This topic is collecting lessons and ideas for creating and/or teaching with a "Jesse Tree" in Sunday School
"Jesse Tree" refers to Jesus' family lineage dating back to Ruth and Boaz (Jesse's grandparents). They are typically "family trees" created during Advent with ornaments representing different members of Jesus' family.
In Sunday School, a "Jesse Tree" is often a tree with ornaments that represent different members of Jesus and Jesse' family (like Ruth who's grandson was Jesse the father of King David). They can also have scripture or stories, such as ornaments with scripture verses on them.
The tree can be a craft or a printable (there are many online).
The tree is often linked to the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew 1.
The word "tree" comes from a mistranslation of the Hebrew word for "stump" or "stem" in Isaiah 11:
The Peaceful Kingdom
11 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The tree/branches/stems/vines were popular artistic motifs in the Middle Ages, and are still used today in Church art. The idea is similar to the idea behind evergreen boughs. In later centuries, the idea of depicting one's family as a "tree" became prominent, and still is today.
