chapter. The book closed with some practical suggestions for preaching Isaiah 53 and even gave two sample sermons from others who have preached it in the past.

One key theme I came away with is the importance of making sure that before we try to “convert” Jewish people, we must befriend them. And not just befriend them so we can convert them, for that is not true friendship. We must befriend Jewish people simply to be friends with them. Only when we have a true relationship such as this can we enter into fruitful dialogue with them about the meaning of Isaiah 53. This is not just true of evangelism with Jewish people, but with anybody we seek to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you have ever wondered about the meaning and significance of Isaiah 53, I recommend this detailed and well-written book. If you have Jewish friends whom you would like to introduce to Jesus, I highly recommend you obtain this book for help and insights on how to use Isaiah 53 for this purpose. You may purchase it here: The Gospel According to Isaiah 53.