The Prophecy: The Messiah will be rejected by the leaders of Israel

The Prophecy: The Messiah will be rejected by the leaders of Israel 

“He was despised,
and rejected by men;
a man of suffering,
and acquainted with disease.
He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we did not respect him.” Isaiah 53:3 

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing.
It is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:22-23 

These prophecies describe the rejection of the Messiah. A number of rabbinic commentaries recognize the messianic significance of these prophecies and interpret them to mean that the Messiah will indeed be rejected. 

Midrash Tanhuma interprets Isaiah 53:3 as a prophecy speaking of the sufferings of the Messiah: “The man spoken of here is none other than the Messiah Son of David, as it is written, ‘A man of suffering, and acquainted with disease.'” 

Rashi explains Psalm 118:22 in conjunction with his interpretation of Micah 5:2 and writes: “This is the Messiah, Son of David, and so Scripture says, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.'”

The Fulfillment of the Prophecy: Jesus was rejected by the leaders of Israel 

“Jesus took the twelve aside, and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man [the Messiah] will be completed. For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spat on. They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.'” Luke 18:31-33