Advent

A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 11:1-10

On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Have you ever wondered why we hear this reading every year during Advent? Who is Jesse? What does this passage mean?

Scripture tells us that Jesse lived in Bethlehem, belonged to the tribe of Judah and had eight sons, the youngest was named David.

Some of you may recall the moment when David was recognized by the prophet Samuel as the chosen one by God to be the King of Israel. Samuel visited Jesse and Jesse presented all of his sons to him, except David, the youngest, who was out in the fields tending sheep. Samuel asked Jesse to call his youngest son. As soon as David entered the house, Samuel knew he was the chosen one, so he anointed him.

Two weeks ago on the Feast of Christ the King I spoke of the importance of King David, that God promised David that one of his descendants would always rule over Israel. This descendant of David is Jesus, the Son of David, the promised Messiah who rules as king over all the world.

Isaiah’s prophecy we heard today reveals once again God’s promise. Imagine a stump, the lifeless remain of a tree that is useless, except perhaps for sitting down and enjoying a little rest. Isaiah says that from that seemingly lifeless stump will somehow sprout a shoot, a little plant will emerge from the stump and even the roots of the stump will blossom. This lifeless stump will become beautiful.

Picture that in your mind: a brown, rough and rugged stump with a fragile and gentle green growth coming out from the top. An unlikely sight.

Isaiah speaks of a specific stump though, the stump of Jesse, the father of King David. He is saying that from a seemingly lifeless stump of Jesse will emerge something beautiful. What is going on?

Isaiah is giving hope to Israel. He is saying that from the seemingly lifeless line of King David, which at the time of Isaiah was in danger due to the division and invasion of the kingdom, would arise someone to restore life and beauty to the stump. This shoot that sprouts from the stump of Jesse is Jesus Christ, a descendant of Jesse and David, Jesus Christ who is part of Jesse’s family tree.

Isaiah prophecies that the spirit of the Lord will rest upon this shoot, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength. This shoot will judge and decide, it will be all powerful and all peoples will come to it. This new growth that emerges will bring about a paradise-like creation.

Isaiah’s prophecy foretells the coming of Jesus, the shoot of Jesse’s stump that brings life and destroys death. Christ to whom all peoples and nations come. Christ who brings peace and reconciliation.

The unlikely shoot on a stump will cause unlikely things to happen: the wolf will be the guest of the lamb, a baby will play with a poisonous cobra and other images we heard proclaimed. Isaiah describes the reconciliation that Jesus Christ brings between us and God and between human beings. With the grace of Jesus Christ, nothing is impossible, with his presence enemies become friends. This is what Isaiah describes with these surprising combinations of animals.

Isaiah used an effective and rich symbol when speaking of Jesse’s stump. He painted a picture of the promise God made to David and how it would be fulfilled.