The Jesse Tree tradition comes from Isaiah 11:1,“And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.” Jesse was the father of King David, and Jesus is descended from the line of David through both Joseph and Mary. As Christ is the first of all creation, he is both the source of the root, while also growing out of the root in time. As St. Paul says in Colossians 1: 16 “For in Him were all things created in heaven and on earth ... all things were created by Him and in Him.