2024 Christmas Lecture 1 / Joon-eun Park

A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse

Text: Isaiah 11:1-10
Key Verse: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his
roots a Branch will bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1)
The prophet Isaiah ministered in the 8th century BC in the southern kingdom of
Judah. At that time, northern Israel and Aram formed an alliance to resist the
expanding Assyrian Empire, pressuring Judah to join their coalition. King Ahaz of
Judah refused, which led to an invasion. Isaiah delivered the word of the Lord
during this national crisis. His message warned that God’s judgment was
imminent because of Judah’s sin. Yet, he also offered hope by pointing to the
coming Messiah, the King of Peace. In Isaiah 7, he provided the sign of salvation,
urging the people to trust in Immanuel—God with us. In Isaiah 9, he foretold the
birth of a child who would come as the Prince of Peace. Within this context, Isaiah
11 declares that a shoot from the stump of Jesse would come as the King of
Salvation, ultimately establishing the kingdom of God, a kingdom of peace.
Today, our world faces external challenges like the Russo-Ukrainian war and
tensions between the United States and China, contributing to global instability.
Additionally, political crises bring uncertainty to society as a whole. In such
times, Isaiah’s prophecy about the shoot from the stump of Jesse reveals the
significance of Christ’s coming to us today. May the Lord help us understand this
message and its relevance to our lives.

I. A Shoot and a Branch (1)

Let us read Isaiah 11:1 together:
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch
will bear fruit." (1)
Jesse was the father of King David. The "shoot" and the "Branch" represent the
coming Messiah. But why does the prophecy refer to the stump of Jesse rather
than the lineage of the famous King David? This emphasizes that the Messiah
would come in humility, born into a lowly and ordinary status, just as Jesse was
not widely known.
The terms "shoot" and "Branch" signify a new sprout or tender shoot. This
imagery suggests that the Messiah’s beginning would be small, fragile, and
vulnerable, in stark contrast to the powerful, towering trees representing nations
like Assyria. The stump and roots symbolize the remnants of a tree that has been
cut down. Judah, ravaged by invading empires, was like a felled tree, reduced to
a mere stump. Yet, from this stump, a new shoot emerged, and a Branch began
to grow. This is how the kingdom of God often begins—from a seemingly
insignificant and humble remnant. What starts small and weak will ultimately
surpass all nations in strength and greatness. The Messiah, starting as a shoot
and a Branch, will ultimately bear fruit.
This Messiah is Jesus Christ, born in the small town of Bethlehem, known as "the
house of bread." His disciples were fishermen from Galilee, a region despised
even within Judea. No one gave them much attention. Yet, the kingdom of God
began there, training twelve disciples and establishing the early church. It
eventually conquered the mighty Roman Empire and divided human history into
BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, "Year of the Lord"). Above all, Jesus
solved humanity’s fundamental problems of sin and death through His crucifixion
and resurrection, bearing the fruit of salvation for all humankind.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated secularization, causing a decline in church
attendance and interrupting spiritual growth. However, according to the Korean
Church Trends 2025 report, while those with weakened faith read the Bible and
prayed less than before, those with deeper faith increased their time in these
activities. Despite the trend of weakened or abandoned faith, there is also a
movement of individuals practicing, experiencing, and sharing authentic
Christian faith. This unseen but persistent work reveals that God continues to act
through His remnant. The external "tree" of church growth may have been cut
down during COVID-19, but from its "stump," new and healthy shoots of faith are
quietly growing.
In our church, I observe this phenomenon among the next generation. I am
grateful for the quiet but steady growth of new shoots from the stump. Christ’s
work often begins like a tender shoot or branch, yet it will bear the fruit of God’s
kingdom. As we anticipate the Lord’s work in the next generation, we are called
to pray and continually supply them with God’s Word. I firmly believe and am
deeply grateful that this will result in abundant fruit among the next generation
in Christ.
2. The Spirit’s Presence on the Messiah and the Nature of His Ministry
(2-5)
Let us read verse 2 together:
"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." (2)
When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He was empowered by the Spirit of the
Lord, fulfilling His mission as the Messiah. The Holy Spirit worked in Jesus as the
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and as the Spirit of counsel and might. Here,
wisdom refers to external discernment, understanding to internal insight, counsel
to strategic planning, and might to the strength to carry out such plans.
When the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus on the issue of paying taxes to Caesar, He
wisely pointed to the image on the Roman coin and said, "Give back to Caesar
what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." This response not only distinguished
the civic responsibilities to secular authorities from the duties owed to God but
also allowed Him to escape the Pharisees’ trap. The Holy Spirit in Jesus granted
Him profound wisdom and insight into the essence of matters and people.
Moreover, Jesus was filled with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. His foremost
prayer topic was always to glorify the name of God. In all He did, Jesus
maintained unwavering reverence for the Lord. His fear of God expressed His
deep love and respect for the Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as He faced
the agony of the cross and the anguish of being forsaken for humanity’s sins, He
surely wished to avoid such suffering. However, through fervent prayer, Jesus
surrendered His will and obeyed the Father, demonstrating profound reverence
for Him.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus’ works were not the result of human ability
but of being filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered by divine strength. His mission
to preach the gospel, heal, and liberate has now been entrusted to the church
and to us. When we attempt to continue His work, we quickly find that our
abilities and wisdom are limited, and our weaknesses make the task impossible.
However, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can fulfill this mission.
To be filled with the Spirit, we must first stand firmly on the truth of God’s Word,
being guided by the Spirit of truth. We must also live lives of obedience, not
resisting the Spirit’s leading. Furthermore, we must pray earnestly, holding onto
the promise that God will pour out the Holy Spirit on those who ask.

