Uso do Novo Testamento do Livro Isaías

O Livro de Isaías é citado ou aludido cerca de 419 vezes no Novo Testamento, que é mais do
que qualquer outro livro (os salmos é o mais próximo, cerca de 414 vezes). Parece que a
maioria dos autores do Novo Testamento, quer usem a tradução da Septuaginta de Isaías, de
alguma forma ou uma ligeira modificação do mesmo. Dois autores do Novo Testamento que se
destacam, quer em não usar a tradução da Septuaginta, ou modificá-la significativamente
são Mateus (1:23, 8:17, 11:5, 12:18-21, 15:8-9; 24:29) e João (1:23, 6:45, 12:40). A passagem
do livro de Isaías, que é citada na maioria das vezes no Novo Testamento, na íntegra, ou em
parte, é Isaías 6:9-10 (Mt 13:14-15, Marcos 4:12 e Lucas 8:10, João 12 : 40, Atos 28:26; 27).
Refere-se ao coração duro do povo de Israel, que aparentemente pouco mudou nos setecentos
anos, até a época de Jesus, que foi capaz de citar essa passagem de Isaías com igual relevância.
As passagens mais próximas são citadas de Isaías 40:3 (Mt 3:3; Marcos 1:3, João 1:23) e 56:7
(Mt 21:13, Marcos 11:17, Lucas 19:46). O primeiro é utilizado pelos escritores do Evangelho
para se referir a João Batista, que precedeu Jesus e preparou o caminho para Ele. No Antigo
Testamento, este versículo especificamente anuncia a libertação de Deus para os exilados da
Babilônia, mas era facilmente aplicado à libertação espiritual de que Jesus veio cumprir. Isaías
56:7 prevê um momento em que pessoas de todas as nações viriam em adoração ao único Deus
verdadeiro, e a sua adoração seria aceitável para Javé. Os autores do Novo Testamento
anunciaram que a salvação está aberta a todos, independentemente da sua nacionalidade ou
formação, que é uma realização decisiva dessa promessa. Em geral, estes três exemplos (6:9-
10; 40:3; 56:7) indicam as várias maneiras em que os escritores do Novo Testamento
empregam uma passagem do Antigo Testamento: (1) fala de uma situação que se manteve
inalterado ao longo da história e é assim ainda aplicável à audiência do Novo Testamento (6:9-
10); (2) que fala de circunstâncias muito diferentes, mas que o escritor do Novo Testamento vê
ligações entre as duas ocasiões e reaplica a passagem do Antigo Testamento aos presentes
(40:3) ; (3) não é cumprida no contexto histórico do autor, mas espera-se um cumprimento
futuro (56:7).

Paul D. Wegner
Bibliografia.
R. E. Clements, Int36 (1982): 117-29; idem, Isaías1-39; idem, JSOT 31 (1985): 95-113; W. J.
Dumbrell, Tyn Bul36 (1985): 111-28; W. S. LaSor, et al., Old Testament Survey: The Message,
Form, and Background of the Old Testament; J. N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaías Chapters 1-39; J. J.
M. Roberts, Int 36 (1982): 130-43; N. Whybray, Isaías 40-66; H. Wildberger, Isaías 1-12; J. T.
Willis, Isaías.
_____________
Nota:
Essa matéria é parte integrante do artigo principal Teologia do Livro de Isaías. Acesse o link e
acompanhe o estudo desde seu início. N do T

Fonte: Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Editado por Walter A. Elwell.

