Today we hear another of those wonderful prophesies of Isaiah (Is 11:1-10). His vision of a world free of any kind of violence and division holds out hope to a people overwhelmed by conflict and danger. Paul notes: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom 15:4-9) The Jews before and after Jesus were and are a people of hope, which considering what has happened to them, and been done to them, is a remarkable sign of faith and endurance.
For us as Christians our hope is embodied in a particular person, Jesus. We read Isaiah’s words as pointing directly to Jesus. He brings about that perfect world. But, as we noted last week, a prophesy calls us to action, it’s not foretelling something that will be done to us. In this world we have a responsibility. Paul goes on to explain: May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another… Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you.
John the Baptist was much more direct: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:1-12) He laid into the Pharisees and Sadducees: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ He recognized how far they had fallen away from that world of justice that the House of Jesse, the line of David, had introduced to them. In their world the wolf and the lamb, the lion and the kid, the ox and the bear, were not friends. They were not big on welcoming anyone they disagreed with.
Bad news for the Pharisees and Sadducees I guess. But Matthew is not repeating this story for the benefit of Pharisees and Sadducees – they had already been swept away in the destruction of the Temple. He is telling it for our benefit. John’s call to repent goes out to the new class of those who consider themselves holy, righteous, blessed. Maybe “brood of vipers” is a bit strong, but “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We are good Catholics’” is still just as relevant.
Whether we’re looking forward or backwards to Jesus doesn’t matter. Are we contributing to a world in which there is no harm or ruin on all the holy mountain, and the earth is filled with knowledge of the LORD? Do we welcome one another, however unlikely the pairings? Will we share our lives, our space, with anyone, however different they seem, however fearful of them we may be, however incapable we may think they are? That is the challenge of all the prophesies, from Isaiah to John, from St Vincent de Paul to Mother Teresa. Christmas gives us the hope that with Jesus at our side we can do this, we can be true to the prophesy of Isaiah.