Isaiah 25:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Furthermore, within it, we perceive Christ, who is the world. Thus, He proclaims that the Lord of hosts will create not just for the Israelites, cherished for their forebears and chosen, but for all nations, that is, for those dwelling in all heavenly realms. What will He accomplish? He declares they shall drink joy; they shall drink wine. They will be anointed with peace upon this mountain. The term joy, of course, suggests a celebration of hope, which is rooted in Christ. For with Him we shall reign and partake in spiritual delights that surpass understanding and expression. The word wine signifies the sacramental blessing and essence of the unbloody offering that we regularly present in our sacred churches. The anointing symbolizes to us perfectly the action of the Holy Spirit. As the wise John writes: “You also have an anointing from the Holy One, and you do not require anyone to teach you, but that anointing itself teaches you all things” (1 John 2:20, 27). We receive this anointing, particularly during holy baptism, as a sign of the deposit of the Holy Spirit. However, He says, proclaim this entire message; for this counsel encompasses all nations. The ancient law and its ministry, mediated through angels, were given solely to Israel in the flesh; yet, the grace found in Christ, the calling through faith, along with sanctification by the Spirit and the sacrament (Eucharist) according to the counsel of God the Father, are extended to all nations, for Christ, as spoken by the Holy One, is the anticipation of all tongues.

In contrast, Simmachus describes it as "the face of the ruler who reigns over all nations." The intention of the LXX appears to be a rephrasing of that location: indicating that all these matters would be imparted to the nations, which shows that they interpreted the Scriptures through their own lens rather than conveying the exact words, suggesting that all secrets of the law and the temple would transition from the nations to the church. Following the Lord's suffering, after He has overcome thirst, heat, and tempest, He will offer a sumptuous feast, not only to the people of Judah but to all nations on Mount Zion—a sacrifice made from the best of offerings and rich wine. This act will obliterate death and the chains that bind humanity, as He discards the fetters of death and the shroud that envelops the nations. As the apostle states, death shall be swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54). The Lord will wipe away every tear, signaling that, after overcoming death, the reign of Christ will commence, liberating humankind, made in the likeness of the Creator, from the tyranny of the devil and death.

Christ is the foundation of your salvation, for He is the true beginning, while you represent the dough. If the foundation is sacred, it follows that holiness will also permeate the dough. Guard this anointing with integrity, as it pertains to sanctification, spiritual safeguarding for your body, and salvation for your soul. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this long ago, stating that the Lord of Hosts will establish this mountain for all nations, referring to the Church as a mountain. He also prophesied that the mountain of the Lord would be revealed in the last days. They will partake in wine and joy, anointing themselves with peace. To further confirm this, consider his words regarding this world as veiled, declaring that He will remove the shroud that envelops all nations and tribes.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised His Church, urging it to persevere against the storm, as a shadow shields from the heat, assuring that the strength of His mysteries would prevail, and nothing would be lost in the fires of temptation. For it is the Lamb in the center of the throne who will guide them. Previously, it was mentioned that the Lamb seated on the throne possessed the scroll, but it is now stated that the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall shepherd them, signifying that the Father and the Son share a single throne. The Father dwells in the Son, and the Son in the Father, residing within the Church, where, through faith, God, the One and Triune, abides.

This signifies that people will converge upon the sacred mountain to partake in the uplifting joy—symbolically represented as wine—which brings satisfaction and fulfillment through intimate communion with the Lord and the spiritual gifts derived from it. Such blessings, as documented in both the Old and New Testaments, are often depicted through the imagery of a banquet (Proverbs 9:2), a meal, and a supper (Luke 14:24; Luke 22:30; Matthew 22, etc.). Among the foremost gifts in the New Testament community is the consumption of the Body and Blood of Christ, a profound sacrament established in the upper room of Zion. This location also witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Therefore, while Zion held sacred significance in the Old Testament as a center of true worship, it also acquired new sacred meaning in the New Testament due to the holy events occurring there, with Zion becoming a symbol of the church, which is referred to allegorically in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:6). As the focal point for New Testament worship of God, it embodies the essence of the verse being considered, meaning that to partake of wine on Mount Zion is to experience the spiritual blessings found within Christ’s Church.