Narratives in Genesis portraying the development of the relationship (and covenant) between the Lord and Abraham are brought to a climax in Genesis 22. Here the developing faith of Abraham—something of a roller-coaster ride—is “tested” by God when God asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering in the region of Moriah. In later Jewish Tradition, this story is called the Akedah, based upon the unique word in Hebrew used in verse 9 for “binding” (ʿaqaḏ) Isaac on the altar.
Significant allusions to the narrative of Genesis 22 in the Gospel of Luke show that Isaac is considered a model or type of Christ, and the crucifixion is where God the Father offered up his beloved son as a sacrifice. Pablo T. Gadenz has recently collected and demonstrated the validity of allusions to the “beloved son” (cf. Genesis 22:2, 12, 16 LXX) at Jesus’s baptism (Luke 3:22), in the parable of the wicked tenants (Luke 20:13), and at the crucifixion (Luke 23:33; cf. Gen 22:9 LXX). Certain features of the infancy narrative prepare the way for these allusions. Their description here is derived and drawn from his excellent research.[1]
1. Pablo T. Gadenz, ‘The Akedah and the Crucifixion: Isaac Typology in Luke’s Gospel?” Bulletin for Biblical Research 31/4 (2021): 478–496.
The Baptism of Jesus
First to be noted is the allusion to Genesis 22 at the baptism of Jesus. As Jesus came up from the water, the heavens were opened and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, coming to rest on Jesus. A voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son [ho huios mou ho agapētos], with you I am well pleased” ( Luke 3:22). The text in Mark 1:11 is identical and the text in Matthew 3:17 is third person (“this is my beloved son”) instead of the second person we find in Mark and Luke. Apart from normal adjustments of case and personal pronoun due to context, the five words in Greek, “my son, my beloved one,” or “my beloved son” are identical to Genesis 22:2, 22:12 and 22:16 in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. What is remarkable is that this phrase is unique in the Greek Bible. The closest other text is the anarthrous “beloved son” (huios agapētos) in Jeremiah 38:20 LXX. Although there may also be an illusion at the same time to “you are my son” in Psalm 2:7 LXX (and Isaiah 42:1 “in you I am well pleased”) the correspondence to Genesis 22 is both strong and striking. In addition, a voice from heaven also plays a role in Genesis 22:11, 15).
The Infancy Narrative
Luke may have prepared his readers for this allusion in the infancy narrative by drawing parallels between Zechariah and Elizabeth on the one hand and Abraham and Sarah on the other. The angel’s announcement about John to Zechariah, “you shall call his name” (Luke 1:13), repeated in the announcement to Mary (Luke 1:31), recalls the announcement to Abraham in Gen. 16:11 LXX (although this is also found in the Hebrew Masoretic text of Genesis 16:11 and Isaiah 7:14).[2] Moreover, Abraham is called to be blameless just as Zechariah and Elizabeth are described as blameless. Elizabeth is barren, just like Sarah, and Zechariah and Elizabeth are “advanced in their days” just like Abraham and Sarah. Furthermore, Zechariah’s question “How will I know this?” begins with the same three Greek words that Abraham asked in Gen. 15:8 LXX. This phrase kata ti gnōsomai occurs only in these two places (Gen. 15:8 LXX and Luke 1:18) in all of Scripture. And the announcement to Mary that “nothing will be impossible with God” recalls the question in Genesis 18:4 LXX, “A thing is not impossible with God, is it?” Sarah and Isaac seem to be types of both Mary and Jesus. Finally, Luke 1:55 specifically mentions the oath God swore to Abraham, again referring to Genesis 22:16 LXX.
2. The original wording of the LXX may not be the same in Isaiah 7:14. See Christophe Rico and Peter J. Gentry, The Mother of the Infant King – Isaiah 7:14: `almâ and parthenos in the Biblical World – Α Linguistic Perspective (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2019).