https://bibliotecabiblica.blogspot.com/2009/12/uso-novo-testamento-livro-isaias.html
Isaías no Novo Testamento
Isaías 1.9 (Romanos 9.29)
Isaías 6.1-3 (João 12.41)
Isaías 6.9,10 (Mateus 13.14; Marcos 4.12; Lucas 8.10; João 12.39; Atos 28.25)
Isaías 7.14 (Mateus 1.23)
Isaías 8.12 (1Pedro 3.14)
Isaías 8.14 (1Pedro 2.8; Romanos 9.33)
Isaías 8.17-18  Hebreus 2.13)
Isaías 9.1,2 (Mateus 4.15)
Isaías 9.6 (Mateus 1.23)
Isaías 10.22-23  (Romanos 9.27-28)
Isaías 11.4 (2Tessalonicenses 2.18)
Isaías 11.5 (Efésios 6.14)
Isaías 11.10 (Romanos 15.12)
Isaías 21.9 (Apocalipse 14.8; 18.2)
Isaías 22.13 (1Coríntios 15.32)
Isaías 22.22 (Apocalipse 3.7)
Isaías 25.8 (1Coríntios 15.54; Apocalipse 7.17)
Isaías 27.9 (Romanos 11.26)
Isaías 28.11-12 (1Coríntios 14.21)
Isaías 28.16 (1Pedro 2.6; Romanos 9.33)
Isaías 28.16 (Romanos 9.33; 10.11)
Isaías 29.10  Romanos 11.8)
Isaías 29.13 (Mateus 15.7; Marcos 7.6)
Isaías 29.14 (1Coríntios 1.19)
Isaías 29.16 (Romanos 9.19-21)
Isaías 34.4, 10 (Apocalipse 6.13, 14)
Isaías 35.3 (Hebreus 12.12)
Isaías 40.3 (Mateus 3.3; Marcos 1.2; Lucas 3.4; João 1.23)
Isaías 40.6-8 (1Pedro 1.24-25; Tiago 1.10,11)
Isaías 40.13 (Romanos 11.34; 1 Coríntios 2.16)
Isaías 41.4 (Apocalipse 1.8, 11, 17; 21.6; 22.13)
Isaías 42.1-4 (Mateus 12.17-21)
Isaías 42.4 (Romanos 15.12)
Isaías 42.6 (Lucas 2.32)
Isaías 43.18,19 (2 Corinthians5.17)
Isaías 45.9 (Romanos 9.20)
Isaías 45.23 (Romanos 14.11; Filipenses 2.10,11)
Isaías 49.6 (Lucas 2.32, Atos 13.47)
Isaías 49.8 (2Coríntios 6.2)
Isaías 49.10 (Apocalipse 7.16)
Isaías 52.5 (Romanos 2.24)
Isaías 52.7 (Romanos 10.15)
Isaías 52.11 (2Coríntios 6.17)
Isaías 52.15 (Romanos 15.21)
Isaías 53.1 (João 12.38; Romanos 10.16)
Isaías 53.4 (Mateus 8.17)
Isaías 53.5 (1Pedro 2.24)
Isaías 53.7-8  (Atos 8.32,33)
Isaías 53.9  (1Pedro 2.22)
Isaías 53.12 (Marcos 15.28; Lucas 22.37)
Isaías 54.1 (Gálatas4 .27)
Isaías 54.13 (João 6.45)
Isaías 55.3 (Atos 13.34)
Isaías 55.10 (2Coríntios 9.10)
Isaías 56.7 (Mateus 21.13; Marcos 11.17; Lucas 19.46)
Isaías 57.19 (Efésios 2.17; Romanos 3.15)
Isaías 59.7-8 (Romanos 3.15-17; Efésios 6.14-17)
Isaías 59.17 (Efésios 6.14-17; 1 Tessalonicenses 5.3)
Isaías 59.20-21 (Romanos 11.26,27)
Isaías 60.3,10,11 (Apocalipse 21.24-26)
Isaías 61.1 (Lucas 4.17)
Isiah 63.2,3 (Apocalipse 19.13-15)
Isaías 64.4 (1Coríntios 2.9)
Isaías 65.1 (Romanos 10.20)
Isaías 65.2 (Romanos 10.21)
Isaías 65.17 (2Pedro 3.13; Apocalipse 21.1)
Isaías 66.1-2 (Mateus 5.34,35; Atos 7.48-50)
Isaías 66.24 (Marcos 9.44, 48)

T H E N E W T E S TA M E N T U S E O F I S A I A H
TIAGO FLAMMING  |  SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY VOL. 11 - FALL 1968
Isaiah might be called the prophet for the New Testament. Isaiah is quoted more than twice as
much as any other major prophet and more than all of the minor prophets combined. Because
of the abundant use that New Testament writers make of Isaiah, some have sought to attribute
to Isaiah the structure and development of New Testament thought and doctrine. This is saying
too much, as we shall see, for the determining factor is always the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. None the less, Isaiah served as a major source book for first century Christians,
particularly in the latter part of the first century.
 

Isaiah and the Earliest Sermons

The earliest glimpse available to the thought and practice of the first century church is to be
found in its preaching (kerygma). Of special interest are the sermons found in Atos 1-10.
Whether or not these sermons should be used as material for rebuilding the kerygma of the
early church, has been questioned by some. Dibelius, for example, sees them as compositions
pieced together by the author of Atos and scarcely deserving a first rate historical designation.
[1]
 Bultmann is also skeptical of using the sermons as material for rebuilding the kerygma of the
early church. Certain others feel that Lucas assumed the stance of an ancient historian (e.g.,
Thucydides), to tell part of his narrative by means of speeches put into the mouths of the chief
actors.[2] However, Aramaic scholars have contended for a long time that these early Atos
passages are a translation of an earlier Aramaic document.

