Photo by Eilis Garvey on Unsplash
In the passage that we are diving into this week, we are given a list of Jesus’ family lineage. Don’t you wonder why Luke did this? I know I do. Well, I am sure Carson will tell us (no pressure Carson), and maybe he can tell us why Luke dedicates space to this topic three chapters in when Matthew starts his book with a genealogy. Once again, no pressure.
But I want to start here with this: We confess that Jesus is eternal. We confess that Jesus made everything, and through Him everything was made. We confess that Jesus is the one who secured salvation for the lost with His death and resurrection.
So, if all this is true of Jesus, then why do we care that Jesus holds this family tree? What does it do for our faith? Does it help our hearts and minds understand salvation more? How does it help us find security in the eternal.
I know…lots of questions. This is how my brain works, and I am sure you all now feel sorry for my husband because I never stop with the questions! But I digress.
Here is what I want to do; I want to think on what was foretold about the descendant of David. To do this, I want to look at one passage in the Old Testament, look to Jesus in the New Testament, observe the links and the fulfillments of God’s promises, and glorify the Trinity. To do this in the short space given, I want us to look at a promise about the stump of Jesse:
Isaiah 11 (below are excerpts):
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD… 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor.. and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth… 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins… 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Let’s now go to the New Testament and look at Revelation, 22:16-17:
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Jesus refers to Himself as the “root” and “the descendant of David.” As the eternal Son, He is the root, the origin of the house of David; as a born man, He is also a descendant of David. He, as the root of David’s family, is the eternal Son that made all things; as the descendant of David, He is a man of flesh that came and walked this earth.
Isaiah said Jesus would have the Spirit of the Lord rest upon Him and that He would delight in the Lord. He also would come to judge, and His resting place would be glorious. If we tie those words from Isaiah to what Jesus spoke in Revelation, then we can see how the root of Jesse invites us to “come.” Come if we are thirsty; come if we desire the water of life; come knowing that we can take part in it without price.
Jesus came to judge, to strike the world with His word, and to invite us to be with Him. He wants us to come. He wants us to dwell with him in “his resting place (that) shall be glorious.” This leads me to my favorite question: “WHY?”
Why did He invite me? Why did He want me to come? What about me draws out the deep love and grace of Christ? The short answer is nothing. It isn’t about me; it’s about Him and the promise that He would “stand as a signal to all peoples- of him shall the nations inquire.” He is the promised Son of David, the promised root of Jesse, the promised one that the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon. In those promises, we are invited to “Come.” Come and see; come and taste; come and rest; come and find the water of life. And we find all of this “without price.”
We looked at the Scriptures and saw how Jesus fulfilled them, so this should move us to glorify the Trinity. Our salvation is based on the promises of God; Christ has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and will fulfill these promises; the Spirit beckons us to come. What a wondrous invitation we have received at no cost to us. So how do we glorify God in light of this truth? Let us do that by seeking to imitate Christ, specifically in the way He is described in Isaiah 11: as one whose” delight is in the fear of the Lord.” I pray we delight in the truth and assurance of Christ. He is the eternal Son of God and the descendant of David-fully God and fully man- and our one true hope for this life.
