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Article: Promise becomes alive. (Christmas).(Jesse tree)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- December 20, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Jesse tree is an evergreen sign of God's ability to sprout a new divine dream after it has been cut back and apparently destroyed. Old Jesse of Bethlehem was the father of David, who became king of Israel and whose dynasty rule was promised to last forever. Generations after David, Babylonians chopped down that royal family tree, destroyed Solomon's temple and carried off the Jewish elite into exile in Babylon. In their mournful exile, the prophet Isaiah--shown in the lower branches on the right side of this Jesse tree--sang a song of hope, pointing toward a promised prophecy: "A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom." In ...