Staff member Ryan K. recently met with Mordi,* an Orthodox Jewish man who called the Isaiah53.com hotline. Mordi asked, “Let’s assume that Isaiah 53 does talk about the Messiah. If he died for our sins and we are already forgiven, then why do we have to believe in him if Isaiah 53 doesn’t say we have to?”
This was a new one for Ryan, and he had to think for a while because the question was so simple, but no one had ever asked it before. After further discussion, he realized that this was Mordi’s defense—if Isaiah 53 really did talk about the Messiah, then it just might be Jesus, which was a difficult thing for Mordi to resolve. After more discussion, Ryan posited, “Where in the Bible are we ever blessed by not having faith in God or in the one He sent? Abraham believed in God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. What happened when Israel didn’t accept the prophets? What happened when they gave sacrifices but with the wrong heart? They were not blessed. So if Isaiah 53 is about the Messiah, wouldn’t you want to believe in the one who was sent by God?” Mordi did not have an answer for that. Please pray that he will continue to seek the Lord! Ryan and Mordi are still in contact.