The Stump of Jesse
Isaiah 11:1-3
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
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—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
The idea of a Jesse tree is to remember not just the story of Christ’s birth, but the promise of a Messiah in the book of Genesis and the unfolding of that promise throughout all of Scripture. Each ornament on the tree represents the story of a person who pointed others to the coming Messiah. In Isaiah 11:1 we read, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse was the father of David, Israel’s greatest king. And it was from David’s lineage that Jesus came. That’s where the idea of using a Jesse Tree to celebrate Advent came from. As we read these Scriptures throughout Advent, we remember that Jesus came to us from God through a human family for the whole world. Jesus has come to us, and Jesus will come again.
Isaiah wrote this prophecy during the time of the Assyrian captivity – a time of hardship and despair for many Israelites. God gave Isaiah a message of hope for Israel. God had not abandoned his people! A shoot would come from the stump of Jesse! A branch from his roots would bear fruit! It would be the Messiah, come to redeem His people.
Throughout this season of advent, consider the ways that God uses diverse and broken people - from different backgrounds, genders, ages, and ethnicities - to point us towards Jesus. Who has God used to point you towards Jesus? Who might God be calling you to help people towards Jesus?
Prayer
Thank God for the gift of Scripture and the ways that God has used diverse and broken people throughout history to point others back to Him. Ask God to open your eyes to the ways that you can help point other people to Jesus in this season.