Dodd,[3] Richardson,[4] F. F. Bruce,[5] F. C. Grant,[6] and Eduard Schweitzer[7] consider that this

point has been proven. F. F. Bruce suggests that Lucas may have picked up these sources
(whether oral or written) during his journey to Jerusalem with Paul in A.D. 57 (Atos 21:15).
[8]
 Richardson adds to the intrigue by surmising that some of these sermons could be from early
sermon notes from the first Christian preachers.[9] Certainly Lucas never heard Pedro on the day
of Pentecost, nor when he addressed the Jewish ruler, nor Cornelius, nor was he present when
Stephen defended himself before the Sanhedrin, nor when Paul preached at Athens (cf. I Thess.
3:1). It would seem that the abundant evidence is that Lucas did obtain condensed sermon
notes from an Aramaic source and translated these as literally as possible into the Geek. The
Greek translation of these passages is quite rough and uncharacteristic of the Lukan style.

The foregoing discussion is important for two reasons. The first is that these early sermons,
unlike most of the rest of the New Testament, do not use Isaiah to any appreciable degree for
either textual or footnote purposes. The only certain reference to any passage from Isaiah in
Pedro’s five sermons is the reference to Jesus as the “servant of God” (Pais, Atos 3:13, 4.27; Isa.
41:8, 52: 13). Another possible reference is in Atos 2:39 referring to the promise to Israel (Isa.
57:19). The scarcity of Isaiah usage is not what we would expect nor is it comparable with the
use of Isaiah in most of the rest of the New Testament. In Stephen’s apology in Atos 7, only one
use of Isaiah is made. It does not refer to Christ but to Isaiah’s doctrine of the transcendence of
God (cf. Atos 7:49, 50; Isa. 66: 1, 2).

Even a cursory analysis of these sermons will reveal that their content is made up of the recent
happenings centering in and around Jesus Christ. The climactic event in each of these sermons
is the resurrection. There had not been at this point any effort to relate the death of Christ to
any Old Testament passage, not even Isaiah 53. In these sermons, the resurrection is the
foundation for the great “good news” of the gospel. Such an investigation as we have here
undertaken, would concur with the conclusion of C.F.D. Moule.

When it is claimed that whole sections . . . were spun out of Old Testament material, this is far
out-running the evidence. In the main, the evidence points to the Gospel events as the
controlling and decisive factor to which the Old Testament material is almost always
subordinate.[10] What this seems to indicate is that the earliest preachers of the New Testament
era did not pick a text from the Old Testament and interpret this in the light of the Christ event.
The closest thing to this is Stephen’s sermon in Atos 7. The ignition of the evangelistic message
of these preachers was not caught by correlative glimpses of Old Testament insight. They were
instead alive with what they had seen, heard, and felt of the Lord Christ. Some have felt that I
João is indeed a reworked first century sermon.[11] This has much to commend it. If indeed it is,
its introduction is a germane footnote to this discussion.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life
was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which
was with the Father and was made manifest to us.[12]

A second matter is worth mentioning. Lucas, as we shall see later, is very fond of Isaiah,
particularly his passages on what we might call social concern or mission action. In Lucas Atos
there are over thirty solid references to Isaiah. The only other content section in Lucas’s
writings which use few references to Isaiah, is the great central section of Lucas (Lucas 13-
18:14). What this may indicate is that in both the Atos sermons and in the great central section
in Lucas, the Physician was following his sources with little editorial handling. For both the
central section of Lucas, which includes those parables and teachings of Jesus unique in Lucas’s
gospel, and in the Atos sermons, occasion would present itself for Lucas to footnote with Isaiah
as did Mateus in his gospel (i.e., Matt. 4:12-16; Isa. 9:1, 2). If this reasoning is correct, further
evidence is given to the authenticity of the brief but early sermons that Lucas lists in Atos.
 

