I’ve often felt that the book of Isaiah, in the Bible, is like an incredibly fine wine that you can sip and it’s delicious or you can consume it in quantity and it produces the most marvelous intoxication.  It should even be read in a broad way, like a novel that happens to be true.

Isaiah is often referred to as the Messianic Prophet because he is quoted in the New Testament more than any other prophet.  By some estimates, there are over 330 prophecies from the Tanach (Old Testament) that Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled in the New Testament.  More than 130 of them (1/3) are found in the book of Isaiah.

In Chapter 42 we see two of the most convincing of these.

                                   
                         Behold my servant, whom I uphold;

                         mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth;

                         I have put my spirit upon him:

                         he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

                                                                      Isaiah 42:1

                         I the LORD have called thee in righteousness,

                         and will hold thine hand, and keep thee,

                         and give thee for a covenant of the people,

                         for a light of the Gentiles;

                                                                      Isaiah 42:6

            In Matthew 12, the writer of the events recorded quotes this section of Isaiah and recognizes that scriptural prophecies were being fulfilled before the people’s very eyes.  He records the miracles Yeshua performed and recognized that they could only be done by God, so the Spirit of God was upon Yeshua.  And he records how great multitudes of both Jews and Gentiles (goyim) followed Yeshua.

I’ve discussed these verses with a number of my Orthodox Jewish friends who are quite resistant to any thought that Yeshua might actually be who He claimed to be.  Their argument is that Rabbis in the past have disagreed just who the prophet Isaiah was referring to here, whether it was the nation of Israel as a whole or the coming Mashiach.  But that it definitely was not Yeshua. 

I point out to them that when this is read in Hebrew, it is written in third person singular, indicating most likely a single person rather than a group.  That it speaks about God’s ruach (spirit) being upon this person.  In the Tanach, this is always indicative of someone like a prophet, not the nation as a whole.  It says that this person will bring God’s mishpat (over-all system of justice) to the goyim (Gentiles).  It does not say, “to the goyim and Israel”! 

Then it goes on to say remarkably that this person will actually be given as a brit (covenant) to the am (people) and a light to the goyim.  A person given as a covenant?  This is the same word for covenant that refers to the original covenant God made with the nation of Israel.  But most striking to me is that last part about being a “light to the goyim”! 

I always tell them, “That’s why you don’t see that light.  You’re not part of the goyim.  If all of Israel saw that same light, this scripture would not be correct. 

And they have nothing to say to that.  

Who would have thought back over 2600 years ago, when the prophet Isaiah wrote this that the day would come when the dominant religion of the planet would recognize the person spoken about here as the “light of the world”?  Today there are around 2.5 billion Christians in the world, more than any other religion.  Did Yeshua (Jesus) fulfill this prophecy?

The other day, after attending one of the Torah Classes here at our location in Florida, I tried a little experiment.  In the same complex where we hold our classes is a video gambling hall that most of the Torah Class people never go to.  It was their 2^nd anniversary and to celebrate they were giving away free barbecue-chicken lunches.  I’ve never been one to turn down a free meal.  After all, Yeshua ate with publicans and sinners and said that they who are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.

So I went over to the den of iniquity and went inside.  It was dark and cool and only sparsely filled with people for a Sunday afternoon.  The stereo played a soft country ballad and I could smell the aroma of the freshly cooked chicken near the back.  So I walked between the brightly glowing video games to the table where the food was.  A friendly lady dished out a generous portion of chicken, beans and corn-on-the cob and invited me to go sit down at one of the video game consoles to eat.  So I did so.

I saw one section where an old woman was alone and playing one of the machines.  I sat down a few machines away from her and began to eat my meal.  As I ate, I glanced over at her.  If ever there was picture of loneliness and sadness this was it.  Her face was wrinkled, her hair disheveled, her clothes tattered.  She stared blankly at the flashing lights of the machine while her twisted fingers tapped feverously at the control button.  On a bright Sunday afternoon, when most people were at home with their families, there she was all alone, trying to strike it rich. 

After I was finished eating, I got up to leave.  As I passed by her I stopped.  She didn’t even notice, she was so absorbed in the machine.

“Do you ever make any money at this?” I asked.

She looked up at me.  “I hit one for five dollars not too long ago.” 

“Not bad,” I replied. 

She sat there still looking at me as if she welcomed the chance to speak to someone, so I continued.

“That sure was some good chicken,” I said.  And she agreed.

Then I said, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”  And she nodded me to do so.

“Who is the light of the world?” I asked. 

For a moment she just stared at me.  I could see her noticing that I was wearing a chain around my neck with the Star of David.  Then the expression on her face changed and a smile began to form as if struggling with long unused muscles.  She almost seemed to glow with contentment as if she had just hit a great jackpot.  She looked right into my eyes and said quietly, “Jesus.”

“I was hoping that you would say that,” I replied.  And I walked away.

                        The people who walked in darkness

                        have seen a great light:

                        they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,

                        upon them hath the light shined.

                                                                        Isaiah 9:2