The Stem of Jesse
In the manual: Come, Follow Me lesson 52, “We Have Waited for Him, and He Will Save Us,” on Gospel Library
Start
When a tree is cut down, a small green shoot sometimes comes up from the stump. Isaiah used that picture for the family of King David (Isaiah 11:1).
Read Together
Jesse was King David’s father. Isaiah foresaw that David’s royal family would be cut down like a tree, and it was, when Babylon took Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:7).
1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
What It Teaches
“There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). Jeremiah and Zechariah called the coming King “the Branch” too (Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8). New life would come from a family everyone thought was finished.
The angel Gabriel told Mary that her son would receive “the throne of his father David” and that “of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:31–33). Joseph belonged to David’s family, so he went to Bethlehem to be taxed (Luke 1:27; 2:4).
Isaiah 11:2 describes the Branch. “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.” He would judge the poor with righteousness (Isaiah 11:4). That is the kind of King Jesus is.
Moroni quoted Isaiah 11 to Joseph Smith in 1823 and said it was about to be fulfilled (his account). The Branch that grew from Jesse’s roots is still bearing fruit.
Talk About It
A shoot from an old stump looks small and weak. Why do you think Heavenly Father sent his Son as a baby in a humble family?
Take to Church
Isaiah saw a green branch growing from Jesse’s stump. Jesus, born of David’s family, is that Branch, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.