When I look out of my window across the wide eastern horizon, one particular tree always stands out. It towers above the rest with its canopy alternately green, golden and sparse depending on the season. I love that tree. It makes me lift up my eyes and brings me joy. One day, most likely long before I was born, that tree was a tiny sapling, going unnoticed by those passing by. In a few more seasons its trunk was growing thicker, and its canopy was spreading wider. Nothing yet has stopped that tree from being what it is or stopped it from pursuing its reach to the sky.
When Isaiah spoke about that shoot coming from Jesse, he was forecasting a great truth about our wonderful Messiah.
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
As much as I love that tree on my horizon, I love even more our fruitful Savior Jesus Christ. His earthly work, started as a tiny sapling, has become a great tree of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, righteousness, justice, faithfulness, and peace and continues to branch out all over the world. The difference between my tree and Jesus Christ? His life will never cease, and he gives life to all who would receive it!
Amen
© M.R.Hyde 2021
