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From: Isaiah 55:1-3
Epilogue: Invitation to partake of the banquet of the Lord’s Covenant
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Commentary:
55:1-13. The invitation to the Covenant banquet acts as the epilogue to the se-
cond part of the book of Isaiah, and picks up on themes in chapter 40, which is
its prologue. The two chapters help to give literary and thematic unity to this part
of the book. The oracle in chapter 55 sums up in a way the teachings contained
in the preceding chapters — the invitation to the Covenant banquet (vv. 1-3), remi-
niscent of that celebrated by Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:5, 11); the renewal
of the Covenant with David on Zion (vv. 4-5); the transcendence of God, who is
unaffected by the sins of men (vv. 8-9); the power of the word of God (vv. 10-11);
and, as a final synthesis, the promise of a new exodus, a sign of God’s ever-
lasting salvation.
These oracles are a call for conversion, a call to take advantage of the salvific
gifts so generously offered: “Come to the waters†(v. 1), “Come to me†(v. 3),
“Seek the Lord†(v. 6), “Let the wicked forsake his way†(v. 7). Originally, it was a
call to those exiled in Babylon to return to Jerusalem; but it is a call that is made
at all times, to everyone. The reference to an everlasting Covenant, in keeping
with promises made to David (cf. v. 3), can be read by Christians as an invitation
to share in the new and eternal Covenant sealed with the Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, a pledge of salvation for all mankind. In the Eucharist, the banquet of the
New Testament, the words of the prophet come true in the complete sense in the
words spoken by our Lord when he instituted that sacrament: “Take and eat†(cf.
v. 1) the true bread of life, the very finest food, which money cannot buy (vv. 1-3).
Therefore, the invitation extended by the prophet is a call to Christians to partake
of the Blessed Eucharist. Paul VI, urging the faithful to take part in the Sunday
celebration of the Eucharist, wrote: “How could we fail to take part in this encoun-
ter, to partake of the banquet that Christ has lovingly prepared for us? Our partici-
pation should be dignified and filled with joy. Christ, crucified and glorified, comes
among his disciples to draw them all into the power of his resurrection. It is the
pinnacle, here on earth, of the Covenant of love between God and his people: the
sign and source of Christian joy, the preparation for the eternal banquet in heavenâ€
(”Gaudete in Domino”, 322). Verses 1-11, like 54:5-14, are read in the liturgy of
the Easter Vigil, which celebrates Christ’s victory over sin and which invites the
faithful to partake of the banquet of the Covenant sealed by his death and resur-
rection: “On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son,
they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been
given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, ‘Christ is risen!’ Now too are
life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ†(Fanqith, “Brevarium
iuxta ritum Ecclesiae Antiochenae Syrorum”, in “Catechism of the Catholic
Church”, 1391).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.