In this passage, Jacob is prophesying a blessing to Joseph, as well as recognizing a spiritual fact about his life. He calls Joseph a bough, which means a branch, but he is not just branch, he is a fruitful branch. He has made good use of his life. He is like a branch that is near a well. It’s as though he lived near a source of water that helped him produce this fruit. There is more. He not only produced fruit on one side of the wall, but he produced fruit on the other side of the wall as well. Notice the phrase, “whose branches run over the wall.”

 

This reminds me of Jesus! He is called the BRANCH in Zechariah 3:8. He, too, was a fruitful branch that reached over the wall of Jewish culture and touched the Gentile. Because of Jesus, salvation is for all, Jew and Gentile! Praise God for His love that breached the wall of Judaism and made the fruit of salvation available to all!

This also reminds me of the responsibility of the Christian. We are called branches in John 15:1-5. We are called to produce fruit, spiritual fruit; Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Galatians 5:22-23

 

This spiritual fruit is what sustains us in difficult times, but it is also what brings the gospel of Christ to the world, through us. We cannot manufacture this fruit; it must be produced by the Spirit of God. We will need to stay by the Well (Jesus) if we are to be fruitful branches.

 

These fruitful branches should extend beyond the church wall. They should go over the wall and into our neighborhood. They should go over our Jerusalem and into our Samaria. They should go over our Samaria and into our Judaea. Then, they should go over our Judaea and into all of the world. Acts 1:8

 

May more than your church family see Jesus in you!

 

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