Jesse Tree, Advent Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The stump of an old tree sits low among its twisted roots and a scatter of stones. Its top is flat where it was cut, and the wood is gray and weathered. But from one side a young olive shoot has pushed out, with a handful of fresh narrow leaves, small and very alive.

The painting has the warmth and depth of an oil painting, in beige, brown and soft green, with the new leaves the brightest note in the picture. There is no text on it, which lets the image hold its surprise.

A rod out of the stem of Jesse

The image comes from the prophet Isaiah: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). Jesse was the father of King David. By Isaiah's time the royal family of David would be like a felled tree, but the prophet promises that new life will spring from what is left, a king on whom the spirit of the LORD shall rest.

Christians have long read this as a prophecy of Jesus, born in Bethlehem, the town of Jesse and David, and named in both Matthew and Luke as a descendant of David. In the Middle Ages the Tree of Jesse became a favorite subject for stained glass and manuscripts, showing the ancestors of Christ as branches of one family tree.

Today many families keep a Jesse Tree during Advent, adding an ornament each day for a story from the Old Testament, from creation to the prophets, leading up to Christmas.

For Advent, a family, or a baptism

Hang this print at the start of Advent as a quiet centerpiece for the season, in a living room or near the spot where the family reads the daily Jesse Tree story. Because it shows no snow or Christmas trimmings, it also works all year round in a study or a hallway.

Its theme of new growth from old roots makes it a meaningful baptism gift too. This Christian poster is printed to order in the United States on heavy archival matte paper, shipped free within the US, and delivered without a frame in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36. As Christian wall art it is unusual: an Advent image without a star or a manger, which speaks of waiting and hope rather than arrival, and suits the weeks before Christmas as much as the day itself.