A Tender Plant --- Isaiah 53; Part 2

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem
Of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots."

He shall sprout up in a bleak, depleted land,
Humble, lowly, unnoticed among the community;
To the naked eye; in danger of being crushed under foot,
Destroyed by frost, or washed away in floods.
Yet, in the eye of God, He shall be highly exalted,
And greatly esteemed as the beloved only Son:
Growing upright and blameless before Him: a tender plant.
His advent shall not emerge from the flower of creation;
But as a root in the desert; jarring the course of nature,
Formed and fashioned in a field untouched by earthly rains.

"Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
And shall call His name Immanuel."

The common expectation was that He would come:
A man of great charisma and much prowess;
One who would catch the eye, inflame the heart,
And transform the expectations of all.
But he will have not the elegance or polish admired by men:
A gangly sprig, without verdue, leaves, or blossom,
Nothing extraordinary, beautiful, or agreeable to see.
There is no glowing majesty, nor signs of it in Him:
Raised by coarse parents in an abject province,
He dwelt in a humble cottage, and labored as a tradesman.

"He was in the world, and the world was made
By Him, and the world knew Him not."