O Radix 

Written by Katherine Flach

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; 

before you kings will shut their mouths, 

to you the nations will make their prayer: 

Come and deliver us, and delay no longer. 

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. …In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. -Isaiah 11:1, 10 

The promise began in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve’s first sinful choice. A guarantee of a descendant who would make new the cursed ground and crush the head of Satan. And through the Old Testament the promises continued - sparkling threads of hope woven through the darkness of bondage, tyranny, and cries for deliverance. The children of Israel may have been set free from Pharoah, but in the end their chains were made by their own sinful hands and refusal to obey. They were lost; wanderers; homeless. Not one of their many kings was enough to set them free. None could fit the description given in Isaiah. 

Try to imagine yourself as one of the few faithful Israelites, like Mary and Joseph. There must have been so many bleak days, months, and years. Days where clinging to hope felt like clinging to wind. Tearful prayers met with centuries of silence. All those promises may have seemed forgotten, including the whispers of a King, One to whom the nations would bow - the Root of Jesse. When would he come? What would he look like? 

He wasn’t what any of us could have expected. And he was so much more. The Root of all things good and beautiful, entered this dark world as a human baby. The Creator, Son of God, now rooted into mankind as the Son of Man. Who of us could have imagined this is how he would accomplish his plan to set us free? Draw near and behold him. See the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Look at the tiny baby, count his little fingers and toes, and marvel in the mystery of the Root, who would grow, teach, die on a cross, and be raised to life in triumph. 

For all who believe, from all nations, he has turned the grave from a place of death to a place of life. The Lion of Judah has conquered. Dear weary Christian, he kept his promises to his people then, and he will keep them now. One day we will see the curse reversed, all things made beautiful, and a bleak and barren place becomes a land of

abundant green. We see these glimpses today in the redemption of our souls, as the Word bears fruit in our hearts through our rest in the Vine. Our bodies will soon be raised to life again. Let us rest in that abundant hope. 

“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered…’I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” -Revelation 5:5, 22:16 

Prayer: Thank you for your love for us. Thank you for your faithfulness to always keep your promises. Forgive us for doubting you, and teach us to rest in your goodness and victory. Help us to trust in your Word and to be eager to spread the hope you have given us to those around us. Come again quickly, O Root, and make all things new. Amen.