Isaiah During the Controversial Period

The exciting preaching of the apostles plus the early success which it enjoyed brought certain
and early controversy. It is out of this controversy noted in Atos 15 for example, that extensive
use of Old Testament passages began. We may assume that such debates were widespread and
occurred much earlier than the Atos conference. Indeed, any place one picks to enter the
missionary journeys of Paul, he is thrust into the melieu of controversy and debate with the
Jews. Controversy about the Sabbath law, about diet, about circumcision, about leprosy laws,
about the person and work of the Messiah, would have come early in the history of the first
century church. In the midst of this pressure from the outside, the early church found itself
doing two things. First, it quite naturally began to recall and recite traditions it had heard from
the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ teaching on these matters. Christians, living in Jewish ghettos with
non-Christian Jews, would need these teachings of Jesus to defend themselves. Second, the
Christians began to draw upon the Old Testament to substantiate their position. Thus it is not
difficult to see how the New Testament came to be hammered out in the midst of controversy,
and in the midst of such controversy, drew from respected and revered Old Testament
passages. For example, when Lucas did the research for his gospel (Lucas 1:1-4), he already had
behind him a considerable amount of Christian teaching and writing (trAtos?) plus Old
Testament footnoting, from which he could draw to write his gospel.
It is at this controversial state of New Testament development that the use of the Old
Testament, and particularly Isaiah, began to lend its weight. An example of this can be found in
the matter concerning the Jewish problem, i.e. their rejection of the gospel, and the questions
surrounding their subsequent salvation. In one way or another, almost every writer in the New
Testament dealt with this problem. Paul’s treatment of the issue may illustrate how Isaiah was
used to undergird the argument. Paul began by pointing out that rejection had been part of the
pattern of the Jews from the beginning. He quoted a much used passage from Isaiah for
support (cf. Matt. 13:14- 15; Mk. 4:12; Lucas 8:10; Atos 28:26).

Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this
people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. [13]

Why have the Jews rejected? Paul’s answer was because they did not pursue a relationship to
God based upon faith, but rather were content with one based upon works (Rom. 9:32). For this
reason they have stumbled over the stumbling stone of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested
stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: He who believes will not be in haste.
And he will become a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses
of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.[14]

But why should God in his great wisdom have included the Gentiles in his mercy? Paul found his
answer in Isaiah 65:1 (Rom. 10:20).

“Here am I, here am I, to a nation that did not call on my name.”

Besides, will a man get into the position of questioning the creator?

You tum things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made
should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?[15]

Is there then no hope at all for God’s own people, Israel? Indeed there is. At this point Paul
drew upon the prophetic doctrine of the remnant.

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand
of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; for the Lord will execute his sentence upon the
earth with vigor and dispatch.” And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us
children, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah.” [16]
Lest the Gentiles in the church at Rome begin to be wise in their own conceit Paul turned to
remove any basis for gentile supremacy. All Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26), and he found the
basis for this promise in Isaiah (Isa. 59:20, 21; Isa: 27:9). In fact, their present disobedience is to
be used by God until “the full number of the Gentiles come in” (Rom. 11:25). By this time, Paul
must have realized that his readers would be in some very deep water (and all subsequent
readers!), and so he tied it all together in the mysterious workings of the mind of God.

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has instructed him? Whom did he
consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice, and taught him
knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?[17]

Not all of the Isaiah passages in these three chapters have been noted. But enough have been
pointed out to establish the great use that the early Christians made of Isaiah in the midst of
Jewish controversy. And since Isaiah is such a many faceted book, and because of its prestige in
the eyes of the Jewish people, it was used for varied arguments and debates. Paul seems to
have used Isaiah somewhat more than others.

Hebreus, for example, stands as an example of an entire book devoted to the Jewish problem.
While the writer of Hebreus drew heavily from the Old Testament, there are only three certain
references to Isaiah, and none of them from later Isaiah.[18] Nevertheless, we may conclude with
certainty that the early Christians found frequent use of Isaiah in their controversial and
apologetic endeavors.[19]
 

Isaiah in the Gospels

Investigation into the Evangelists’ use of Isaiah is of great interest not only because of the over
one hundred times the prophet’s themes are quoted or reflected (the exact number depending
upon one’s judgment of Isaiah as being the only source), but also because of the variety of ways
in which the prophet is used.

A. In the Teachings of Jesus

Jesus’ familiarity with and use of Isaiah is reflected both in the number of times he used the
prophet in his teachings, and in the sources which reflect these uses. Although source
scholarship does not enjoy the popularity it once enjoyed, sources were used by the writers as
indicated by Lucas in his introduction (Lucas 1:1-4). A general knowledge of these sources is
helpful to our purpose inasmuch as it shows the consistency with which Isaiah permeates Jesus’
teachings.

