About John the Baptist, we hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

 A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths . . .”

We are reminded of what the role of the prophet is supposed to be.  He is not part of the Psychic Friends Hotline; he does not bear a crystal ball or cry out the winning lottery numbers.  The prophet does not predict future events so that we know what is coming.  His purpose is to help us to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His paths.  

We see this particularly in the Gospel of Matthew, where we read over 20 times the phrase, or something similar to, “this occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken of by the prophet.”  Matthew’s purpose is to recall the words of the prophets so that we would be able to recognize the Messiah when He arrived.

Not only do they help us to recognize Him, but the Prophet points out the way of the Lord. It’s through Isaiah that we learn of the suffering servant and are told that the Christ must be handed over and give his life as the One sacrifice for us.  They remind us how He works.

The Prophet sets us back on the Way when we have fallen away.  Elijah calls the people of Israel back from the idolatry of false gods, to the One True God; Hosea calls us back to the proper treatment of the helpless and impoverished.  In other words, the Prophet’s goal is to restore our relationship with God through wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Something to remember the next time you recall the marks of your own baptism as Priest, Prophet and King.