“The Gospel According to Isaiah: The Forgotten Evangelist of Christmas”
A Christmas reflection
What if the greatest evangelist wasn’t Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John — but Isaiah, the prophet who preached Christ centuries before Bethlehem’s manger ever saw light? Every Advent and Christmas, the Church proclaims Isaiah’s words as if they were a Gospel: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2), “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Isaiah 7:14), “For unto us a child is born” (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah’s voice thunders through the liturgy more than any other prophet, because his prophecies are not vague shadows — they are vivid portraits of the Messiah fulfilled in Jesus. If the Gospels tell us what Christ did, Isaiah tells us why He came. That is why Christmas cannot be understood without Isaiah, the evangelist we forgot.
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Abraham: Father of Faith
Christmas begins with promise. Abraham trusted God’s word when told his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. He did not yet know that one of those descendants would be the Christ child. Abraham’s greatness lies in faith — believing without seeing. His role in the Christmas story is the seed of promise, the lineage that leads to Bethlehem.
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Moses: Servant of the LORD
Christmas also fulfills the Law. Moses spoke face‑to‑face with God, received the commandments, and led Abraham’s descendants toward the Promised Land. His intimacy with God was unique — God Himself buried him. Yet Moses’ law was only a shadow of the holiness Christ would embody. At Christmas, the Law finds its fulfillment in the child who is both mediator and Savior.
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Isaiah: The Fifth Evangelist
Then comes Isaiah, whose words sound less like prophecy and more like Gospel. He saw the virgin birth, the suffering servant, the good news proclaimed to the poor. His prophecies are quoted or fulfilled dozens of times in the New Testament. That is why the Church Fathers nicknamed him the “fifth evangelist.” At Christmas, Isaiah’s voice dominates the liturgy because he paints the clearest portrait of Christ before Christ.
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Fulfillment in Christ
Abraham gave us faith. Moses gave us law. Isaiah gave us prophecy. But only Christ gives us fulfillment. In Bethlehem, faith, law, and prophecy converge in a manger. The forgotten evangelist Isaiah reminds us that the Gospel was already echoing in prophecy, waiting for the Word to become flesh.
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Conclusion
Christmas is not only about shepherds and angels, but about the long arc of salvation history. Abraham believed, Moses mediated, Isaiah proclaimed — and Christ fulfilled. So when we hear Isaiah’s words this season, we are not just listening to an ancient prophet. We are hearing the Gospel in advance, the evangelist we forgot, the voice that makes Christmas shine with eternal light.