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
During the Jerusalem ministry, as Jesus draws near to his death, the “beloved son” phrase heard at Jesus’ baptism reappears in the parable of the wicked tenants in all three synoptic gospels. If one compares the description of “the beloved son Isaac” in Genesis 22:2 LXX with the Greek Text of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we see that in this parable Matthew omits the word “beloved” (Matt. 21:37). Mark uses the term “beloved son” without the article (Mark 12:6). But Luke uses exactly and precisely the same five words in Greek as at the baptism (Luke 3:22, 20:13). We have already noted that the Akedah passage is the only Old Testament source that refers to a beloved son, doing so three times. There are a couple other parallels. In the parable, the beloved son is the heir (Luke 20:14) and this connects with Isaac, “the heir of promise” (cf. Gen. 15:4; 21:10, 22:17 LXX). Another possible link is the phrase—not found in Matthew or Mark—in which the scribes and chief priests seek to “lay their hands” on Jesus. In Genesis 22:12 LXX, the angel tells Abraham not to “lay his hand” on the lad Isaac. Additionally, there is a thematic correspondence. In both Genesis 22 and the parable, there is a willingness to place the beloved son in harm’s way.
The Crucifixion
Luke’s account of the crucifixion and death (Luke 23:26-49) of Jesus also clearly alludes to Genesis 22. Consider the comparison of Luke 23:33 and Genesis 22:9 LXX:
Kai hote ēlthon epi ton topon ton kaloumenon Kranion, ekei estaurōsan auton
And when they came to the place called Skull, there they crucified him.
(Luke 23:33)ēlthon epi ton topon, hon eipen autō ho theos. kai ōkodomēsen ekei Abraam thysiastērion kai epethēken ta xyla kai sympodisas Isaak ton huion autou epethēken auton epi to thysiastērion epanō tōn xylōn.
They came to the place which God said to him. And Abraham built there the altar and laid on the wood, and binding Isaac his son hand and foot, he laid him on the altar upon the wood.
(Genesis 22:9 LXX)
The phrase consisting of four words in Greek—“they came to the place” (ēlthon epi ton topon)—is not found in Matthew or Mark but repeats word for word the beginning of Genesis 22:9 LXX and the phrase in both Genesis and Luke is followed by the adverb “there” (ekei), also not found in the parallel verses. Admittedly, the phrase consists of four common words. Nonetheless, these four words of which this phrase consists occur nowhere else in the Old Greek Bible or in the New Testament. The verb “come” (ēlthon) plus epi plus “place” (topon) occurs elsewhere in the third person only in Genesis 22:3 and Luke 19:5. Further, there is an emphasis on the word “place” in Genesis 22, as “place” (topos) occurs four times (Gen. 22:3–4, 9, 14 LXX). In addition, in both passages, the place is “called” (kaleo) a special name: “the Lord saw” (Kyrios eiden), Genesis 22:14 LXX; “Skull” (Kranion), Luke 23:33.
A handful of other parallels are also present. As Jesus is led away to be crucified, the soldiers take hold of Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and lay the cross on him. Similarly, Abraham takes the wood of the whole burnt offering and lays it upon his son Isaac. Jesus also addresses the Father using the vocative case, and Isaac likewise address his father Abraham in the vocative case (Luke 23:34). The repentant criminal rebukes the other asking whether he fears God, and the angel tells Abraham that he knows that he fears God (Luke 23:40, Gen. 22:12). The four words in Greek, “you fear God” (phobē sy ton theon), in any order, only occurs in these two texts and nowhere else in the Bible. It is implausible to see this as mere coincidence.
Conclusion
Allusions to Genesis 22 in the Infancy Narrative, at the Baptism of Jesus, in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, and at the Crucifixion demonstrate that Luke considers Isaac to be a type of Christ. His use of this typology is distinct from what we see in Matthew and Mark. And most importantly, this typological portrayal shapes Luke’s understanding of Jesus’s death. Huizenga has rightly demonstrated that the Akedah was seen by Jews in the first century as the ground of temple sacrifice.[3] Thus, understanding the crucifixion in light of the sacrifice of Isaac offers a compelling new avenue for research into the saving significance of Jesus’s death in Luke.
