The next passage that speaks of the word of Isaiah being fulfilled is found in John’s gospel which reads, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” John 12:38.
The passage quotes from Isaiah 53:1 and is one of the Servant songs, each of which speak of Jesus as the ultimate Servant and the Messiah of Israel. John had previously written in John 1:11 that Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him; speaking of the Jewish people who would not believe in Him. This verse is followed by a promise that, “to those who did receive Him, to those He gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12.
Continuing in John 12:39-40, John also quotes the passage from Isaiah 6:9-10. John speaks of Isaiah the prophet also in verse 41 which reads, “These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. John is saying that when he had his vision, spoken of in Isaiah 6, that he had actually seen Christ in His glory. This passage states that many believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but because they feared the Pharisees and were afraid if they confessed Jesus as Lord that they would be put out of the synagogue because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43).
It is fascinating that the next time we see Isaiah quoted in scripture is found in Acts 8 when Philip was instructed by an angel of the Lord to go down south to a road that ran from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip went and saw a man from Ethiopia who was a eunuch but had great authority under Candace, the queen of Ethiopians. This man was riding in a chariot and reading from the prophet Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 53:7-8. Philip asked the man if he knew what he was reading. The man in the chariot asked Philip, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:31).
Isaiah 53:7-8 reads:
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation, His justice was taken away. And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.
The eunuch then inquired of Philip regarding the person of whom the prophet spoke, was it the prophet Isaiah or some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth and “beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him”. The eunuch then asked Philip to baptize him in some water they were passing, Philip told the eunuch that if you believe with all your heart you may be baptized. The eunuch answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” After his confession of faith, the eunuch was baptized by Philip.
The next place in the New Testament that quotes from Isaiah is found in Acts chapter 28. Paul was being held as a prisoner in Rome and was basically under a house arrest. Paul had given a call to the leaders of the Jews who lived in the area. Paul wanted to explain to them why he had become a prisoner in Rome. The Jews told him that they did not know what had happened to him prior to his being held as a prisoner in Rome. They had heard of “the sect” that Paul was following and wanted to hear more of the matters.
A day was appointed when the Jews came to hear what Paul had to say. Paul spoke to them regarding the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus form both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning until evening (Acts 28:23b). As it is in most cases when the gospel is presented to any group of non-believers, some will believe and some will not. Paul proceeded to confront the unbelievers by stating one word of scripture, “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers” and then Paul quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 saying what Isaiah had said some seven hundred years before was also true of the generation in which he lived. In essence, is a spiritual sense, their ears were hard of hearing, and their eyes were closed, their hearts had grown dull and because of their unbelief regarding the truths of the kingdom of God and of their unwillingness to accept Jesus as Messiah and Lord, they would remain in a state of unbelief. Even so, it remains so in our day and age.
Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit of God can open our hearts to hear and understand the gospel of Christ.