The Spirit and the Shoot

Posted on Jul 31, 2014 in BLOG |

Long before the birth of Jesus, the people of God looked to Isaiah for hope in a coming Messiah, someone who would come from the line of David to restore the nation of Israel to power and holiness. One of the key passages from the prophecies of Isaiah for this kind of Messianic hope was Isaiah 11:1-5:

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

Second Samuel 7:1-16 records one of the most important promises God made to the Israelites: the perpetuity of David's monarchy. Not only did God promise David that he and his immediate offspring would rule over Israel, but God also promised that David's line would sit on the throne of Israel forever. So it is no surprise, then, that when Israel started to hope for someone to come and rescue them, to restore the kingdom, that they expected this person to come from the line of David. As such, Is 11 begins with a prophecy that from the stump of Jesse (from the almost destroyed line of David) a branch would grow out to save the people of Israel.

Hundreds of years later, the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans connected Jesus to this prophecy from Isaiah by identifying Jesus as the shoot of Jesse (Rom 15:12). In following Paul, Christians have since seen Jesus as the shoot of Jesse, and rightfully so. But did we ever take the time to consider the role the Holy Spirit played in the life of Jesus? Isaiah did.

When Isaiah wrote of the coming Davidic descendant, Isaiah emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of this shoot of Jesse. This person was to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to have wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, respect for God, and with these gifts of the Spirit he would be empowered to judge, bring righteousness and equity, conquer the wicked, and be righteous and faithful. And if this shoot of Jesse is indeed Jesus, which I believe it is, then why do we not often speak of the influence the Holy Spirit had on Jesus' life and ministry? Sure we recognize that he was anointed with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, but do we neglect the ways in which the Holy Spirit could have – no, did – empower Jesus?

Certainly Jesus was wise, understanding, and full of counsel, knowledge and respect for God. Certainly Jesus brought righteousness and equity while being righteous and faithful. But did we always assume that he was and did these things by himself, forgetting that the Holy Spirit played an active role in the life of Jesus? I hope not, but I am afraid we might have neglected the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus. From this point on, then, as we reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus, let us remember that the works that Jesus did and the life that he lived was empowered by the Holy Spirit, and let us remember that the same Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to live his life abides and is active within us.