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Jesus, The Branch

(background to ch. 11 and the concept of comparing Jesus to a Branch)
So far we have looked at the introduction to Isaiah including chapter 1 of Isaiah, and we have examined Isaiah’s call by God in Chapter 6. From now on we will look at the many ways Isaiah chooses to describe the Messiah in his prophetic book. The first word picture we will examine is Isaiah’s description of Messiah as a “branch” or “shoot.”
To understand this word picture we first need to understand that the Bible pictures Israel, the nation, with the symbol of a grape vine or an olive tree (picture).  Both pictures were used throughout the Bible and are still in use today in the nation of Israel. 
Why those symbols? 
Most likely it is because both symbols represent plants that must be tended by a caretaker to be fruitful. Even though a grape vine can grow wild, the most productive grape vines with the most delicious grapes must have the attention of a vine dresser.
Isaiah includes this picture in chapter 5 often called the “Song of the vineyard.” Though we don’t have time to deal with chapter 5 today, I will point out that the message of the parable of the vineyard is that the chosen vine must produce fruit or else it will be cut down. Israel had focused on their privilege and had forgotten their purpose. Therefore, because they were barren as a grape vine, they were about to be cut out and rooted up.
We don’t always know why disaster comes our way, but in the case of Isaiah’s prophecies he goes into detail about the sins of Israel. He explains in some detail why the Assyrians and later on the Babylonians would be used as a tool to root out Israel’s evils. The choice vine in Isaiah 5 is dug up and left to die.
And at any rate, by the end of Isaiah chapter 10 both Israel and Assyria lie on the ground like felled trees, but the promise is given that the tree of Israel will sprout again. The purpose of this word picture is to show that the Messiah will have a small and humble beginning (shoot, branch, rod, root ) like a cutting taken off of a dying plant, but after a humble start he will grow into the mightiest ruler the world has ever known.
The Symbol of the Root, is also found in the New Testament three times :
Romans 15:12 New King James Version
12 And again, Isaiah says:
“There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”
Revelation 5:5 New King James Version
5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
Revelation 22:16 New King James Version
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
The word “branch” is the Hebrew word “netser” which means a sprout, shoot”. 
Isaiah 53:2 New King James Version
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
We notice the symbol of a “root out of dry ground”. We see this in Matthew.  
Matthew 2:23 New King James Version
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew apparently paraphrases in summary form the words of several prophets. The paraphrase is based on Jesus’ boyhood home, Nazareth, and a similar-sounding Hebrew word netser, which is translated as “sprout,” “shoot,” or “branch.” 

1. HIS ROOTS: ISAIAH 11:1-3
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 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 of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

