March 26, 2001
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
Isaiah 53:2a
In this well known passage about Jesus I was amazed yet again, at how God works. In sending Jesus, God did nothing the way people expected. Jesus was born with none of the magnificence that the Jews expected. He wasn't of high birth, he wasn't a noble or a prince. He didn't have an external beauty that would cause people to be attracted to him. Jesus was not any of the 'worldly' things people expected but he was human, he was real.... he was relatable. God determined that he would be born of very humble origins and tat he would struggle, strive and learn to grow just like we do. He was tender shoot, he was a babe, a child, an adolescent, a teen, an adult... he struggled through all the challenges of those years that we did and still do. He knows about pain, hardship, suffering -- none of his was self-inflicted but he still understands. That thought comforts and strengthens me greatly and it helps me to grow in my trust of God. Part of the verse says that as a root out of dry ground God raised him up. I am hopeless with plants.. I have the classic 'brown' thumb.. I have seen what happens to a root in dry ground ( I have inflicted this on plants) - it doesn't grow at all! I think about plant life in the desert where water is scarce... anything that grows is dry, colors aren't as vibrant and in general plants don't grow tall and strong - they tend to be more stunted in their growth. The idea here is God took circumstances that shouldn't have produced anything great and he raised up Jesus, the one who would save us!! That helps me to see that God can take my life, whatever condition it may be in right now -- whether the struggles are a result of my sin or just life's happenings it doesn't matter.. God can change me, He can work in my life, he can take the barren desert that we feel we live in and he can bring out abundant life. There are times I can't imaging being able to get beyond who I am in my character, to become all that God has called me to be but looking at this verse reminds me that God can do it - he is the one that does the work - I just need to keep taking steps toward him.