Putting up the Christmas tree is the highlight of our Christmas preparations.

We start by dragging the box down from the attic. We open the box and figure out which branch goes in which spot. I’m the designated tree fluffer. (My husband tells me no one can fluff a tree like I can. I think he just tells me that because he doesn’t like the tedious task of separating each small branch.) We hang the ornaments on the tree and exclaim over our favorites. We top off the tree with the star.

Although putting up a Christmas tree isn’t a biblical tradition, my Christmas tree does remind me of Jesus.

Isaiah 11:1-2 says:

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Jesus’ Family Tree

When Jesus was born, He was not a random plop into the human race. He was a branch born from the stem of Jesse. In Matthew 1, Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy. Jesse is mentioned to point out that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah 11. God aligned each detail of the family tree from Adam and Eve all the way to Mary and Joseph to pave the way for Jesus to come.  When I look at the branches of our Christmas tree, I remember Jesus, the Savior, born connected to the only family heritage that fulfilled God’s intricate plan.

Jesus Who Bears Fruit

There is no fruit growing on my Christmas tree, but each branch is heavy with the “fruit” of the ornaments. You know what I mean, especially if you had preschoolers help decorate your tree. They have a tendency to hang all the ornaments on one low branch so that it bends down to touch the ground with the heaviness of its fruit.

What does it mean that Jesus would bear fruit?

Isaiah 11:2 clues us in by showing the Holy Spirit resting on Jesus to give Him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and fear of the Lord.

I wonder if Paul thought of this verse when he wrote in Galatians 5 that the Holy Spirit would produce fruit in our lives. Seeing the ornaments on my Christmas tree reminds me that the Holy Spirit produced fruit in Jesus and will do the same in me as I yield to Him.

How else does your Christmas tree remind you of Jesus? Let me know in the comments below!