“The Source …”

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10

Remember when your son or daughter asked you “Mommy (or Daddy!), where did I come from?” It was the question that you had been dreading since the child was born, and even years later, you still didn’t have a good answer! But does this question always demand a explanation of “the birds and the bees”? Should the answer always be given as a birth narrative?
The punch line to the old joke, of course, is that a new friend had just moved into town from Cleveland, and your child is wondering if they had come from a similar place! But that’s not the usual context – and the “where” doesn’t always refer to the womb! While that sometimes is the question, I believe that for most children, the inquiry is more of a “Who am I” type of inquiry.

So this brings us to the question for today – “Who is Jesus?” “Where did he come from?” “And how did he get here?” Is our response “He is the Son of God and the son of Man” adequate? It is certainly part of the answer, but is it enough? Does it give us all that we need to know about Jesus?

Probably not.

Read Isaiah 11:1-3a

The prophet’s response to “Who is Jesus?” seems to tell us that he an exceptional Spirit-filled man. So, it appears that the first thing we need to know about Jesus is that he was human. He had human ancestors, he had a human origin, he was a living, breathing, flesh covered, blood filled being who needed food and water and air if he was to continue to live. He could experience human emotion, including anger, fear, joy, love, anxiety, and disappointment; he would bleed if he was cut; he got tired and hungry; he needed sleep; and he used no extraordinary means to travel from one place to another. If we had a sample of his DNA today, I have no idea what it would look like, but with this passage, we know that there would certainly be a human component to it.
We also read that he would be related to the descendent of a man known as Jesse. Without other passages, we would never know who this son of Jesse is. But in a number of places in scripture, notably in Revelation 5:5, we are told that King David is that person. So now we also know that Jesus isn’t just a human, but that he had royal blood coursing through his veins.

Jesus was a human being in every possible way, and would be in the direct lineage of the greatest king of Israel.

But there was more. Isaiah tells us that he would be filled, in every possible way, with the Spirit of God. He would have infinite knowledge, and would not only know all things, but he would also understand what they all mean. He would not receive all of this in a minimal way, but in a complete and full way. He would understand Creation; he would understand the Divine Plan that was in place for his people; he could comprehend “eternity” and all that that entailed; he understood the ramification of life – both here and beyond. And that is a lot of understanding!
The next verse is about authority. “Counsel” is the ability to govern and lead, and is closely tied to “Knowledge” and Wisdom”. And the Spirit of Counsel implies that he will use his Godly knowledge and wisdom in a perfect way. But associated with his “Counsel”, we discover that he also has “Power”. Power implies more than just authority – it is a reference to a military-type of force. He not only had authority to govern, but he had the strength to enforce his will. And he would never have any need for a human army or even body guards – he was far greater than any military body that the earth could ever assemble, even though he would seldom use that power.
Next, he would have knowledge and reverence of, and for, God. This “understanding” goes far beyond simply knowing about the “things” of God – it tells us that he understood God! He understood the reasoning of the Divine; he understood how the Almighty works; he had a perfect love of God; he had complete trust in the Plan of God. These attributes assure us that Jesus was truly God in every possible way. He was committed and holy and perfect and trustworthy. Whenever he would speak, he spoke with the full authority of Almighty God.

And if all of this wasn’t enough, he would completely love the Lord and all of his ways. Jesus would be so filled with the Spirit that he would perfectly represent the Father, and would speak for him, and would, in every way, be God.

Jesus would be completely God in a completely human body and existence. He would be conceived by the Spirit of God within a human body, he would be born as a human in a human way, and would be filled with every Godly attribute.

Is Jesus human? Absolutely!
Is Jesus God? Absolutely!
Emmanuel! God with us in the flesh! And not just in a coincidental way, but in an intentional, absolute, and perfect way. And they must be inseparable.

Read Isaiah 11:3b-5

These two and a half verses give us an idea of how Jesus will govern in authority, and actually, it gives us several contrasting examples of how God rules versus how a secular authority might govern.
The first example tells us that his Spiritual Counsel will allow him to administer as a human, but not in a human way. How do we make decisions? It’s by the things we read and experience, it’s by the advice we receive and hear, it’s by our visual examination of the facts before us, it’s by the information we have received throughout our life.
But Jesus will govern by a completely different means. It will be by the standards of Godly wisdom. Not the things he has learned, but by the Spiritual gifts he has received, and this will ensure that his “counsel” – his justice - will be perfect. There will no longer be outside influences that can affect the outcome of his judgment. It will be by God’s wisdom, and nothing else. Everyone will get a fair hearing, because Jesus will understand their circumstances perfectly, even before they can offer any explanation (Zechariah 3). Righteousness will rule over all – both the poor and the wealthy, the wise and the uneducated, the able and the unable, the loved and the despised, the guilty and the innocent. No situation will be left to be worked out on its own – Jesus will care for it all.

One more thought regarding the reference to the “rod of his mouth” and the “breath of his lips”. If we go back to the first chapter of Genesis (Genesis 1:3-2:1), we see that each of the six days of creation began with “And God said”. There was no waving of his hand, no magic powder or wand, no assistant who helps to make an allusion work – it all came to be simply through God’s will. That is how his counsel – his judgment – his power will be administered – simply by his will. He will “say” it, and it will be. No armies or navies or marines or air forces, no police, no vigilantes, no help at all. Just the word of Jesus, and it will be done.

Read Isaiah 11:6-9

And the result of this perfect Power, administered in a Perfect way, is that the things of earth will be completely turned upside down. Every conflict, every fear, every opposing ideology, every hatred, everything that is not of God will be taken away. We can’t even imagine this situation – it is such a totally foreign concept to us that it is completely nonsensical.
But in that day, it will all make sense – perfect sense! Why? Because the Spirit of Knowledge will cover the earth, and all who live there will receive that Divine understanding and will “delight” in it.

This is what Jesus will be bringing with him on that glorious day when he returns – perfect peace, a perfect existence, just as there had been in the Garden before the Tempter entered into the human condition.

Read Isaiah 11:10

Jesus will be our Banner.
When was the last time you attended a parade? Remember the fire departments and the veterans groups and the bands? All of them had a color guard that led them. Folks who have served in the military know about “banners’ – the National colors, command colors, ribbons indicating awards for valor and action – all of these are displayed out front, and lead us wherever we go. They represent who we are and what we stand for, and we look upon them with the highest respect and honor
That’s why Jesus has to be our banner and will continue to hold that distinction through eternity. He is our hope, our identity, our purpose, and our goal, and all who love him will come together to give him all the honor and glory he so richly deserves.

In Genesis 2:2-3, we read that when Creation was finished, God rested from his creative efforts, and all who come to him will, one day, know that same glorious rest from all our labors.

Jesus is the Source of all we can possibly receive, both in this life and beyond this life, just as the Holy Spirit was the Source for all that he is. Praise God for bringing the Source of all goodness into the world, and for allowing us to claim his glory for our own lives.