Jesus depends upon Isaiah as revealed by Mateus and Lucas in the so-called Q source. This
material, which Mateus and Lucas had in common but which is not found in Marcos, is early, its
latest possible date around A.D. 60.[20]

Three instances may be found which reflect the direct influence of Isaiah upon Jesus’ teachings
in this early source.

Q                        Isaiah                  Incident

Matt. 5:4           51:2, 3              The Great Sermon
Lucas 6:21
Lucas 10:21         29:14                “I thank thee father…”
Matt. 11:25-7     19:12                A prayer of praise after the successful mission effort of the
disciples into the towns of Galilee.
Matt. 11:21-3     14:13-15            Woes on the cities for their unbelief
Lucas 10:13-15    23:1-8
Turning to another source, what influence does Isaiah seem to reflect in those passages unique
to Mateus?[21] The influence seems less direct but nonetheless important. The positions Jesus
took were certainly expressed centuries earlier by the prophet.
Mateus            Isaiah                Incident
6:6                     26:20                Sermon on the Mount
Teaching on Prayer
6:16                   58:5                   Sermon on the Mount
Teaching on Fasting
5:34                   66:1                   Sermon on the Mount
Teaching on Oaths
25:35, 36           58:7                  Parable of Sheep and Goats

Mateus used Isaiah more extensively in an explicit way than any of the other Evangelists. The
above instances are only from the material peculiar to his Gospel.

Of the sources used by Mateus and Lucas, Marcos is the most certain because we have it in
hand. What influence from Isaiah can be seen here used in the teachings of Jesus? Four
instances may serve as examples, three of which are used by both Mateus and Lucas in their
Gospels, and one only by Mateus.

Marcos                                Isaiah                Incident

Marcos 12:1-12                  5:1, 2                Parable of the Unfaithful Husbandmen in the Vineyard
(Matt. 21:33-46)
(Lucas 20:9-19)
 
Marcos 4:12                       6:9, 10             On the purpose of parables and hardness of heart
(Matt. 13:13)
(Lucas 8:10)
 
Marcos 7:6, 7                     29:13               On hardness of heart
(Matt. 15:8, 9)
 
Marcos 8:31                       53                     Jesus foretells his death
(Matt. 16:21)
(Lucas 9:22)

Of the more identifiable sources used by the Evangelists, only Lucas’s unique material remains.
[22]
 This is the only source which bears no reflection of Isaiah. Such a fact is surprising, since
Lucas is most fond of Isaiah. However, his fondness is more thematic than supportive, or to put
it another way, he does not often use Isaiah as a proof-text as does Mateus. Perhaps the
absence of Isaiah’s reflection may be explained by the largely parabolic nature of the material
(cf. Lucas 13:1-18:14). Whatever the reason, it has its benefit. No one can claim that Jesus’
teachings are simply Isaiah reworked, for some of Christ’s greatest teachings are in this section.
The reason for breaking apart the Isaiah influence upon Jesus’ teachings into the sources is to
better understand the process whereby Isaiah became the most quoted prophet in the New
Testament, and to suggest the importance Isaiah had for Jesus himself. Canon Crum is quoted
by Vincent Taylor as suggesting such importance.

If two independent and authentic accounts have come to us from the first generation of
Christianity, we are like men who can focus what they see with both their eyes. We see what
we see from two slightly different angles. The story stands out in new perspective.[23]
What we see, then, is that Jesus was comfortable with and found support in Isaiah. Is it any
wonder then that His church should follow His example?

B. In the Work of the Evangelists

All four gospels use Isaiah, Mateus the most explicitly, and João the most implicitly. As one
might expect, the longest Gospel, Mateus, contains the most Isaiah material, and the shortest
Gospel, Marcos, the least. But the story does not stop with the enumeration of their usage.
Mateus and Marcos use Isaiah in a supportive way, that is to support the life, teachings, and
work of Christ by prophetic referent. João and Lucas, on the other hand, use Isaiah as a
theological base, Lucas to show the work of Christ, and João to show the person of Christ.

The most obvious use of Isaiah is made by Mateus. It is interesting to note that Goodspeed
begins his little book on Mateus with a section entitled, “Isaiah in Mateus.”[24] Mateus’s purpose
was to show how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus exactly fulfilled the prophetic
utterances of the Old Testament.

