When we turn from the teaching to the practice of Christ, the same attitude of appeal and invita- tion is manifested, and the same spirit of loyal and worthy acceptance is expected in turn. Every- where in His dealings with men we find Him acting as God's messenger of goodwill, and urgin" them to respond to heavenly grace with grateful hearts and willing service. Where men do so He promises them a great reward (Mt 19^"™) ; where they fail to do so He shows a Divine and touching sorrow (23^'- ^') ; and though He is clear in reveal- ing His own disappointment at such a result. He lays the chief stress on the loss and misery which rejection must bring on those who are guilty of spurning or ignoring His ever-renewed appeal.
The heart of the gospel is found in the central invitation given by Christ to all men in the words, ' Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Mt 11^).
Literature.— Wendt, Teach, of Jesus, i. 148 fE. ; Stalker, Imago Christt, ch. vii. ; Bruce, Galilean Gospel, ch. xii. ; Expositor, I. xi. (18S0] 101 B. See, further, art. Cojiino to Christ.
E. Griffith-Jones. IROHY.— See Humoue, and Laughter.
ISAAC — Named (1) in our Lord's Mt 1^, Lk 3^^ ; (2) in such collocations as ' sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob' (Mt 8"), ' see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob' (Lk 13^), ' the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob ' (Mt 22'=, Mk 122«, Lk 20^). See Abraham, and Fathers. The sacrifice of Isaac came at an early date to be used by Christian writers as a type of the sacrifice on the cross (cf. e.g. Ep. of Barn. ch. 7). It is
ible that
such thought underlies
' He that spared not his o^vn Son.'
iio'i
ISAIAH. — There are seven instances recorded in the Gospels in which Jesus quotes from the pro- phecies of Isaiah, besides numerous other cases in which His language is more or less manifestly reminiscent of expressions in the book. The most notable passages are two in which our Lord applies to Himself the terras used by the prophet of the Exile with regard to tlie Servant of Jehovah, viz. Lk 416-2'J, where Jesus reads and expounds the words of Is 6P- = ; and Lk 22", where lie adopts as a prediction of His own experience a clause of Is 53'-. Our Lord thus plainly taught that, alike in the mission and in the vicarious sufiering of the ideal Servant of Deutero-Isaiah, His own person and work were typified and foreshadowed. More general is the application of Is 6'- '" to the people of His o^vn time (Mt 13'^ ", Mk 4}-, Lk 8^") ; and also His use of Is 29'= of the Pharisees and scribes (Mt 15'-9, Mk 7«-'). All three Synoptists record the quotation from Is 56' with which He rebuked the temple-traders (Mt 2V^ \\). St. John alone gives the quotation of a general character from Is 54'^ (Jn 6*°), while St. Mark records an expres- sion which manifestly comes from Is eS^* (Mk g''*). In only three of the alx)ve seven cases is Isaiah mentioned by name, and in no case is there any indication that bears in the slightest degree upon the question as to the authorship of the various parts of the book.
In addition to these more direct references, there
are many expressions in the discourses of Jesus in whicli we have echoes of Isaiah's language. Our Lord's mind was filled with the OT, and it was to be expected that His utterances should be cast in the mould, and often expressed in the very words, of psalm and prophecy. In Mt 5**' ^ we perceive a reminiscence of Is 66' ; Mt 21^"- || at once suggests Is 5'- -. Other less obvious instances are proljably to be found in Mt IP' (cf. Is 14'»- 1^) 161" (Is 22") 6'' (Is 26=") ; and various expressions in the eschatological discourses of Mt 24 and Lk 21. To these others might possibly be added ; but it is not warrantable to find in every case of verbal similarity a reference to, or even a reminiscence of, the words of the OT. But apart from doubtful cases, it will be seen that the Book of Isaiah, both in its earlier and in its later portions, is fully acknowledged and used in the teaching of Jesus.
It is not less so with the Evangelists themselves. All four quote Is 40' with regard to the mission of John the Baptist (Mt 3' and |1) ; while Mt., who uses the OT so largely in connexion with the ministry of Jesus, applies to His coming and mission the passages Is V* (Mt 1==) 9'- = (Mt 4"-i«) 53* (Mt 8") 42'-* (Mt 1218-='). St. John (12'^-") quotes Is 53' 6'° in reference to the rejection of Christ by tlie people ; and the Sj-noptists all record the voice heard at the Baptism and the Transfigura- tion as using the language of Is 42'.
As with the words of Jesus Himself, so, in the case of the Evangelists, no theory with regard to the actual authorship of any part of the book can claim to be supported by the manner of the refer- ences. ' Isaiaii,' even when named, stands mani- festly for the reputed author, and (as in Jn 12'*) the mode of expression is naturally and rightly that popularly used and understood. No critical conclusions can be drawn from any of the refer-