Isaiah 55:2, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”
John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…”
John 6:45, “It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.'”
Jesus has already said that He Himself is the Bread from heaven who has come down to give life to the world (John 6:33,ff)–and He is about to launch into a graphic discussion that His crucified self is the food and drink that must be “fed upon” if anyone is to live (6:53ff). To substantiate the necessity of believing thus in Him–and to emphasize that such belief can only come from God–in John 6:45, Jesus quotes Isaiah 54:13, which reads: “your children shall be taught by YHWH.”
In other words, the “teaching” that Jesus says God is talking about in Isaiah 54 is the teaching that the crucified Christ is the bread that must be fed upon by faith if we are to know God and so live. Now, this is amazing because Isaiah 54:13 comes right between Isaiah 53 (the suffering servant) and Isaiah 55 (the appeal of YHWH to come and be satisfied with good food and so live). Jesus is aware of this and He’s uniting Is.53 and Is.55 together in Himself. He is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 who will give His flesh and blood for the life of the world as the one who bears and is crushed for their transgressions. AND He–as this Suffering Servant–is the rich and good and satisfying food of Isaiah 55 that one must eat if their soul is to live (55:3).
And the link between these two passages is Isaiah 54, especially–Jesus says–verse 13, where YHWH Himself teaches His people (His Bride) and establishes them in peace and righteousness. The specific content of what YHWH will teach them is not made clear in Is.54, but now Jesus clarifies it for us. The content that YHWH will teach His betrothed people is that the Eternal, Beloved, Crucified and Risen Son–whom He has sent as the Servant who must suffer as the serpent on the cross–is the True Food that we must feed upon by faith if we are to live. THAT is the teaching that God alone can impart to a soul…..THAT is the drawing that the Father must do if we are to come to Christ and live……the teaching of God is that the Servant of Is.53 and the Feast of Is.55 are one and the same, the Beloved and Eternal Son who is the Revelation of God to mankind. Glory to His Name!
