The Radiant Colors of Isaiah
On Sunday, we really got into our new series called “Jesus Is”, examining how the Gospel writers (Mark, in this case) want us to understand who Jesus is (hence the title!): as Messiah/Christ – and God in person – he is our King and Lord. I mentioned how the quote that Mark utilizes to point this out from Isaiah is in fact from Malachi, Exodus, and Isaiah…not just from Isaiah. So I wanted to say something more about that.
Is Mark wrong here, or what?
Kind of, but not really.
Kind of – because it’s not a quote just from Isaiah. But not really, because when Mark is painting his picture of Jesus using these Old Testament quotes and allusions, though he’ll use more than just Isaiah from the Old Testament,
he wants us to see Jesus primarily in the colors of Isaiah 40-55.
In fact, when you read any of the Gospels – and what people like Paul and Peter wrote – you begin to see that more than perhaps anything else, it’s Isaiah 40-55 that gives them the colors to paint Jesus with. Read the Christmas stories from Luke, for instance – it’s impossible to miss (in fact, our 2023 Christmas series was all about this).
What makes that section of Isaiah so special?
Sometimes called ‘second Isaiah’, it clearly is from a different time period than Isaiah 1-39. It’s from the time when God’s people were in exile (temporarily sent to their room without supper) in Babylon, waiting for God to rescue them, waiting for God to forgive them, waiting for God to show up and act. It imagines the time when God will finally come to save, to forgive sins, to rescue them, and to lead them on a new exodus out of their Babylonian captivity and (back) into the promised land, back into freedom, and back into God’s presence.
The issue was that though the exile technically ended and many people went back (‘exodused’ to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, it felt like they were still in captivity:
God seemed absent.
Where was He? When will he finally, really, truly show up to save, heal, redeem, restore? So though the exile ended, it really hadn’t yet – and though they left their captivity, the new exodus hadn’t really began – because God still had not returned.
It is in this situation that the people of God sat for about 500 years, waiting. It is into this situation of waiting, wondering, and hoping that Jesus was born, and that Jesus became Christ the King. It’s why the New Testament authors like Mark saw in Jesus, not just a human king – but
they saw the God of Israel himself, returning to become King.
The primary colors they had to paint such an unbelievable, marvelous, and fantastical picture to help up see who Jesus is, were those from Isaiah 40-55 (56-66 is pretty helpful too!). That’s why it’s so special.
So why am I writing this bit of biblical background and context to you today?
Because if you want to understand how the New Testament understands who Jesus is, get yourself into Isaiah 40-55 today.
What you’ll find there is simply brilliant. As you read it, it will seem strangely familiar to you – like you’ve seen paintings with these colors before – at Christmastime, in our most fantastic hymns, in our recollections of Jesus on Good Friday. When you get to know Isaiah 40-55, and then read the New Testament, it will come to life – the colors will pop – in ways that you’ve maybe never seen before. Read it, and allow the promises of God to speak again to you.
God will speak, as he promises in Isaiah 55,