Since the fall of man, Christ began to be revealed in a very strange and wonderful way. In Genesis 3:15, immediately after the fall, He is revealed as the seed of a woman. Then He is later revealed as the root, which, as we know, issues from the seed. Moreover, He is further revealed as the branch. He is the seed, the root, and the branch. Fourthly, out of the branch, He is revealed as the fruit. Any kind of fruit, according to God’s economy, is for man’s enjoyment. We do not enjoy the seed, the root, or the branch directly, but the fruit. Our Christ is the seed, the root, the branch, and the fruit!
We need to know all the verses that tell us of this divine revelation. The seed is in Genesis 3:15. The root is found in Isaiah 11:10. Here we see that Christ is the root of Jesse. Isaiah 53:2 tells us further that Christ is a root out of dry ground. Then there are several verses concerning Christ as the branch. Isaiah 4:2 declares Jesus as the branch of the Lord. He is the branching out of Jehovah! Then Jeremiah 23:5 tells us that out of David God will raise up a branch. This is the branch of man. Christ is not only the branch of God, but also the branch of David. He is not only the branching out of God, but also the branching out of a proper man. Isaiah 11:1 says that Christ is the branch of Jesse. He is the branch of David because Jesse is the father of David. The fourth verse concerning Christ as the branch is Zechariah 6:12. Here we see the man whose name is The Branch. In this universe there is a man who is called The Branch. He is the seed, the root, and the branch.
The verse which speaks of Christ as the fruit is Isaiah 4:2. Here it says that Christ is the branch of Jehovah and the fruit of the earth. It speaks of the birth of Christ and the humanity of Christ. According to His divinity He is the branching out of God, and according to His humanity He is the fruit that comes out of the earth. Earth here represents humanity. When God branches out into humanity as the earth, He brings forth fruit. This is the food for us, food which infuses very much into us. Jesus is the most delicious fruit for man to enjoy. He is the food for man.
In John 6, Jesus is presented as the bread of life. But we must realize that the bread comes from the grains. If there are no grains ground into fine flour, there is no bread. The bread issues from the grains, and the grains come from the seed. Moreover, no seed can grow by itself. For the growth, the seed needs the soil. Sometimes I boast to the Lord, “Lord, You cannot grow without me.” Certainly, I need the Lord, but He also needs me. Without the Lord I am poor soil. I can grow nothing, and eventually I become a desert. I do need the Lord as the seed. He is the wonderful, heavenly, divine seed. But the seed also needs me as the soil. Praise the Lord that He is the seed, and we are the soil.
Genesis tells us that God made man out of the ground. Man is the earth. We don’t like the earth, but God likes it. Humanity as the earth is sweet to God. He needs man as the soil. The seed without the soil can produce no bread. Bread requires the seed plus the soil. This seed is not merely added to the soil, but mingled with the soil. When a seed is planted, it stretches out its element into the ground, and at the same time absorbs some element of the ground into itself. This is the mingling of the seed with the soil which brings the growth. The growth is just the mingling of divinity with humanity. Jesus is not only divine; neither is He merely human. Jesus is both divine and human. He is the mingling of divinity with humanity.