For Unto Us a Child Is Born
A deeper look at Isaiah’s gift
The famous Hebrew prophet, Isaiah, lived six to seven hundred years before Jesus Christ. He is recognized for many significant pronouncements. One of them is in Isaiah 9:6 (KJV):
“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
We recognize the words of Handel’s grand musical opus, Messiah, in this verse, which has long been interpreted as the prophetic announcement of Jesus of Nazareth’s advent and ministry.
But is it truthfully what Isaiah meant?
Born on our behalf
The phrase “unto us” is an archaic word with multiple meanings. Google suggests four possible ones:
- To or towards: “The angel appeared unto him in a dream”
- Reference or concern: “They became a world unto themselves”
- Given or done: “And he said unto him, ‘Who is my neighbor?’”
- Continued until: “Unto” can also indicate that something continued until a specific time.
In short, “for unto us a child is born” means “a child is born for us.” It can also be understood that the child was born on our (collective) behalf.
The expression “on our behalf” is understood as “in the interests of, or as a representative of a person or a group.”
We can see how this verse easily leads to the conclusion that it is a prophetic announcement of the advent of Jesus.
An alternative interpretation
The King James Bible, commissioned in 1604, is widely regarded as one of the major literary accomplishments of early modern England. The rendition of the verse of Isaiah is indeed beautiful, but is it faithful to the prophet’s original intent?
What if Isaiah did not mean an event for the benefit of humanity — or at least for those who would follow Jesus Christ — but instead, an event for our individual purpose as part of our evolving spiritual consciousness?
What if the new birth refers to an individual awakening?
What if the “Child” of the verse is an imagery for something new and fragile but destined to grow and mature within each of us, for our personal benefit and in our own time?
A spiritual Presence
Those on a spiritual path, particularly those following a monotheist religion, know that within us is a Presence—a gift of God in God’s image—to guide us.
Such a Presence has received different names, such as Soul, Spiritual Center, Christ-Spirit, Holy Spirit, or Mystical “I.” But it’s always the same idea: a nascent awareness of our true spiritual identity.
That awareness occurs when we realize that we are more than body and mind, which are temporal, and when we realize we are spiritual and therefore eternal.
That awareness of the divine Presence within us grows over time as we pay attention to it and embrace it as our true Self.
Our spiritual Guide
“For unto us a child is born:” This is the awakening,
“to us a son is given:” This refers to the Christ-Spirit, or Mystical “I” that is the One and Only Son of God individually expressed within each one of us. (see my article, A New Perspective on One of the Most Misunderstood Sayings of Jesus).
“The government will be on his shoulders.” As we mature spiritually, our spiritual Self takes over the running of our lives. In Galatians 2:20, we have the example of Paul, who declared, “I live, yet not I; Christ lives my life.”
“He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace:” If we rise sufficiently in spiritual consciousness, we are guided with purpose and harmony for our benefit and the benefit of all around us.
Isaiah’s gift
Although Prophets prophesize, their main purpose is to help and guide the people of their generation. Predicting what will happen six to seven hundred years later is not helpful for the followers.
But Isaiah’s gift to his generation was the prediction that anyone serious about their spiritual life would receive the gift he referred to as the “Child” of verse 9:6.
In a sense, Isaiah did what Jesus would do later when he announced to his disciples that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, as they did on Pentecost.
The promise of Isaiah and Jesus is available to any of their followers diligently living a life guided by the awareness of the divine Spirit within us all.