Mateus did not work Isaiah into the narrative so that it read smoothly with comfortable style,
as Lucas occasionally did (i.e. Lucas 4: 16-19). Instead he introduced most of his correlations
with statements like, “as it is written in the prophet Isaiah.” The first Evangelist used all of the
Isaiah passages from Marcos excepting those which were spoken by unbelievers (cf. Marcos
2:7; 12:32). The difference between Marcos and Mateus may thus be seen. Marcos used Isaiah
because Jesus used Isaiah. But Mateus does not stop with the teachings. From his own study he
footnotes the life of Christ using Isaiah at every opportunity. (An exception to this is in Isaiah 53
which is a special case as we shall see later.) Below are those obvious instances mentioned
above, and not quoted previously.
Mateus 1:23
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”
Isaiah 7:14
Mateus 3:3
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness . . .” Isaiah 40:3
Mateus 4:15, 16
“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light . . .” Isaiah 9:1f
Mateus 8:17
“He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Isaiah 53:4
Mateus 11:5
“The blind receive their sight and the lame walk.” Isaiah 35:5, 6
Mateus 11:23
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen . . .” Isaiah 42:1-4
Mateus 21:5
“. . . Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on an ass . . .” Isaiah 62:11
Mateus 21:13
“My house shall be called a house of prayer.” Isaiah 56:7
Mateus 24:7, 29, 31
“For nation will rise against nation . . . the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken . . . and
he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call . . . Isaiah 13: 10, 19:2, 27:13, 34:4.

Lest Mateus be accused of “proof texting” in its derogatory sense, let the reader attempt an
experiment. With only a general knowledge of the life of Christ, he can outline the life of the
Saviour using only these prophecies from Isaiah. They are truthfully chosen, beautifully placed,
and historically meaningful. There is, however, one gap. Mateus made no attempt to footnote
the passion directly from Isaiah. Of course, one may say he had Isaiah in mind as he wrote his
moving account of the trials and death. But one can as easily say, he described the events and
they coincide with Isaiah 53. With his desire to correlate the life and death of Christ, why did he
stop at the beginning of the passion narrative? In short, why did he not use Isaiah 53 to its
fullest advantage? Something must have happened which made the early Christians hesitant to
use this chapter.[25]

Lucas has been called the “gospel for the underdog.”[26] He seems to have more interest in the
poor, the distressed, the outcasts, the women, than the other gospels. In his great emphasis
upon Christ as the universal Saviour, he seemed to sense that unless Christ is Saviour to all, he
cannot be Saviour to any. In many ways, Lucas was a modern. His sensitivities are shared the
world over today. Somewhere in his background he discovered Isaiah, perhaps from Paul. From
this prophet he drew the ingredients with which to explain the life and work of Christ. The
Nazareth frontpiece is the foundation as Jesus began his ministry.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

Because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives
And recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord.
(Lucas 4:18, 19)

This passage from Isaiah 61:1-6 identifies Jesus with the great human concerns of Isaiah’s
prophecy. From this point on Jesus’ whole life will footnote this proclamation. João the Baptist
is told when he doubts: “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, etc.” (Lucas 7:22-Isa. 35:5,
6). Lucas’s beatitudes are less “spiritual” and more “earthly”:

Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.

Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
(Lucas 6:20, 1 – Isa. 49:13).

As long as Jesus spoke but did not act, “all spoke well of him” (Lucas 4:22). But he did what he
said he would do. He set the captives free (Lucas 13:12-Isa. 61:1). He released those who were
in bondage (Lucas 8:35; 13:16). He threatened those who were rich (Lucas 18:22-Isa. 58:7), and
exalted those of low estate (Lucas 21:3-Isa. 58:10). From the beginning it was so. Gabriel could
proclaim the fulfillment of Early Isaiah’s prophecy (Lucas 1:32, 33-Isa. 9:1f). But Mary in her
matchless hymn of praise senses the weight of the matter from Later Isaiah:

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich he has sent empty away. (Lucas 1:53-Isa. 40:11)

But Simeon, the devout layman, was given the greatest insight. A two-edged sword of healing
and judgment was about to enter the battles of the world, and after its crash, the recoiled
world would never be quite the same. To Mary he said:

Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel . . .

And a sword will pierce through your own soul also…(Lucas 2:34, 5-Isa. 8:14, 42:6).
So it was that Isaiah’s transcendent God and suffering servant entered the world in the lowliest
of forms and became for Lucas, the universal Saviour, in deed and in word.[27]

If Lucas spoke of what Christ did, João dealt with what he was, for really the two can never be
separated. But one well from which João drew was the same as Lucas’s, for Isaiah’s depth left
plenty for both. Primary is that exalted divine predicate, “I am.” The same vision given Moses
on the mount (Ex. 4:14), and later received by Later Isaiah in captivity (Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 47:8,
10), is seen by João to tabernacle in Jesus Christ.[28]

I am the light of the world.

