“Out of Egypt I Called My Son” (Matt 2:15)

“Out of Egypt I called My Son” is a quotation from Hosea. Matthew’s use of it as a ‘direct prophecy’ is considered problematic by some scholars for Hosea wrote it as a merely historical reflection. How should we resolve this problem? Typological approach might be the best way to understand it by which consideration of the events around Jesus’ birth as the fullest expression of divinely intended fulfillments of Old Testament “prophecies” is possible. The evangelist presents double typologies: on one hand, he retrospectively refers to the exodus of Israel and applies it to “new exodus” through Jesus, but on the other hand, he refers to Moses and presents discontinuity and continuity of the divine work of salvation in the person of Jesus. He highlights the Mosaic aspect of Jesus’ divine sonship which underlines further his presentation of Jesus as David’s son (1:1) and his messianic and royal role in the coming of the Kingdom of God (4:17).

Isaiah in the New Testament

After the Psalms, Isaiah is the most quoted book in the New Testament and underlies many of its key themes. Jesus used the book of Isaiah to explain why he was being misunderstood and opposed, even though he was fulfilling Isaiah vision of the blind receiving sight and the poor hearing good news. Paul used it to show that God always intended to include Gentiles in the promised salvation, and the author of Revelation derived much of his imagery of the New Jerusalem from it. The occurrence of quotations from Isaiah at key points in Luke-Acts has persuaded many that Isaiah’s vision of new exodus/new creation inspired the early Christians to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. With good reason, the book of Isaiah has been called the “Fifth Gospel.”

The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation

Though once neglected, the study of the Old Testament in the book of Revelation has received a great deal of attention in recent years. The reason for the neglect was that John does not actually quote the Old Testament but uses its language to construct his visions. His favorite books are those of the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, along with the Psalms. The sheer density of allusions and echoes has led some scholars to call it a “midrash,” though others do not think this does justice to the originality of John’s composition. The chapter begins with the question of the language of the allusions and echoes and then moves on to John’s use of particular books (Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah), his fusion of allusions and echoes in particular passages (1:12–16; 5:5–6; 12:1–18; 15:3–5) and his use of common Old Testament themes (Worship God alone/New Exodus/God’s abiding presence).

Why Doesn’t the Risen Jesus Appear to Each Generation?

If Jesus is risen, why does he not manifest his risen flesh to each generation? This chapter’s answer is twofold. The first section of the chapter, drawing upon Hans Urs von Balthasar, explains that fallen humans cleave to our lives in this world. Since this is so, ascension—Jesus’ and ours—is necessary. Given our need to “ascend,” the second section examines the work of the biblical scholars Michael Morales and Brant Pitre. Morales’s Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? carefully explores how Jesus fulfills the Temple sacrifices. Pitre’s Jesus and the Last Supper describes a New Passover and New Exodus by which the crucified, risen, and ascended Jesus seeks to draw Israel and the nations into his transcendent kingdom. Ascending with and toward Jesus in self-sacrificial love, we are sustained eucharistically by Jesus so that our Passover may be complete.