It is not without reason that commentaries on Isaiah generally divide it in half in between chapters 39 and 40: Isaiah 40-66 really feels like turning a corner. What struck me on this reading was the descriptions of the “Day of the Lord.” Well, actually everything that has to do with God bringing his people back from exile (from punishment) into the land. For me, reading the gospels through these passages completely overhauled my understanding of them.
When I began to see (the way was illumined by N.T. Wright’s work) that Jesus was pronouncing this “Day of the Lord’s Favor,” and saw how reading his word’s and actions in light of this proclamation made sense of Jesus’ ministry, my head spun. Now, I would go so far as to say that the more intimate one is with this chunk of Isaiah, the clearer Jesus’ message will be.
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