(João 8:12-Isa. 49:6, 9:2, 60: 1-3)
I am the water of life.
(João 4:13, 14; 7:37, 8-Isa. 44:3; 55:1, 58:11)
I am the good shepherd.
(João 10:11-Isa. 40:11)
I am the way.
(João 14:6-Isa. 30:21, 40:3)
I am the vine.
(João 15:1ff-Isa. 5:1-7)

Of course, João, unlike Mateus is not a footnote writer. Perhaps the above correlation is
coincidence. Perhaps, but not likely. For when João dealt with the Jewish problem he did not
hesitate to quote and name the prophet, none other than Isaiah (João 12:38-41). More
probably, Isaiah is there, even Isaiah 53. For in João’s Gospel the Word Incarnate is introduced
by the Baptist not in fire and judgment (cf. Matt. 3:1- 12; Marcos 1:1-8; Lucas 3:1-20), but as the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (João 1:29-Isa. 53:6, 7) Behind João’s Gospel,
not placarded yet not altogether hidden, is Isaiah.

Isaiah and Our Eternal Hope

Over 100 times Isaiah shines through the judgment and healing of Apocalipse (again depending
upon one’s judgment of source), or roughly the number of times observable in all four of the
gospels. As in João’s Gospel the dependence upon the great prophet is not footnoted. Still, who
can miss it? Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple is João’s vision on Patmos (cf. Isa. 6:1ff-Rev. 4:2-
10; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 15; 19:4; 21:5). God is the beginning and the ending, Alpha and
Omega (cf. Isa. 44:6; 48:12-Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 21:6; and 22:13). In the midst of his judgment who
can stand unaffected (Isa. 8:22- Rev. 16:10; Isa. 34:4-Rev. 6:13, 14)? The taunt songs of
judgment from Isaiah 23-4 are reflected in Apocalipse 18. No cheap religion can stand up
against the wrath of the Lamb (Isa. 53:7-Rev. 6:16).

But the Lamb is more than wrath; he is also shepherd: (Isa. 40:11-Rev. 7:17); he is as a
bridegroom coming for his bride (Isa. 61:10-Rev. 19:8; 21:2; 22:17). The Lamb cares.

They shall hunger no more, neither

thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor
any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the
throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs
of living water;
and God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes. (Rev. 7:16, 17)
The Lamb was not forgotten to be a shepherd to his people, nor a bridegroom to his bride.
“Behold, I am coming soon” (Rev. 22:12-Isa. 40:10).

For as the new heavens and the new

earth
which I will make
shall remain before me, says the
Lord;
so shall your descendants and
your name remain . . . all flesh shall
Come to worship before me, says the Lord.
(Isa. 66:22-Rev. 21:1)

Concluding Statement

Isaiah, prophet for the New Testament, buttressed the faith of Christians from the earliest
tribulations and controversies. They treated the book as a whole, using those portions suitable
to their needs, but they (as do we?) used Isaiah 40-66 almost twice as much as the earlier
section.[29] The many rays in Isaiah’s spectrum, ranging from Marcos’s quotations to the
Revelator’s hope, brought light to their faith as it does to us today.

References[−]
↑1 Martin Dibelius, “Die Bekehrung des Corneliw;,” Aufsatze zur Apostel
geschichte ( Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1951), p. 96.

↑2 F. J. Foakes-Jackson, The Atos of the Apostles (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1931),

p. xvi. See also H. J. Cadbury, The Making of Lucas-Atos (London: S.P.C.K., 1958), p. 61.

↑3 C. H. Dodd, The Apostolic Preaching and Its Developments (New York: Harper &

Brothers, 1936), p. 20.

↑4 Alan Richardson, An Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament (London: SCM

Press, Ltd., 1958), p. 25.

↑5 F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of Atos (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans

Publishing Company, 1956), p. 28.

↑6 F. C. Grant, The Growth of the New Testament (New York: Abingdon Press, 1933), p.

175.

↑7 Eduard   Schweitzer, Lordship and Discipleship (London: SCM Press, Ltd., 1960), p. 32.

↑8 Bruce, p. 28.

↑9 Alan Richardson, Gospels in the Making (London: Student Movement Press, 1938), p.

55.