How did Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, carry out His messianic
ministry?
First, He found joy in fearing the Lord.
"He will delight in the fear of the Lord." (3a)
The term "delight" in verse 3 originally means to breathe in with the nose, akin
to enjoying a pleasing fragrance. This goes beyond mere emotional joy; it
signifies centering one’s life and satisfaction in God. Despite His busy public
ministry, Jesus always prioritized deep communion with God through prayer,
being spiritually renewed. He found joy in obeying the Father and doing what
pleased Him, glorifying God in the process.
Second, Jesus valued the essence of people over outward appearances.
Look at verses 3b and 4:
"He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he
hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth." (3b-4a)
Jesus judged righteously, ensuring that the wealthy were not favored and the
poor were not dismissed. He opposed the proud and assessed the humble with
fairness. On one occasion, a poor widow offered two very small copper coins as
an offering. The sound of the coins revealed their meager value, and some
mocked her small contribution. Yet, Jesus commended her, knowing she had
given all she had.
Third, He judged the world with His Word.
"He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of
his lips he will slay the wicked." (4b)
The rod of His mouth and the breath of His lips symbolize Jesus’ judgment of the
world through His Word. When religious leaders criticized His disciples for eating
without washing their hands, Jesus defended them, saying, "Nothing outside a
person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a
person that defiles them." By this statement, Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the
religious leaders while revealing God’s truth.
As the eternal Word of God, Jesus rebuked hypocrisy and falsehood with divine
truth. He will return as the Judge, ultimately using His Word to condemn the
sinful world.

