“Rejoice! Testify!”

Scripture: Isaiah 11:10-13, Romans 15:7-13

For many people, Christmas is one of the most depressing times of the entire year. Joy has been replaced with loneliness; celebration with hopelessness; glory with condemnation; spiritual light with darkness of the soul. The burdens of this life can so easily overshadow all of the promises that reside in the life that Jesus offers. And it has never been easy to refocus our life, and it never will.

But the hope that comes to us when we search for that glimmer of divine glory will always be there - waiting for us, seeking us, loving us right where we are. And for thousands of years, people have been discovering that the truth of God is not only enlightening, but it is also liberating, and embracing, and revealing, and above all, loving.

Read Isaiah 11:10-13

For Israel, this prophesy is about the day of Messiah’s arrival. For the Church, of course, it is about the second coming of our Savior. And the day, regardless of whether we are Jewish or Christian, is to be a day of glory and rejoicing unlike anything in all of human history! In the previous 9 verses, Isaiah reveals what that day will be like, and the truth is that it will be totally different than anything we have ever known.

The One who is to come will have wisdom, power, knowledge, and will celebrate God’s presence. Judgment will be part of his coming, but his ruling will be based in wisdom and righteousness, not in what we think, or in what appears to be true, or in what we see and hear (those things we call “facts”!), or in what others say is true.
Evil will be destroyed, and hatred and distrust will no longer be the pollution of this life. (Isaiah 11:1-9)

And on that day, the people will let the former life fall behind them, and will begin to accept Messiah’s way. And in verse 11, when we read that the Savior will “reach out his hand a second time” to claim all of his people, we need to understand that the first time he reaches out will be in judgment and condemnation of all that is not with him. No one will be missed - all of his faithful will be brought to him, and all who do not will be struck down.

This is who has come into this world, the one we celebrate at Christmas!

The passage goes on to talk about the change that will occur between the divided kingdoms of Israel – and of course, the animosity that existed between these tribes of God’s own people is symbolic of the distrust and angst that all of the nations of earth experience. Ephraim, or Israel, the Northern kingdom, and Judah, the Southern kingdom, had separated shortly after Solomon’s reign ended. They quarreled, they fought, they went their separate theological ways, they formed competing alliances (which, by the way, their laws condemned), and they would be conquered by separate, but just as brutal enemies.

But the prophet tells us that one day, the hostility will melt away, and they will be one nation again, under the guidance of their one Lord. So if Israel can be healed in their relationship with each other, so will the rest of the world. There will be one God, one Word, and one Way, and all will concede to its truth. And not only the nations, but all of creation will be healed and reunited with each other, just as Eden was created to be. The wolf and the lamb will enjoy each other’s company, the lion and the ox will eat from the same grasses and grains – everything that once was a reason for division will vanish, and unity will truly become a reality once again.

Read Romans 15:7-9

But until the day of the Lord’s return, we still have ministry to engage in. Think of it as preparation for the day of Christ’s return. While true unity and the absence of hostility will elude us until that day, we are to work toward at least a sense of cooperation - in Christ’s way, of course. And as Paul continues in his letter, he speaks of Christ’s servanthood to Israel.

So how was Christ a servant? He had, first, come to Israel, bringing the truth of God to a people who had allowed the ways of earth to permeate their understanding of God’s commandments. It may very well be that it happened without the people actually realizing it, but then, that is the subtlety of sin! It slowly works its way into our truth, and soon, we attribute it to the truth of “god” – whoever that “god” may be!

But the Lord’s promises have never changed – not from the days they were given to the forefathers of the nation, and not from before time began. And those promises were never intended to bring honor to the people – their sole purpose was to bring the people closer to God, and to acknowledge him as the one who rightly deserved all of their honor and praise.

And so it is with us. Israel was charged with proclaiming the righteousness of Jehovah to the entire world, and not to keep his promises for themselves. And when they refused, God in Christ came to carry out that duty himself. It originally was given to the people, but when we fail to respond, we are out, and God takes over!

Read Romans 15:10-13

Israel was to bring others to the Lord’s way, and if they had, it would be to their credit. But in their failure, God will still be praised – if not by them, then by others. (Matthew 21:1-14) And the leadership of the nation, in their failure to be faithful, were replaced by God himself. And in this reading, Jesus - God Incarnate - is referred to as “the Root of Jesse”.

Consider, for a moment, the purpose of a root.
First, it provides stability to the plant. When the winds of strife begin to blow, it is the root that keeps the plant strong and stable.
Second, the root bring nourishment to the plant. The nutrients of earth could never sustain the plant, if there was no channel for them to flow through. And no matter how large or small, how tall or how short, the nourishment will flow and nurture and grow the plant.
Third, the root, for most plants, remains hidden from those who will benefit from its yield. We rejoice in the harvest of grain, in the ears of corn, in the bushels of peas, while never giving much thought to how they were able to grow and produce the harvest.
And fourth, the root, in some produce, becomes the fruit of the harvest itself.

This is why Jesus is said to be the “root” of our lives.
His life and word is the foundation of our faith. It is solid, and unwavering, and will never let us down.
He nourishes our soul with the truth of God, and we would never know that truth if it wasn’t for Jesus. He helps us to grow and thrive and become who we were always intended to be, and to be far greater than we ever could without him.
In his word and way, the “fruit” that we bear will be “love, joy, peace, patience, …” and all that Galatians 5:22-26 encourages within us. And all that the world sees is our efforts, unless, that is, we proclaim the part that our “Root” has played in our life, and can play, if allowed to, in theirs.
But the greatest “Fruit” of all in the great harvest of souls is the gift of Jesus and his incredible sacrifice that made it all possible.

He set all of his divine rights aside – his glory, his honor, his respect, his life – and because he did, he enabled all of the benefits of heaven to be bestowed on all who would believe in him.

Christmas is, indeed, the reason for the season. And the world needs to hear of his goodness. In your joy, are you ready to rejoice in the Good News of Jesus? Are you prepared to be a witness to the power and presence of the “Root of Jesse”?

After all, isn’t that what the joy of Christmas should be about?