Rabbinic Writings:Pesikta Rabbati 37:1,
In the month of Nisan, in the year when the Messiah appears, the Patriarchs will ask him whether he is displeased with Israel because of the affliction he endured on their account. The Messiah will reply that all he did was for the sake of the Patriarchs and the children of Israel, that they might benefit from God’s abundant goodness. Then God will cloak the Messiah in something of the splendor of His own glory_
The Patriarchs will arise and say to the Messiah: Ephraim, our true Messiah, even though we are thy forebears, thou art greater than we because thou didst suffer for the iniquities of our children, and terrible ordeals befell thee, such ordeal as did not befall earlier generations or later ones; for the sake of Israel thou didst become a laughingstock and a derision among the nations of the earth; and didst sit in darkness, in thick darkness, and thine eyes saw no light, and thy skin cleaved to thy bones, and thy body was as dry as a piece of wood; and thine eyes grew dim from fasting, and thy strength was dried up like a potsherd-all these afflictions on account of the iniquities of our children(1), all these because of thy desire to have our children benefit by that goodness which the Holy One, blessed be He, will bestow in abundance upon Israel.
Yet it may be because of the anguish which thou didst greatly suffer on their account-for thine enemies put thee in prison-that thou art displeased with them!_the Holy One, blessed be He, will lift the Messiah up to the heaven of heavens, and will cloak him in something of the splendor of His own glory_
He will be told: Ephraim, our true Messiah, be thou judge of these and do with them what thy soul desires_he will be shut up in prison, a time when the nations of the world will gnash their teeth at him every day, wink their eyes at one another in derision of him, nod their heads at him in contempt, open wide their lips to guffaw, as is said All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head (Ps. 22:8);
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my throat; and thou layest me in the dust of death (Ps. 22:16). Moreover, they will roar over him like lions, as is said They open wide their mouth against me, as a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is become like wax; it is melted in mine inmost parts (Ps. 22:14-15).
Footnote: (1) “_when Israel’s sins exceeded all bounds, God first vented His wrath on the sticks and stones of the Temple (see Piska 2.6; Mteh 62:4 and 79:3; Tanhuma, Tazri’a, end of 9 [ed. Buber, 13]; Lam. Rabbah B 4:II, p. 148). It may be that after the Temple’s destruction the Messiah, by the same token, became a divine whipping boy upon whom God’s wrath was vented.”
Ephraim in this case refers to a name used for the Messiah son of Joseph.
Proof that Psalm 22 (and Isaiah 53) is generally applied to the Messiah.
Yalkut Shimoni 687,
Many dogs have encompassed me-this refers to Haman’s sons. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me-this refers to Ahasuerus and his crowd. ‘Kaari’ my hands and my feet-Rabbi Nehemiah says, ‘They pierced my hands and my feet in the presence of Ahasuerus.’
Talmud-Sukkah 52a,
What is the cause of the mourning [mentioned in the last cited verse]?(1)-R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One explained, The cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph,(2) and the other explained, The cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination. It is well according to him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they shall look upon me because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son;(3) but according to him who explains the cause to be the slaying of the Evil Inclination, is this [it may be objected] an occasion for mourning? Is it not rather an occasion for rejoicing?”
Footnotes: (1) Zech. XII, 12
(2) The precursor of the Messiah ben David, the herald of the true Messianic age (3) Zech. XII, 10
Midrash on Psalm 22,
For dogs have compassed me (Psalm 22:17) – that is, Haman’s sons have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me (ibid.)-that is, Haman’s hosts have enclosed me. My hands and my feet they made repulsive (1) (Psalm 22:17). According to R. Judah, Esther said: ‘Though Haman’s sons practiced sorcery on me so that in the sight of Ahaseurus my hands and feet were repulsive, yet a miracle was wrought for me, and my hands and my feet were made to shine like sapphires.’
But R. Nehemiah said: The verse is to be read At my hands and my feet he was favored with blessing (2), and conveys much the same meaning as with the verse ‘The Lord hath blessed thee at my foot‘ (Gen 30:30). Thus Esther meant: Because of the work of my hands, blessing came to Ahaseurus.1
Footnotes: (1) The word ka’ari, rendered in JV ‘like a lion,’ and in AV ‘They pierced,’ is taken by R. Judah to be derived from k’ar, ‘ugly, repulsive.’
(2) Apparently, R. Nehemiah takes ka’ari as related to the Greek chara, ‘favor,’ or ‘blessing.’
Edward M. Cook, The Psalms Targum: An English Translation Psalm 22:17,
Because the wicked have surrounded me, who are like many dogs; a gathering of evildoers has hemmed me in, biting my hands and feet like a lion.
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