Jesus with his disciples : the evocation of OG Isaiah in Matthew's presence theme

Isaiah 7–8 features heavily within treatments of Matthew 1:22–23, with many scholars considering how this Isaianic quotation relates to the rest of Matthew’s presence theme. Whilst the ubiquity of Isaiah within Matthew’s Gospel is well observed, this prophetic text barely appears within discussions of other passages beyond 1:22–23 that are constitutive of Matthew’s presence theme. MT Isaiah contains, however, several other passages beyond chapters 7–8 in which God is with his people (41:10; 43:2, 5). Not only that, but these statements are connected to one another (in MT and OG): this is particularly the case with OG Isaiah, which also contains an additional “God-with” statement not found in MT (58:11). I suggest that Matthew evokes several of these OG Isaianic passages in connection with his presence theme. As such, OG Isaiah is determinative for Matthew’s depiction of Jesus as “God with us.” Employing Stefan Alkier’s semiotic-critical approach to biblical interpretation, I show how Matthew’s contextually-aware “Immanuel” quotation in 1:22–23 (Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10) creates that which Susanne Holthuis terms an “intertextual disposition,” from which one is disposed to search for further Isaianic intertexts within Matthew’s presence theme. Accordingly, Matthew’s accounts of both Jesus walking on the water (14:22–33) and final judgement (25:31–46) evoke OG Isaianic passages (chs. 43 and 58 respectively) in which God promises to be with his people. Such evocation not only signals Isaiah’s relevance for interpreting Matthew’s presence theme beyond the oft-discussed Immanuel quotation, but also bears upon interpretive issues concerning Jesus’ identity vis-à-vis Israel’s God and the disciples vis-à-vis God’s people.