Isaiah says: “Here is your God … he comes to save you” (Is 35:1-6a, 10)
Words like these have doubtless been used at many times in many different situations. The psalm we use today says “The Lord God keeps faith forever, … The Lord shall reign forever”. (Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10)
John the Baptist channels that hope of Isaiah and the Psalmist when he looks for the coming of God at the time of Jesus (Mt 11:2-11). John has the opportunity to check with Jesus directly, and Jesus plays back the words of Isaiah to assure John that he is indeed the presence of God in the world, come to save.
Jesus also recognizes the importance of John’s role. He recognizes him as “the greatest of the prophets”. But Jesus goes on to say something more, something about us. Jesus says “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (John)”.
The time of prophecy has come to an end, the time of the kingdom has arrived. We who live in the kingdom, with the knowledge of God’s presence, have a certainty and a clarity that none of the prophets, none of the psalmists, not Isaiah, and not even John the Baptist had. We have already received the answer that John had to ask for. It came in our Baptism, in the Spirit that was given to us, that Jesus left us as the guarantee of his presence: “the Spirit of truth … will be in you.” (Jn 14:17) John knows he is already being overtaken, as we heard in the Gospel last week: “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I … He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.” (Mt 3:11)
As James points out (Jas 5:7-10), we still need patience as the presence of God works itself out in our lives, as we make our little contribution to that kingdom. The kingdom in which all those who are damaged in the eyes of the world – blind, lame, outcast – they are seen as perfect. And as we participate, in whatever way, in preaching this good news.
The reality of which we remind ourselves at Christmas is that we are now certain that God is with us, that he came among us, that he has saved us. We don’t even need to go out into the desert to see this, to find a prophet – it is brought to us in every gift, in every kind word, in every peaceful thought that we share this Christmas.