Why does Isaiah matter to us? After all, we are Christians, so why would this ancient Jewish prophet’s voice have any impact on us? If you review concordances, commentaries, or other biblical reference works, you will find that the books of the New Testament make direct or indirect references to the words of Isaiah more than 400 times. Do the math. If a typical New Testament (without commentary and footnotes) is less than 400 pages, then on average, you would see at least one Isaiah reference for every New Testament page. But it’s not just “quantity” that matters. The content of the Scroll had “qualities” that the New Testament authors and theologians found indelibly connected to the life and work of a humble carpenter who would become the hope of Israel and all the nations.
