My focus today is on Isaiah, chapter 11, with a
special emphasis on verse 1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of
Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go
to the house of the Lord.’”[i]
Now that our feet are standing within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word.
As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love
deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Have you ever coppiced? Some of us have coppiced, but
are afraid to admit it. People who know how to coppice can make a good living
at it. Before you get the wrong idea – to coppice means to cut back in order to
regrow.
A traditional method of woodland management coppicing enables
new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. You cut the tree stems to about
ground level so that new shoots can grow. Then the coppiced tree is ready to be
harvested, and the cycle begins again.[ii]
Willow trees are the most popular because of their
rapid regeneration.[iii]
I have unwanted coppiced trees in my back yard. Some of you have them too. You
cut the tree down to a stump, and shoots sprout from the roots. If you want to get
rid of unwanted coppiced trees, drill holes in the stump, pour in potassium
nitrate and burn them.
Stump growth is quite familiar to Oklahomans and
Israelites. Therefore, it is quite logical that when prophesying about the
Messiah, Isaiah’s prophecy uses a familiar image. Shoots sprout from stumps and
roots bear fruit. However, before examining the prophet’s message, we explore
how John the Baptist practiced coppicing along the Jordan River 700 years
later.
John called people to “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is near.” He echoed Isaiah’s words: “Prepare the way for the Lord.”
Repentant sinners prepared through baptism.
Those too proud for repentance and baptism faced the
ax and fire. As the homeowner of a wooded lot, I know exactly the meaning of
John’s words, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does
not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” I
used a chainsaw before I threw dead trees and rotten stumps into the fire.
Coppicing or cutting down makes room for new growth in
forest or field, in ministry or the military. Being cut down or just being cut
down to size is humbling and even humiliating. The problem of the Pharisees and
Sadducees chastised by John was that they lacked humility, and would not
repent. John cut down unrepentant sinners who produced no fruit. His message
was much like Isaiah who cried, “The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted.”[iv]
Like John, Isaiah called people to prepare for the Day
of the Lord. And so, we return to Isaiah to see how stump growth is related to
messianic prophecy.
When God called Isaiah to be a prophet, an angel flew
to him with a live coal from the altar. The angel touched the prophet’s mouth
and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin
atoned for.”[v]
Isaiah then heard the voice of God reveal how His people would be captured and His
land wasted. Yet, God promised, “But as the terebinth and oak leave
stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the
land.”[vi]
The holy seed will be the stump in the land. … Isaiah
maintains this divinely inspired stump growth image throughout his preaching.
In today’s opening verse, he states, “A shoot will come up from the stump of
Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Jesse, the father of
King David, is an ancestor of Jesus. “Son of David” is a biblical term that
refers to the Messiah. Thus, the shoot that grows out of the stump of Jesse is
the Lord Jesus.[vii]
Isaiah prophesied the Spirit will rest on the Christ,
the Messiah. He then describes some aspects of this Promised Messiah. The
Spirit will endow Him with wisdom and power, and other gifts; and the poor and
needy, He will judge with righteousness. …
You say, “That’s all quite nice,
but what does a 2,700 year-old messianic prophecy have to do with Christian
living in 21st century America? What message do Isaiah and John
leave for us today?” Two words: WAKE UP!!!
Following Christ today is more arduous than clearing a wooded lot, more
humbling than basic training in God’s Army. For the mature Christian, following
Christ means humiliation, death and new growth. In other words, Christian
discipleship involves constant wakeup calls.
An example. Eight years ago this month, my friend, Doctor William Katz, clinical
director of echocardiography at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s
Heart and Vascular Institute, informed me that my mother had between two months
and two years to live. At the time, I was serving as a pastor and hospital
chaplain in Eureka, California. I asked Bill, “Do you think I should come back?” His one-sentence wakeup call
was, “If it were my mother, I would.” Sometimes,
following Christ involves not only moving, but also moving out of your comfort
zone. Moving from Northwest California to Southwestern Pennsylvania changed my
lifestyle and added new responsibilities. Being mom’s primary caregiver changed
me, but left me with no regrets.
A more compelling example is from Congressman Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania.
I met Mike, a member of Word of God Church, when I served as a pastor there in
the mid-90’s. One Sunday morning when he spoke to our men’s group, a member of
the church asked Mike how his life changed since he was elected to Congress. Mike
response was this.
“As a congressman, you receive a lot
of invitations to speak to people. In the first six months, I accepted every
request. During the week, I lived and worked in Washington. On weekends, I
spoke to groups throughout the district. Then, one Saturday morning I was sitting
at the kitchen table with my wife, drinking coffee and reading
the paper, when she asked, “How
long are you going to do this congress thing?” Putting down the paper, I
responded, “What do you mean?” My
wife said, “I want to know how long
you’re going to do this because I want to know when I’m going to get my husband
back, when the kids will get their father back, and when we will be a family
again.”
Mike said, “It was like getting
smacked between the eyes with a 2x4.” He continued. “I informed my staff that I would take no more Saturday requests.” Mike,
who attends church faithfully and participates in a congressional prayer group,
learned that the mature Christian sometimes needs a humble smack between the
eyes with the proverbial 2x4 in order to make necessary changes to save his
marriage and family, to coppice in order to enable new growth.
… Advent is that sobering time when Christians eagerly anticipate the
coming of Christ – as an infant on December 25th and as glorious
Lord and Judge on a date yet unknown. As that Day of the Lord nears, we have to
ask ourselves three questions. First, am I prepared to repent or cut back in
order to bear fruit? As I prepare for Christmas, what area of my life do I need
to cut to regenerate new growth? If the Holy Spirit could coppice my life, how
would that benefit the people closest to me? How would basic training in the
Lord’s army humble me and make a better Christian out of me? Instead of
watching Sports Center, can I spend more time pondering God’s Word? Am I
willing to share more time with my spouse and family and less time on Facebook?
Second, am I willing to forgive because I have been forgiven? As we
receive invitations to holiday parties and family dinners, is there someone
with whom I need to make amends? You know that person – the one who owes you
rent because he occupies so much time in your head and even causes you to sin
in thought. Am I as arrogant as a Pharisee on Jordan’s Bank that I need not
reconcile? Who have I not forgiven as the Lord has forgiven me?
Finally, do I love with abandon – because God will never abandon us? Do I
express my excitement like a puppy? Whenever we come home from work, maybe the
spouse or kids do not get excited and run to greet us, but the family dog does
and makes us feel like a million bucks because they live totally in the
present. … God lives totally in the present. Every time God sees me, he gets
excited and runs like some old fool to greet me with hugs and kisses (Luke
15:20). Do I love like that? Do I love with abandon? If not, perhaps the
biggest change we can make is to love God and neighbor with abandon knowing
that God will never abandon us.
As we await the Day of the Lord, may
the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7). Amen.
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