A great tree has been reduced to little more than a wide stump, cut cleanly across, leaving one to wonder only how high and wide its limbs once stretched. But next to it, there is a delicate shoot, a little sapling sprouting from what appears to have been irreversible desctruction. This is the picture Isaiah paints of Israel and its coming Messiah. The once great nation, diseased with corruption and abomination, has been cut down and burned. But from the ashes comes the Savior.
Of all the natural metaphors to use in describing the one mighty to save, a tender shoot may be the most surprising choice. For those who live in darkness especially, the idea of a humble, sacrificial Messiah is downright offensive. He ought to drive out oppressors and make this life better. And when told that his kingdom is not of this world, disappointment and spiritual panic ensue.
But the prophecy doesn’t end there. Isaiah goes on to proclaim that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. To remain in the darkness, stumbling through a dim spiritual life, is a willful ignorance of what Jesus, the Messiah, really came to do. His death and resurrection cast a sharp ray of light into our sinsick world, opening a path forward toward the life to come.
This helps us better understand Peter’s seemingly counter-intuitive advice in his letters: be willing to serve, willing to suffer, willing to submit. At this, our flesh bristles, but our reborn spirit rejoices. To endure in this difficult life is to walk in the humble steps of our Lord, to be saplings as he has been. We may be shaken by the rough wind for a time, and the weeds may grow around us, but the promise of full, glorious growth remains.
So, as Advent begins, we can look ahead with the same anticipation and hope as the Old Testament believers. The Messiah is making all things new. The Chief Shepherd will appear. The unfading crown of glory awaits. “To him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:11)
