Like Joseph, Messiah Would Suffer
While Joseph suffered spiritually, Rabbis point to the prophets who write
about the physical death of God’s suffering servant. A rare few refer to
the
Prophet Isaiah:
“Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried; Whereas we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 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.”
(Isaiah 53:4–5, JPS)
However, when talking about the suffering servant, most Rabbis refer to the
Prophet Zechariah. He writes that in the last days, after God wages war against the nations who come against Jerusalem: the people of Israel will mourn for one they have pierced:
“They will look on me, because they have pierced him, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
(Zechariah 12:10)
There is much discussion about who this pierced one is and who the people
of Israel are mourning for.
As we look at Rabbinic writings, we are told that he is Messiah ben Joseph,
who dies in the battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38–39; Talmud
(Sukkah 52a).
Though he is killed, it is not the end of this Messiah. He will be resurrected!