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Abstract: Luke's Gospel and Acts progressively apply the servant prophecy in Isaiah 49:6 to Jesus (Luke 2:32), then to the apostles (Acts 1:8), and finally to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:47). While Jewish opposition prompts the missionaries' "turning to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46), their citation of Isaiah 49:6 provides the underlying biblical-theological warrant for this outreach through the principle of corporate solidarity, which is evident already in the book of Isaiah. The risen Lord himself is "a light for the Gentiles," and he continues to shine through his servants who share in and extend the servant's global mission by proclaiming salvation in his name.
Key words: Isaiah-theology; Luke-Acts-theology; missions-biblical teaching; Apostle Paul; Servant of the Lord; use of the OT in the NT.
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In Acts 13:46-47, Paul and Barnabas cite the Lord's command in Isaiah 49:6 as support for their decision to turn to the Gentiles in their missionary outreach.1 This development recalls Paul's calling to bear Christ's name "before the Gentiles" (Acts 9:15)2 as well as the Lord's programmatic promise that the disciples will be his witnesses "to the end of the earth" (1:8). But this quotation of Scripture in Acts 13 also raises several exegetical and biblical-theological questions.3 First, in what sense were the missionaries "commanded" to turn to the Gentiles? Second, how exactly does Isaiah's servant prophecy apply to the missionaries in Acts 13:47?
Interpreters deal with these questions in very different ways. For example, Carl Holladay reasons that Paul and Barnabas replace "'Israel, the servant of the Lord,' who ... would serve as the 'light to the gentiles.'"4 Alternatively, Bede explains, "What was said with specific reference to Christ the Lord is here taken by the apostles as referring to themselves, as they call to mind that they are his members ... because of the oneness of his body."5
This article traces the application of Isaiah's servant prophecy to Jesus (Luke 2:32), then to the apostles (Acts 1:8), and finally to Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:47), which reflects the movement from the Lord's servant to the servants in the book of Isaiah. This multifaceted use of Isaiah 49 is crucial to the narrative of Luke-Acts and informs our understanding of the church's mission as...