The shoot from the stump
Readings: Isaiah 11. 1-10, Matthew 3. 1-12
For the past two years I’ve preached on John the Baptist both on Advent 2 & 3. On Advent 2 we remember the prophets who spoke of the coming Saviour; and John the Baptist is the last of these, and appears in the Gospels, handy for the lectionary. But Advent 3 is focussed on John the Baptist himself so we get him again. And so this year we’ll leave John the Baptist for next week and focus instead today on the prophet Isaiah, and the portion of his book we heard a little earlier.
I don’t know if there’s anything more hopeless looking in a garden or field than a tree stump. It’s a lasting sign that once there was life here, trunk and branches and leaves. Birds perched in it, creatures climbed it. All now gone. And I think it’s almost more hopeless by the fact that it stubbornly remains. The life is long gone, but it stays as a monument to what once was. And I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to get rid of one, but they’re hard to get rid of. We have a tree stump in the garden at the Rectory, we’re not sure what it once was, although I’m sure some of you could tell me. But the stump is still there, bedded in, roots still holding it firm. And try as I might I can’t shift it, so I have to mow around it, get the strimmer out to clear the grass from around it. But it’s dead, lifeless.
Isaiah in the chapters leading up to our passage today has been warning of the coming judgement against God’s people. And eventually those prophecies are fulfilled and the people are carried off into exile. First the Northern Kingdom of Israel falls, then the Southern Kingdom of Judah, everything falls apart. And it must have felt in those days that all of God’s promises had failed. Far from their promised homeland which they had expected to keep forever. The promise to King David, their greatest ruler, that his descendants would sit on his throne forever felt pretty hollow now a foreign King reigned over them. The Temple, a physical sign of God’s presence in their midst lay in ruins. In exile things must have felt bleak, hopeless, lifeless. It had all fallen apart.
And of course in many ways they only had themselves to blame, God had sent them prophet after prophet with warning after warning that they were not living as they should, that they were not upholding their part of the covenant and living as his people faithfully, and that as such they would go into exile. Perhaps they’d got it into their head that they could do as they pleased because they were God’s people, so God would always back them not matter what. It certainly seems to be true of the of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to see John in today’s Gospel. Their actions and lives don’t match their professed faith. And yet they assume they’re safe because they’re descended from Abraham, all will be well no matter what. But John has some pretty choice words for them doesn’t he; you brood of vipers.
I wonder if you’re ever tempted to do that. I’m a Christian, my faith is in Jesus, he’s got it covered, it doesn’t matter how I live or what I do. I’m part of God’s family, so God will back me no matter what, he’s fine with it. The warnings of John the Baptist, and of the prophets to God’s people in ages past should set alarm bells ringing when we think like that.
But, whilst in many ways it was the faithlessness and rebellion of the people that meant they ended up in exile, God has not abandoned them. Whilst the people have been faithless, God remains faithful, his promises endure. Whilst it may look like all is lost, where there is God, there is hope.
Which brings us to that image of a stump. Do you remember when the tree in Sycamore gap was illegally felled two years ago? A 120 year old tree near Hadrian’s wall, felled during the night. Outrage, upset, crowds of people flocking to see what had happened. And this real sense of loss, of hopelessness. What are you meant to do? The tree is gone, there’s no getting it back. Isaiah uses this same image for God’s people in exile. Israel cut off at the root. The line of Kings flowing down from David himself, cut off. The people’s hopes and life, cut off. There’s just this stump there, an everlasting reminder of what once was and there’s no way of getting it back. And yet that stump in Sycamore gap has recently sprouted new growth, out of that stump new life is growing. And that is God’s promise to his people through Isaiah. No matter how bleak things may look, new life and hope is coming.
The royal line of King David, the greatest of Israel’s Kings, is not cut off forever. Instead new life is sprouting from the stump, the stump of Jesse, the father of David. And whilst things aren’t going to look like they had before, that’s certainly true, but thank goodness for that. Whilst David had been a decent King, although he had his issues, Solomon his son had started to slip. And slowly you got this long line of good kings and bad kings. Kings who were faithful to God and Kings who weren’t. And there were far more of the latter than the former.
But now new life and hope is growing. And this new ruler will be truly faithful to God. God’s Spirit will rest upon him, bringing wisdom and understanding, might and power. And most importantly the knowledge of and fear of the Lord. In other words not just knowing God, but obeying God, serving him faithfully. And this new ruler’s delight will be in living according to God’s ways. Not slavishly, or reluctantly, but joyfully keeping his commands. What a ruler that would be.
And here is a ruler who is truly just, not judging by outward appearances or swayed by rumours or lies. Here is one who will truly judge rightly, bringing justice and righteousness to the world. In fact Isaiah describes him as having righteousness as a belt and faithfulness as the belt around his loins. In other words those two characteristics; righteousness, right living and acting and thinking and speaking, and faithfulness, will be as closely associated with him as his undergarments, he will always be clothed with them.
And the results of the coming of this ruler are striking aren’t they. The whole created order is reshaped from one of opposition of competition to one of harmony and cooperation. The whole created order changed forever into harmony and peace and beauty. This ruler will utterly transform everything.
And who is this ruler? It’s Jesus isn’t it. Paul references this passage in our reading from Romans today, the root of Jesse who will bring hope to the whole world. Jesus is the descendant of David who now sits on his throne eternally. The one in whom we truly see perfect righteousness and faithfulness. The one who judges justly, not assuming by what he sees or hears, but truly seeing our hearts.
It’s a stunning picture that Isaiah gives us, and one we find fulfilled in Jesus, one which will be fully fulfilled when he comes again to make all things new, for in that day no-one will harm or destroy on the earth, and the whole world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. And yet, let us not forget, this stunning picture started out in absolute hopelessness, that dead stump.
When it feels like we are cut off, that all hope is lost, that we’ve been cut down at the ankles and all that is left of our hopes and dreams and lives is a stump, a monument to what once was and what will never be again, look to Jesus. For in God’s economy new life always comes out of death, the stump never stays dead and the shoot sprouts afresh. If things are dead and hope is gone, God is not yet finished. New life and hope is coming, if not in this life then certainly in the next, the last page is written, and it is life everlasting in a universe made perfect and new.
And sometimes we don’t so much fear for ourselves but for our church, for the faith we hold so precious. We want to pass it on to the next generation but struggle. Whenever I get a little despondent I’m reminded of a quote from the 20th Century English author and philosopher GK Chesterton in his book The Everlasting Man. He wrote this ‘Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave’. We may fear the stump, but God will bring new life and hope. It may not look like what has gone before, but that’s not always a bad thing.
And so in all things, in life and faith and our world, we have hope, a true and living hope, hope in Jesus. The faithful and righteous ruler, who brings life out of death and hope out of despair. Even in the darkest times his light still shines, and new buds grow.
Amen.