There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse
And a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him.
Isaiah 11:1 ESV
The Jesse Tree
King David
Son of Jesse, was one of the first and greatest kings of the nation of Israel. As with all kingdoms of old, David's reign eventually ended, and after generations, the house of Jesse was little more than a stump of a once-mighty tree.
And yet…
The roots of that stump drank from a cistern of promise. From the stump of Jesse's family tree would come a branch bearing fruit. Not just fruit, but life-giving fruit for all.
The Jesse Tree
Is a symbol to remind us of a truth the Christian church once knew, but has since forgotten.
The first known Jesse Tree pictured in stained glass windows is found in France, circa 1140.
Saint-Denis Basilica by Abbot Suger
Only A Privileged few
Learned to read and write during this time in history. Fewer still learned to read Latin, the only language in which the Bible was then available. The common people depended on other means to learn about God's works.
The stories of Scripture were lived, retold, and depicted in art.
Imagine
Gazing at these windows on an icy November morning.
Imagine
The magic of light streaming through colored glass, painting your hands and the faces of those around you with crimson, gold, rich blue.
Imagine
Reading the beloved stories of scripture from the pictures in the glass.
The Jesse Tree
Adorned Bibles where artistic drawings decorated the margins, it brought tapestries to life on damp stone walls, and was carved, painted, crafted over and over to tell the same story.
What story did the Jesse Tree tell?
It told of a single thread tying together the whole of scripture. It told of the story of God's plan.