What is the source of the root? 
The ROOT – source – of this Messiah is the SPIRIT OF THE LORD. Jesus is both the ROOT and the BRANCH because he is God who came to earth as Messiah.
The comparison here is with the barren vine of Israel which is cut down and uprooted. But from the stem of Jesse (humble beginnings from David’s father who was a humble sheep herder) comes a branch (shoot) that will take root and fill all the world with fruit (With the coming of the Messiah we will discover that what Israel could not or would not accomplish, the coming Messiah will fulfill)
Most of chapter 11 of Isaiah is about the empowerment of the Messiah as Millennial ruler.
He is endowed and empowered with the 7-fold ministry of the Spirit of God 
(John 1:33 designates Jesus as the one chosen of God) 
John 1:32-34 NKJV
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
And from Isaiah 11:2-3 we know that the “fear of the Lord” is the foundation of sound government. 
And maybe, just maybe that’s why our country is in the state that it is in. 
Some may wonder why it says, “from the stem of Jesse.”? Why not mention David, the great king who was the son of Jesse? The most likely reason is that Jesse, David’s father, was a humble sheep herder. Jesse was unlikely root-stock for a great king, let alone, the greatest king who will ever rule on the earth. The “Rod from the stem of Jesse” is evidence of God’s handiwork, and reveals just like the apostle Paul said in 
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 New Living Translation
27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
The picture of the shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse lets us in on the way God often chooses to work. He allows things to start small from seemingly weak and inauspicious beginnings. From these small beginnings great things are built by the intervention of the mighty God. This way no one can boast in the fleshly effort of any puny human. Jesus alluded to this principle when he said that the kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that starts out almost microscopic in size but grows into a tree big enough for birds to perch in. 
Matthew 13:31-32 New Living Translation
31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”
It pleases God to do mighty things using seemingly small tools, and the shoot from the stump of Jesse is the sign of new life coming from the ruins of the Nation of Israel. Those who were about to be carried away into captivity needed to know that God was not through with his chosen people. Though they had sinned, God still had wonderful plans for the righteous remnant among them.
2. HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: ISAIAH 11:3-5
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
When Messiah takes over the millennial kingdom, he won’t be judging on the basis of what he sees with his eyes or hears with his ears, but on the basis of perfect knowledge and wisdom. 
That is important for those who have learned the hard way that justice is hard to come by here in this world. All kinds of unfair things happen, wrongs are seldom righted, and if someone attempts to do so they just wind-up wronging someone else. 
(Like affirmative action in which someone is still bypassed for a place in a school or a position for a job, it’s just that our wise government has chosen to find new people to mistreat, and somehow that makes it all fair.)
4 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 slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
The BRANCH rules in perfect Righteousness
The Character of Messiah’s rule (Justice, righteousness, faithfulness). His powerful rod (vs. 4) is used to strike down the wicked. 
Revelation 19:15 New Living Translation
15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.
Every four years or so we are reminded that we are a democracy because we go through elections where we hear politicians making promises they rarely keep, and berating the opposing party as though they were a plague and a blight upon our nation. The main thing we notice is that no matter who wins the election, we never seem to arrive at the utopian dream the politicians paint before Election Day. Let’s face it, no political regime up till now has figured everything out or solved all our problems.
We do hear, however, that when Messiah rules he will rule in perfect righteousness, perfect justice, and perfect faithfulness. 
3. HIS REIGN: ISAIAH 11:6-9
Isaiah goes on to describe the Messiah’s Reign (the Millenium – Heaven) – 
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
The Conditions during the Millennial reign: 
Unparalleled peace and safety – a return to paradise where even infants and children are safe. 
He says more in Isaiah 65:20-25 
We see that evil and corruption will not be tolerated in the future age. The whole earth will know the Lord and what He requires.
The statements about wild animals and tame animals living together along with little children in complete harmony, the carnivores becoming herbivores, may sound idyllic, but allows us to know what God’s plan was from the beginning, and what kind of power the King of Kings will have in the millennial kingdom. The situation between animals and animals, between animals and mankind, and within mankind will be a vast improvement over the status quo. 
The ability to live in a world of peace, tranquility, and safety sounds too good to be true, but we have NEVER experienced life under the King of Kings yet. After mankind has had ages to attempt to do things man’s way, God will finally intervene and do what humans could never accomplish no matter how much effort they put into it. It may sound too good to be true for many, but I am anxious to see Messiah prove that it can be done. I say, bring it on!
4. HIS REMNANT: ISAIAH 11:10-16
10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”
11 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the islands of the sea.
12 He will set up a banner for the nations,
And will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
And gather together the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
13 Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart,
And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they shall plunder the people of the East;
They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;
And the people of Ammon shall obey them.
15 The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River,
And strike it in the seven streams,
And make men cross over dry-shod.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people
Who will be left from Assyria,
As it was for Israel
In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.
The Remnant --- those who remain true to God --- will be drawn to the Branch like to a Banner.
These verses show how the people will be gathered to the “Holy Mountain” Where Messiah will rule. Both Gentiles (vs. 10) and Jews (11-16) will be gathered together.
The “root” is lifted up as a banner to all nations and gentiles are invited to participate in the kingdom (Is. 2:2-4) 

And in verse 11 we see the remnant coming from all four directions and the phrase “second time” seen as a gathering after a scattering possibly pointing to how Israel has been re-gathered in the past 50 years or so.
Is. 9:21 shows a Genuine Unity in Israel, Instead of war between northern and southern kingdoms as in 8th century B.C. there will be genuine unity. And in 9:12 we see victory instead of defeat.
We also see the political domination of Israel in Isaiah 60:12, and in vs. 15-16 the return of the remnant. 
The Euphrates river dried up for the construction of a Highway to Jerusalem (Rev. 16:2, Is. 57:14, Is. 62:10)
All of this lets us know how glorious the kingdom of the great king will be. Some of what is said in the last verses of chapter 11 are rather hard to figure out. I’m not sure what the significance is of the drying up of the Euphrates River to make a highway, although I do know that the Medes and Persians dammed up and diverted the Euphrates River in order to come under the walls of Babylon in order to defeat Darias and the Babylonians. Whether this is a prophecy concerning that event I cannot say.
I can, however, say that this will be a glorious time for the Jews and all who are servants of the great king. The root of Jesse will lift up his own banner and draw all mankind to himself. Meanwhile, the banner lifted up today by the root of Jesse is the banner of the cross. Jesus, dying on the cross, was his own banner. And lifted up on the cross, he draws men and women from every nation unto himself. Jesus himself is our banner; we don’t need any other.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus is the Branch. We are called to be like Jesus, so it shouldn’t surprise us that we also are compared to Branches.
Abiding in the Vine – 
John 15:1-17
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Not only is Jesus our banner, As the branch or shoot or root from the stump of Jesse, Jesus has now become (to us) the vine. The symbol that represented Israel in the Old Testament now represents the Messiah himself. He is the great vine that grew as a tender shoot from the stump of Jesse. And as the great vine he let us know in John 15 that we are the branches in that same vine. As we stay connected to that vine we derive life, health, and fruitfulness. Abiding in the vine gives us life; apart from him we are nothing.
Jesus encourages us to stay connected to him because that connection brings to us life. Otherwise we are cut off, discarded and burned. Jesus is the branch from the stump of Jesse that has grown into a lush vine. 
Are you connected and staying connected to that vine? 
That is your purpose as branches.