The Shoot; The Branch!

The Shoot; The Branch!

Isaiah 11:1 AMPC

[1] AND THERE shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David's father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit.

We come back again to the prophecy of the man Isaiah, who lived at least 700 years before the physical manifestation of the man Jesus. This verse is another window into the mind of God and His plans for mankind. Man had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the only way for man to be fully reconciled to God was for a perfect sacrifice for sin to be paid by blood. The scene of man's first sin was also the scene for God's first pronouncement about the plan for the salvation of all mankind. It took quite a while, and many prophecies about this plan was given across the ages by God to different people, but many of them never lived to see the manifestation of that gift. It took quite a while, but like all things that God does, His Word can never be broken. His Word is His bond, and He will suspend any principle or practice that stands in the way of His Word. 

We read of 2 descriptions of this gift: SHOOT and BRANCH. These descriptions speak of things that indicate life, growth and impact. A plant's shoot is that part of the plant that grows above ground and includes the stem, leaves, buds, and flowers. From the verse above, Jesse was just the channel, but we got the shoot that has come from the house of Jesse to bless the whole world. The stem, leaves, buds and flowers that have grown out of this shoot have come to be blessings to the whole world. Think of the impact of a life that was given more than 2,000 years ago, and till now, continues to change lives. Think of the love of a God who had no guarantees that everyone will accept the gift, but He still gave it anyway. Think of a love that was given to all men, and till now, the fruit of that gift continues to change lives. That is generational impact. 

The Branch is also fundamental to plants, and has several functions including structural support and the transportation of nutrients. The branch also supports the leaves, flowers and fruits, providing the bits that the seeds need in order to grow into the fruits that impact the lives of other people. People wait for the fruits because that is the physical evidence of the nutrients that have been used by the Branch. It is also interesting to note that both the Branch and the Shoot are captured as nouns, showing that they refer to a person, not an idea or theory. Jesus is the source of the Life that has been offered, and He gives Life to all who will surrender to Him. The fruit of His life is for all who will come to Him. He has come in human form, so that human beings can have hope. He looked like us, so we also look like Him when the real life starts. His life is now my life. God's time of favour is here.