In the 10th Chapter of Isaiah, the prophet foretells of an
Assyrian King whom God will bring against Judah. He is described as a ruler that is swinging
an axe under the direction of God. Judah
is pictured as a forest that has been mostly struck down by this axe – except
for a remnant. We picture a forested area that is mostly
chopped down and decimated, with a few stumps remaining. And then we hear these words: “There shall
come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall
bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1, ESV)
Why is Christ called the Branch of Jesse?
·
Jesse lived during the days of the prophet
Samuel. He and his family had lived in the town of Bethlehem in the territory
of Judah for several generations—at least since the time of Boaz (Ruth 2:4).
·
Jesse had at least eight sons (2Samuel
16:10-11), the youngest of which was David. God chose the sons of
David to rule over Israel and one of his sons was destined to become the King
of kings: "'Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, 'that I will raise
to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute
judgment and righteousness in the earth'" (Jeremiah
23:5).
·
Both of Jesus' human parents were of the
line of David (Matthew 1:1, 6; Luke
3:31). Before His conception, Gabriel tells Mary, "The Lord God will give Him the throne of His
father David" (Luke 1:32).
So, with no doubt, this Branch that would shoot forth from
the family of Jesse, from the ancestry of David would be none other than Jesus
Christ, born of the virgin Mary. He
would be the One who would bring salvation.
The most arresting and stunning
aspect to this prophecy of the coming of Jesus, is not just that He is the
Branch or the Shoot of Jesse (verse 1); but notice verse 10: “In that day
the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the
nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10,
ESV).
This Jesus is not only the shoot, but He's the root. Jesus is not only the child of the Messianic family,
but He is the origin of the Messianic family.
He is not only Christ; He is Creator. When the final Book of the Bible
concludes, Jesus reminds the reader that He had sent an angel to the Churches
(Revelation 2-3) with His message because He is "I am the root and
the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” [1]
For Isaiah to call Jesus both the "root" and the
"shoot" of David, is to proclaim Jesus as both God and man.
Father the mystery of
your Son’s nature is amazing. But we
thank you that it is true. Jesus is both
our God and Sovereign, but he is our mediator, our redeemer and our Priest. He hears. He sympathizes. He is Christ, the
King.
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