At important points of the Church's liturgical year, such as Advent and Good Friday, we turn instinctively to the Prophet Isaiah to help us understand the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth. In doing so, the Church is following the example of Jesus himself. On two critical occasions in his life, Jesus turned to Isaiah to encourage the people to understand him and the mission he had to accomplish. The first of these occasions was in the synagogue at Nazareth: he read a passage from Isaiah 61 and told the people that this passage was fulfilled in him as he stood in their presence that day (Luke 4).

The second occasion was when John the Baptist in prison sent two disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for someone else?" Jesus did not directly reply but invited the two disciples to reflect on their experience: "What have you seen and heard?" to help them reflect on his miracles, Jesus used Isaiah's words.

Jesus found his vocation and mission in the great vision of Isaiah: contrary to all human expectations, God would not save us through great power and strength but through a Suffering Servant.