Be a Transformed Tree

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; 

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— 

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, 

the Spirit of counsel and of might, 

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 

3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. 

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, 

or decide by what he hears with his ears; 

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, 

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. 

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; 

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Reflection: Be a Transformed Tree

By John Tillman

A tree in my yard died.

I didn’t and don’t know what killed it. I struggle to keep our yard mowed, much less be a competent landscaper, gardener, or arborist. I cut the tree down, leaving the stump at ground level. I added the wood to the firewood pile and thought that was the end.

The tree came back.

First, a tiny green sprout popped up. Then it kept growing. Today, it’s as tall as it was before. Birds shelter in it and sing to me, or yell at me (sometimes it’s hard to tell which), every day.

The bad news is that this tree isn’t a very desirable tree. It’s a Bradford Pear. Arborists and many other people hate it. But because it’s cheap, fast-growing, and has pretty flowers for part of the year, builders and real estate folks keep planting them everywhere. And apparently, at least under certain conditions, it can come back from the dead.

God compares his people to trees often. The difference is they are supposed to be valuable trees, like fig or olive trees, that provide good fruit of justice, righteousness, and wisdom for the nations. Instead, they are worthless, fruitless, and often smelly, like my Bradford Pear. So God lays the ax “at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3.9) 

I had no intention of resurrecting my tree and no power (or budget or green thumb) to change it to a better one. But God’s judgments are never without mercy, hope, and purpose. Isaiah prophesied that even though God cut down Jerusalem’s tree, ground the stump down, and burned it, he intended for it to live again. Not only that, God promised to transform his tree into the tree it was intended to be. He wants the same for us.

Something in you may need to die. To be cut down. Burned. But God is not done with you.

In Jesus, the root of Jesse, there is power to not just resurrect us but transform us. We will go from bad trees to good, from fruitless to bountiful, from worthless to invaluable. We will be like Jesus, the tree of life, providing shelter, sustenance, and healing to all nations and people.

May it be so. Cut us down, Lord. And spring up in us, Root of Jesse

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and make melody. — Psalm 57.7

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle..