There is nothing much deader than a tree stump. It sits useless in the middle of a forest just taking up space. And if a small shoot pushes out from it, we ignore it.
And, yet, it was from a dead tree stump that Almighty God brought forth the greatest source of life.
Reflecting on the origins of Jesus, the Church reads to us from the prophet 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.”
From the dead stump of Jesse, God brought forth an inconspicuous sprout. It was as nothing compared to all the great trees of the forest. Yet, it was this sprout that God chose to do his greatest work. How did he do this? By letting the Holy Spirit rest upon him. God delights in showing his power through what everyone considers weak and insignificant. And what did this Spirit of the Lord confer on the sprout from Jesse’s stump?
“…a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”
The deepest treasures of God are hidden in the gift of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. It is through these gifts of the Holy Spirit that God releases his power.
And how will this power be manifest?
“…he (the sprout) 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.”
Oh my! This apparently weak sprout shall rise up to render justice for the poor and the afflicted. He will speak a word, and his very breath shall slay the wicked.
Under his dominion an unbelievable era of peace will emerge.
“Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.”
And Eden-like harmony will cover the earth.
“…the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as waters cover the sea.”
The entire earth will be as was the Jerusalem temple—immersed in the presence and love of God.
“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.”
Those scrambling in darkness and confusion will see a light coming from God’s people andwill seek it out as the ultimate solution to life. From this tiny root of Jesse God will create a new Eden upon this earth, under the dominion of the One on whom rested his Holy Spirit.
We know that this “day” has already been fulfilled in Jesus. He came not as a powerful potentate but as a poor man, born of a young virgin, birthed in a remote cave, an insignificant man among his peers. Little did the world know that Jesus was the sprout from Jesse’s stump.
Advent is a new opportunity to surrender our lives completely to the One through whom God’s final era of peace will come. We pray that the Spirit of the Lord will rest also on us that we can play our part in God’s plan for bringing about the fullness of his Kingdom on earth, remembering that God always chooses the weakest of this world to do his greatest work.
“Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more” (Ps 72:7).
