I believe this is the stronger argument, because it clearly points to
double imputation, and Jesus specifically taught these verses applied to Him—and He did so in the Garden, just before His arrest.
Jesus’ disciples were Jews. That quote from Isaiah 53:12 would not have landed in a vacuum—it was a passage they would have heard read many times in the synagogue. And when Jesus quoted it, especially from the verse beginning with the “
therefore” clause, He brought
the whole passage to mind. That’s how Hebrew Scripture worked in their ears: quoting a part implied the whole.
And that’s likely what
confused them. Jesus had just identified Himself with the suffering servant of Isaiah 53—a passage that had clear messianic interpretations in their own tradition.
But their eschatology was deeply flawed. They had been raised to expect a Messiah who would overthrow Rome—
Messiah ben David, not a servant who would suffer and die. The “two swords” moment in Luke 22:38 illustrates this confusion perfectly. They thought He was ready to fight.
We should remember that in the Second Temple period,
Isaiah 53 was often interpreted messianically. For instance:
The Targum doesn’t reinterpret the servant as Israel. It identifies him explicitly as the Messiah, even if it spiritualizes some of the suffering. This was not an obscure or hidden view—it was known. And the Qumran community, which preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls, had not only Isaiah 53 but also
war scrolls, showing their anticipation of a coming clash between the Sons of Light and sons of darkness.
Many Jews at the time even held to the idea of two Messiahs:
- Messiah ben Joseph – the suffering servant figure
- Messiah ben David – the conquering king
So when Jesus identifies Himself as the one “numbered with the transgressors,” the disciples may well have been hearing
both ideas: “Is He going to die... or fight?”
This is exactly why they asked about swords.
But here's the deeper point: Jesus didn’t just quote verse 12. He quoted from a clause that begins with “therefore”—which grammatically links it directly to verse 11.
The division of the Servant’s portion is because He made “many to be accounted righteous” (v.11), and bore their iniquities.
That’s imputation—and not just one way.
That’s double imputation: our sins to Him, His righteousness to us. Jesus
claimed this entire section was to be fulfilled in Him. There were no verse numbers in the scrolls. You couldn’t “quote a verse”—you
identified with the passage. And Jesus did.
So yes, it’s in the Gospels. Luke 22:37 is not an isolated citation—it’s a declaration of fulfillment, drawn from a passage that teaches the very heart of the gospel.
The disciples simply didn’t understand it yet. But Jesus taught it to them all the same.