One of the greatest of ironies is that the Messiah was written about in Jewish scripture but remains ignored by and large by many, including many Jews who know nothing of this prophecy. It is found in what is commonly called the Old Testament which is a compilation of books ranging from those written in the earliest history of mankind dealing with the creation, to prophets of Israel, to books written a few hundred years prior to the time of Christ.
(Isaiah chapter 53) "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? {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. {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. {4} Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. {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. {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. {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. {8} He was taken from prison 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. {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. {10} 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. {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. {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."
Commentary: Was not Jesus despised and rejected by the Jewish religious heirachy? Absolutely. It is said that the Jewish people did not hold Jesus in high esteem. Throughout the Old Testament, clearly God demands a blood sacrifice for sin. Here there is a sacrifice, a blood sacrifice spoken about, which is quite different. It is said that God "laid on him the iniquity of us all." Christ then, became the Lamb of God, the great sacrifice. As it says, he was "brought as a lamb to the slaughter." The Jewish scripture here likens this person to a sacrificial lamb. Moreover, this scripture says this person will be "cut off" from the land of the living. This Jewish scripture says this person was stricken "for the transgression of my people." And it even foretells of his grave being with the wicked and rich. Jesus' tomb was donated by a rich Jew. This Jewish scripture tells a bit more about this Messiah. it says he was not a violent man and there was no deceit in his mouth. And then it again declares that it was the Lord who "put him to grief" and made "his soul an offering for sin." How much clearer must the prophecy be? And yet they will not believe. Again the Jewish scripture speaks of the Messiah as a sin offering by saying that "he shall bear their iniquities." Can there be any doubt that the Jewish Scripture DEMANDS a Messiah and DEMANDS a Messiah who will bear the sins of the people? And can there be any doubt that this Messiah has in fact already come? His name was Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, Who bore the sins of all that we might be made perfect before God and that we might have the priestly rights now to appear in the holy of holies, before the very throne of God, unblemished, spotless. As it is written: "There is therefore now, now condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1-3) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. {2} For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. {3} For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:"