Isaiah chapter 43 - John

What was and is the purpose of the Gospel written by the apostle John? What is there about the message of the Holy Spirit through John the beloved that makes this book unique? Those who have read John’s Gospel can readily answer these questions, and we’ve all heard it said many times that John wrote to convince his readers that Jesus of Nazareth was the very Son of God. We need to say that differently because it was the Holy Spirit that was giving John the words to write, so we might better say that the message from the Holy Spirit through John is that Jesus of Nazareth is God, the very deity that they had been worshipping for almost two millennia. As John opens with chapter one, he gets right after the heart of the matter and sets the tone for the rest of the book. One out of every five verses in the first chapter addresses this subject.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (v3)

“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”(v10)

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (v14)

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (v18)

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (v29)

“And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” (v34)

“And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” (v36)

“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” (v41)

“Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (v45)

“Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” (v49)

Keeping in mind that these ten verses are all from chapter one, let’s compare the content with the words of Isaiah chapter forty-three. As God speaks through His prophet Isaiah, He tells Israel of their special place in His heart and in His plan. Then, He presents himself as the Son of God, the LORD, the Holy One of Israel and also as their Savior.

In this first chapter of John, God is speaking to the children of Israel in Isaiah’s day, but like the writings of all the prophets, the application can be for more than just the people of that day. Also, we should take note of the concentration of verses dedicated to declaring that God is speaking; about one out of every three. The following are all from Isaiah’s forty-third chapter.

“For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:” (v3)

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me”. (v10)

“I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” (v11)

“I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” (v12)

“Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;” (v14)

“I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.” (v15)

“Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;” (v16)

“But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.” (v22)

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (v25)

Isaiah 43:12 presents us with another important connection to the gospel of John. In this verse God says:

“I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” (v12)

Here God speaks of himself as the one who ‘saves’. Perhaps no other statement about God can better connect with the New Testament message. In combination with the words of verses eleven, fourteen and twenty-five we are clearly told that God himself is our Savior and Redeemer. The fact that His ‘saving’ in verse twelve is combined with His ‘declaring’ and His ‘showing’ should not be missed. God says that He “declared”, “saved” and “shewed”. These two additional actions by God (declaring and showing) are also presented to us in John’s Gospel.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (John 1:18)

What does this verse from the first chapter of John tell us? That no person had previously seen God, AND that God is ‘declaring’ himself in the person of Jesus for all to SEE. God made this ‘declaration’ to Israel as recorded in the first chapter of John, and Isaiah 43:12 tells us why? So that Israel could be a His witness.

“I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” (v12)

There are two things to consider in conjunction with this statement. First, Isaiah didn’t write that Israel would be the only witness. The multiple application of this verse from Isaiah’s prophecy enables the church to be another witness.

Secondly, had Israel accepted Jesus as their Messiah and King, it would have been Israel who would have gone on to be the only witness, and God would never have given the job to the Gentiles.

The connection between Isaiah chapter forty-three and the Gospel of John is definite and unmistakable. John was telling the world that Jesus of Nazareth was their long-awaited Messiah and King, and that Lordship is the prominent subject of Isaiah chapter forty-three. They are connected.