Known for its significance for the New Testament and its unbelievably accurate prophecies that find perfect fulfillment in Christ, Isaiah is seen as “the fifth gospel” by some theologians (New Collegeville Bible Commentary on Isaiah, p.6). In the first reading of the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Isaiah shows us why this honor is well-deserved. Through the prompting and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophet refers to the Messiah as “a shoot [that] shall sprout from the stump of Jesse” (Is 11:1).
“[T]he stump of Jesse” is a reference to Judah because Jesse, King David’s father, is from the tribe of Judah. As the only territory of the Davidic dynasty remaining under Jewish jurisdiction after the Babylonian Exile, Judea is like the desolate stump of a gigantic tree that has once been lofty and overpowering. The prophet predicts that out of this barren stump will grow a shoot or branch that will enable it to flourish again. What he is referring to is obviously the new Davidic kingdom – the Heavenly Kingdom that Jesus, the new David, will bring.
Not to be left unmentioned is the humor – the play on words – of the Scriptures: Jesus, the “shoot/branch” in Isaiah’s prophecy, grew up in a town called Nazareth, which literally means “branch town” (Lk 2:4, 39)!
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