Look at verse 5:
"Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his
waist." (5)
As we have seen, Jesus actively upheld righteousness during His earthly ministry,
always ready and faithful in fulfilling His messianic role. May we grow into
prepared servants who know the Lord’s will and willingly dedicate ourselves to
His work, just as Jesus did.
3. The Kingdom Ruled by Christ (6-10)
What will the Messianic kingdom look like when Christ returns and establishes it
in its fullness?
It will be a world of peaceful coexistence. Let us read verses 6-7 together:
"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. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down
together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox." (6-7)
In the kingdom ruled by Jesus, we see a harmonious world where wolves and
lambs live together, and leopards rest with young goats, using them as pillows.
Calves, young lions, and fattened animals graze peacefully, following a little child
who leads them. Cows and bears become friends, sharing companionship, while
their young lie down together. Lions chew straw just like oxen. The predators’
nature is transformed, and herbivores view former predators as friends, creating
an unimaginable world of peace.
Currently, the world we live in is ruled by the law of the jungle, where the strong
prey on the weak. This is true not only in the animal kingdom but also in human
society. However, in the future kingdom ruled by Jesus, aggression among the
strong will disappear, and the weak will no longer live in fear. A world of
complete peace and Shalom will be established, where all creation exists
together in harmony.
Let us look at verses 8-9a:
"The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put
its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all
my holy mountain." (8-9a)
In the kingdom of God to come, there will be no harm or destruction anywhere. A
baby will play near a cobra’s den, and even if a child puts their hand into a
viper’s nest, the snake will simply lick the child’s hand or tickle them. (It seems
pediatricians may not be needed anymore!) The barriers and fears between
humans and animals will disappear, creating a world where even snakes are
harmless.
The future kingdom ruled by Jesus will be a place of peace and coexistence, free
of hostility and conflict. No one will harm or injure others.
How is such a world possible? Let us read verse 9b together:
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea." (9b)
The holy mountain refers to the kingdom of Christ to come. This kingdom will be
filled with the knowledge of the Lord, just as waters cover the sea.
How can we gain the knowledge of the Lord? We can only know God through
Jesus. When we come to know Jesus personally, we gain the knowledge of the
Lord. His love, mercy, and forgiveness transform our nature. In the movie
Freedom, John Newton, a ruthless slave ship captain, encountered the gospel
and came to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus on the cross. He began to
understand and care for the plight of enslaved people and even worked to help
those suffering escape their oppression.
Similarly, when we come to know Jesus, we abandon pride, division, and strife,
and we find joy in His humility, sacrifice, and service. If we long for the kingdom
of God, it must begin with knowing Jesus.
The peace and coexistence of God’s kingdom are not limited to the future. The
church, as a gathering of people who confess Jesus as Lord and King, can reflect
the attributes of the kingdom now. When peace and healing are present within
our church community, we can taste and experience God’s kingdom in advance.
The church is like an outpost of the kingdom of God, a colony of heaven on earth.
When we are filled with the knowledge of Jesus, His kingdom will be revealed
more fully through us.
"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the
nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious." (10)
The nations will come to our church, and Jesus will be glorified. However, if we
are filled with conflict and strife, no human effort will be effective. Instead of
rushing to increase numbers, we should focus on learning Jesus’ love and
character to become a true community of peace.

Reflecting on my own life as a layperson, how have I lived in this survival-of-the-

fittest world? I can summarize it with one phrase: the grace of Jesus’ incarnation.
There were times when I felt I was treated unfairly or suffered loss. Often, I
avoided conflicts or disputes—not because I was noble, but because I lacked the
courage and eloquence to argue effectively. During those times, I turned to Jesus.
The hymn Away in a Manger has often been my comfort:
"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet
head..."
Many times, I could not sing past this point because of tears. Jesus, though God,
emptied Himself to fulfill the Father’s will, coming to this earth where there was
no room for Him, not even in an inn. He was born in a manger where animals
stayed, humbling Himself endlessly. Had He insisted on His rights, He could have
been born in a fine hotel. Instead, He chose the lowest place and walked the path
of humility without complaint.
Knowing that He humbled Himself to become my Savior fills me with gratitude
that can only be expressed through tears. Whenever I faced challenges,
reflecting on His humility and incarnation healed my wounds and enabled me to
rise again. Most importantly, these experiences brought me closer to Jesus,
giving me strength to follow Him despite any loss. Though I am weak and lacking
in resolve, I love Jesus, who took on my sins and humbled Himself to the point of
death on a cross. Lord, help me to remember the grace of Your incarnation until
Your kingdom of peace is fully realized. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Conclusion
Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the shoot from the root of
Jesse, who came to us as a child. Since Adam’s sin, human history has been
marked by relentless conflict, division, and war. However, Christ came to begin
God’s kingdom and allowed us to taste true peace through His church, which He
will one day complete in its fullness.
We are called to reveal the kingdom’s attributes here on earth. Let us humbly
submit to His rule and build communities of peace so that Jesus Christ may be
glorified. Amen.