↑10 C. F. D. Moule, The Birth of the New Testament (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), p. 84.
↑11 C. H. Dodd, The Johannine Epistles, Moffatt New Testament Commentary (London:
Hodder and Stoughton, 1946), pp. xxi-ii.

↑12 1 João 1:1-2.

↑13 Isa. 29:10; 6:9, 10; Rom. 11:8.

↑14 Isa. 28:16; 8:14; Rom. 9:33.

↑15 Isa. 29:16; Rom. 9:19-21.

↑16 Rom. 9:27-29; Isa. 10:22, 23:1-9.

↑17 Isa. 40:13, 14; Rom. 11:33-36.

↑18 Heb. 2:13-Isa. 8:17; Heb. 12:12-Isa. 35:3; Heb. 10:37-Isa. 26:20 LXX.

↑19 Note that João’s editorial concerning the Jewish rejection is footnoted exclusively
from Isaiah, cf. João 12:38-41. However, João’s explicit use of Old Testament scriptures
is more limited than the other three Gospels.

↑20 Vincent Taylor, The Gospels (London: Epworth Press, 1956), p. 23. Readers wishing to

review these matters will find this book helpful.

↑21 B. H. Streeter designated this source M in The Four Gospels (London: Macmillan and
Co., Ltd., 1930). Goodspeed explained this unique Matthean material with the
suggestion that the Apostle took notes in a kind of tax collectors shorthand. Edgar J.
Goodspeed, Mateus, Apostle and Evangelist (Philadelphia: The João C. Winston
Company, 1959.) Others prefer to see this as reflecting simply a unique strand of oral
tradition. Such matters are not germane here except to note the existence of Isaiah’s
influence upon this source, oral or written.

↑22 Streeter and others have called this “L,” indentifying it thus as a written source. A
more probable answer seems to be that Lucas gathered these materials together
when he was in the Palestinian area while Paul was in prison in Caesarea, cf, Atos 24-
27:2: “we put out to sea.” At any rate these materials are unique to Lucas’s gospel and
from the lips of Christ.

↑23 Taylor, p. 34.

↑24 Goodspeed, p. viii.

↑25 When one examines the almost literal manner in which the death of Christ fulfilled
Isaiah 53:7 (cf. Matt. 26:63; 27:14; Mk. 14:60-1; 15:4, 5), one would expect that Isaiah
53 would become a major apologetic text, Paul does not ignore the chapter, for
instance in Romanos 4:25 and 10:16, but one might have expected more in the light of
 Paul’s doctrine of justification. Investigation does not bring such conclusions. In
Marcos 10:45 Jesus speaks of his life being “a ransom for many.” But he does not use
Isaiah 53 to thus interpret for his disciples his intended meaning. In fact, the only
definite quotation on Jesus’ lips from Isaiah 53 is the allusion, peculiar to Lucas, to his
“being reckoned among the lawless” (Lucas 22:37). Mateus uses; 53:4 to point out
Christ’s healing ministry as fulfilled by prophecy (8:17, quoted above). But this quote
is early in his Gospel and early in the life of Christ, and does not allude to his death.
João the Baptist uses Isaiah to introduce the mission of Jesus, but he does not use
Isaiah 53 to do so (see Isa. 40:3 above). And as we have seen, Mateus manages to
footnote with Isaiah almost every stage of the Messiah’s life, but omits the most
obvious correlation.

Something must have happened which made the early Christians hesitant to use this
strategic chapter. Moule suggests that Isaiah 53 had been “spoilt or blunted as an
argument directed to the Jews, by some circumstance no longer clearly discernible to
us” (p. 82). Perhaps Isaiah 53 fit too- nicely. Or maybe, in their wisdom, the early
Christians only anticipated that someone with more imagination than knowledge
might dream up The Passover Plot. Significantly, Mateus can correlate the life of
Christ with Isaiah and do it without the most ready source.

↑26 William Barclay, The Gospel of Lucas, p. xvii.

↑27 Stanley Glen, The Parables of Conflict in Lucas (Philadelphia: West minster Press,
1962), has pointed out how much the parables revolve around this basic theme.

↑28 T. C. Smith has rightly seen this relationship of the ego eimi. Jesus in the Gospel of
João (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1959), p, 165. See also C. H. Dodd, The
Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge: University Press, 1953), pp. 93-96.

↑29 By my count, Early Isaiah is observable 148 times in the New Testament, while Later
Isaiah numbers 261 times.

https://preachingsource.com/journal/the-new-testament-use-of-isaiah/