At the intersection of Isaiah 63–64, there is a rich tapestry of Old Testament hope that provides important background for Mark’s story of Jesus’s baptism. 1QIsa-a helps us see it more clearly. Let me explain.

Everyone recognizes that Isa 64:1 (Hebrew Bible 63:19) is important background:

Oh that you would tear open the sky and come down! (Isaiah 64:1 [Hebrew Bible 63:19])

But the broader context of Isaiah 63 and 64 includes so much more! In the verses where Isaiah 63–64 meet, there are 3 references to God’s Spirit (Isaiah 63:10, 11, 14) — this in addition to the cry for God to break open the sky and come down — and 3 references to God as Father (63:16 [2x]; 64:8 [Hebrew Bible 64:7]).

Isaiah 63–64 includes all the key characters and scenery included in Mark’s story of Jesus’s baptism. You can read the verses yourself below:

God’s Spirit in Isaiah 63

But they rebelled and grieved the Holy Spirit, and he turned into their enemy and fought against them (Isaiah 63:10).

And he remembered the days of old—Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up from the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who put the Holy Spirit in the middle of them? (Isaiah 63:11)

As livestock go down into the valley, the Spirit of Yahweh gives him rest. In this way, you led your people to make for yourself a beautiful name. (Isaiah 63:14)

God as Father in Isaiah 63–64

But you are our Father! For Abraham didn’t know us, and Israel would not recognize us. You, Yahweh, are our Father. Our Ancient Redeemer — that’s your name! (Isaiah 63:16)

But now, Yahweh, you are our Father! We are the clay and you are the one who forms us. All of us are the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 [Hebrew Bible 64:7])

Jesus’s Baptism in Mark

Isaiah 64:1 (Hebrew Bible 63:19) is situated in the middle of this context, laden with memories of God’s Spirit leading his people and cries for help to God as Father:

Oh that you would tear open the sky and come down! (Isaiah 64:1 [Hebrew Bible 63:19])

When you zoom out and see the broader context sketched above, you have even more background for Mark’s story of Jesus’s baptism. When Jesus is baptized, the sky is “torn apart” (σχιζομένους). Only Mark (not Matthew or Luke) use this word to describe what happened to the sky. Other Gospels just say the sky was opened (ἀνοίγω). The Old Greek translation of Isaiah 64:1 used the same verb that Mark used.

In Mark, once the sky is torn open, God’s Spirit descends upon Jesus and the Father speaks about Jesus as his Son. That makes four connections between Isaiah 63–64 and Jesus’s baptism in Mark:

• Torn skies
• God’s Spirit
• God as Father
• Sonship
  

In Mark, God answers Isaiah’s prayer. God tears open the sky, his Spirit descends upon the one, true, faithful representative of God’s people, Jesus. For Mark, Jesus’s body is the channel through which the kingdom comes.

Why the Chapter Break?

You might wonder why Isaiah put a chapter break between chapters 63–64, especially in light of the way these two chapters flow together to make one composite portrait of hope that is so important for understanding Mark 1. But who says Isaiah did put a chapter break there? Modern English and Hebrew Bibles break 63 and 64 into two chapters, but this break isn’t necessarily original.

In our oldest copy of Isaiah, the Dead Sea Scroll called 1QIsa-a, there is no break between these chapters at all. In the picture below, you can see the last word of what we (using modern Hebrew Bible versification) call chapter 63 and the first word of what we call chapter 64:

If you zoom out a little farther, you can see that there is no break whatsoever between chapters 63 and 64. Here’s column 50 in its entirety with the same red box indicating the modern Hebrew Bible break between chapters 63–64:

You can see that there is no chapter break until the bottom of the column, the beginning of what we call chapter 65. If you look carefully at the right side of that last picture you will see little notch-like markings in the right margin. These signify that 63:7–64:11 is textual unit — no break between chapters 63 and 64.

Conclusion

The layout of 1QIsa-a show us that ancient readers of Isaiah 63 and 64 understood these chapters as a coherent textual unit, especially 63:7–64:11. The chapter break is not necessarily original. If you carefully read Isaiah 63–64 together, Mark’s portrait of Jesus’s baptism comes alive with Old Testament hope.

The series of events that took place at Jesus’s baptism demonstrated that in Jesus new creation hopes broke into this world. God did tear open the skies (Mark 1:10) like Isaiah prayed for (Is 64:1/63:19). Isaiah knew that the Spirit was at work in the exodus generation (Is 63:10–14), and Mark wants you to know that Yahweh’s Spirit descended upon Jesus (Mark 1:10), just like Isaiah hoped for (Is 64:1/63:19). Isaiah repeatedly cried out to Yahweh as Father (63:16 [2x]; 64:8/64:7), and it is precisely God the Father who appeared at Jesus’s baptism and declared Jesus to be his beloved Son (Mark 1:11).

My slow reading of Isaiah is coming to a close, and I’m more convinced than ever that Isaiah is rich and wonderful and worthy of slow, careful meditation and prayer.