Day 17

Rod of the root of Jesse, and flower that blossomed from his stem, O Christ, You have sprung forth from the Virgin. From the mountain over-shadowed by the forest You came, made flesh from her that knew not wedlock, O God not formed from matter: Glory to Your power, O Lord. (Irmos 4)
 
This Katavasia speaks to us about one of the great prophecies of birth of Christ in the Old Testament. It is important that we understand the parts of this prophecy and this katavasia as they relate to the Nativity of Christ. First and foremost, who was Jesse? Jesse was the father of the Prophet David. This lineage was a line of kingly heirs. God promised King David that he would establish his throne forever:
 
 13He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish his throne forever. (2 Kingdoms 7:16)
 
We see from this that the lineage of King David was the lineage that the Messiah would come from. We also see this in the Gospel of Matthew in the first chapter, the genealogy of Christ. (more on this later!)
 
However, we also learn in the book of Jeremiah that because of the sins of those of the line of David, their lineage would be cut off:

28Jeconiah is dishonored like a worthless vessel, for he is cast forth and driven out into a land he did not know. 29“O land, land, hear the word of the Lord: 30‘Write this man as a banished man, for none at all from his seed shall be raised to sit on the throne of David, or still as a ruler in Judah.’ ” (Jeremiah 22:28-30)

As we look at the katavasia above, we see Christ referred to as the rod and flower of Jesse. So if Jesse's (King David's) line was cut off, how does Christ spring forth from it? We understand from Matthew's Gospel that Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, comes directly from the line of David. The Virgin Mary is also a descendant of Jesse through Nathan, a son of King David who was not in the line of Kings. So Christ becomes the rod, or off-shoot, that comes from David. The imagery is continued in that Christ is the flower that springs from the stem (the ended line of kings) of Jesse. 

This katavasia then speaks directly to the Virgin birth, to Christ's "legal right" to the throne of David and the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah. The poetry and beauty of the Old Testament prophecies is undeniable!

In Christ

Fr. David