More Strange Sayings in the Scriptures…
Like Whited Sepulchres.
In Matthew 23: 27
Yeshua/Jesus said
woe unto you scribes and Pharisees
hypocrites for you are
like
whited sepulchres.
Hebrew word for
tomb
tomb. noun קֶבֶר.
grave, sepulchre,
sepulcher, gravestone, tombstone.
noun קְבוּרָה.
qeber: a grave, sepulcher
Original Word: קֶבֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qeber
Phonetic Spelling: (keh’-ber)
Definition: a grave, sepulcher
Definition. a grave, sepulcher.
NASB Translation. burial (6), burial place (1), grave (28), graves (16), tomb (8), tombs (8)
Like many words borrowed into English from French, sepulchre has roots buried in Latin.
The word arose from Latin sepulcrum, a noun derived from the verb sepelire, meaning “to bury.”
Sepultus, the past participle of sepelire, gave us—also by way of Anglo-French—the related noun sepulture, which is a synonym of burial and sepulchre.
White washed tombs mark the place of the dead today just as they did in Yeshua/Jesus’s day.
Hundreds of rock-cut tombs were constructed in Israel in ancient times. They were cut into the rock, sometimes with elaborate facades and multiple burial chambers. Some are free-standing, but most are caves. Each tomb typically belonged to a single, wealthy family. Bodies were laid out on stone benches.
After a generation, the bones were moved to a bone chamber or, later, into ossuaries and the benches used for new burials. Rock tombs were the province of the wealthy; the common people were buried.
An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary.
So, is it possible that He may have also been referring to these burial boxes/ossuaries where bones are moved and placed after the body decays?
This sheds a little more light on the man who said:
let me first bury my father before I follow you!
Luke 9:59–60
One of the earliest and most important discoveries relating to the historical facts of Yeshua/Jesus and members of His family is the limestone bone-box/ossuary, made known to the public in October 2002. Ossuaries were used by Israel from about the second-century B.C. until the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Over 10,000 such ossuaries have been discovered but only about 100 contain inscriptions.
Of these, only 2 have an identification similar to the one etched in the now famous and somewhat controversial “James Ossuary.”
The entire Aramaic inscription reads,
“Jacob (James), son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”
Ya’akov bar Yosef akhui di Yeshua.
Dating from AD 63 it bears this inscription below:
If, in fact, the inscription in its entirety is recognized as authentic, which it is believed to be the case, this is a clear 1st-century A.D. testimony of Jesus/Yeshua, His father Joseph, and brother James.
James (Ya’akov), is given in the Gospel accounts as a brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55), but he is also one of the most important figures in the New Testament. The book of Acts reveals he was the pastor/leader of the Jerusalem church, moderator of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, and wrote the book of James.
James is also spoken of a number of times in the writings of Josephus. He was put to death by certain Jewish leaders in A.D. 62, so if the James Ossuary is the one in which his bones were placed; then the dating of the bone-box would be approximately A.D. 62-63, allowing time for the reburial of the bones after the decomposition of the flesh, according to Jewish practices.
Two other Ossuraries with inscriptions:
first one with the name:
Simon builder
and second the Ossuary of the
High Priest Joseph Caiaphas.
Luke 9:59; Matt 8:21
Elaborate Ossurary of Joseph, son of Caiaphas high priest, who was the Jewish high priest from 18-36AD.
The Caiaphas family burial cave was discovered in S.E. Jerusalem. This was one of 12 ossuraries found inside. On this one the full name of the deceased – Joseph of Caiaphas – appears twice.
Part of middle eastern culture is that these tombs will receive a new whitening before days or seasons of the feasts appointed times of worship and remembering the Lord.
The people believed that to touch or to come into contact with a tomb caused them to become unclean, this reasoning being that because death was the result of sin it therefore caused personal contamination.
Because of this cultural observation all of the tombs were always painted and white washed simply because it made them easy to be seen and thus avoided.
White washing a tombstone did not change the nature of the grave itself because it still contained the dead person’s bones. Although the exterior was made to look attractive inside there was no change and it was full of decay and death.
Sometimes something like this apple can look ok on the exterior but is rotten inside.
Yeshua/Jesus made reference to this practice of white washing when speaking to the Pharisees and the Scribes. He was pointing out that belief systems and lifestyle was not to be focused on the outward decoration or just for special occasions but it was to be giving reality to all we do as a life principle.
Yeshua/Jesus focused so many times on the things He called hypocrisy
and it was more often than not in connection with the religious leaders of the day.
The Hebrew word here rendered
hypocrite
means the
godless or profane,
as in Jeremiah 23:11,
This godless person was totally opposed to God or forgetful of God.
The Hebrew word often translated hypocrite often referred to pollution or corruption.
Although the Hebrews were concerned about pretense or insincerity (Isaiah 29:13; Jeremiah 12:2), there is no one Hebrew word exactly equivalent to hypocrisy.
The word is based on the Greek hypokrisis, originally meaning to give an answer. A hypocrite in classical Greek could be an interpreter of dreams, an orator, a reciter of poetry, or an actor!
Originally a neutral term, hypocrite gained the negative connotation of pretense, duplicity, or insincerity.
צָבוּעַ
Yeshua/Jesus may have also been referring to the burial boxes/ossuaries where bones are moved and placed after the body decays.
Cursing The Fig Tree.
Mark 11:12-14, 20-23
Hebrew word for
fig tree
teenah
teh-ay-naw
hey nun alef tet
(read R to L)
תְּאֵן
Aramaic תֵּינְתָא,
תְּאֵנָה noun feminine fig-tree,
{teh-ay- naw’}
teenah: fig tree
strongs 8384
Original Word: תְּאֵן
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: teenah
Phonetic Spelling: (teh-ane’)
Definition: fig tree
The fig-tree (Ficus Carica) and its fruit
are designated in Hebrew by the same word,
te’enah
Deut.8:8; Judges 9:10; Num.13:23; II Kings 10:7;
the plural,
te’enim,
(note the IM ending)
indicating the fruit as distinct from the tree.
the fourth of the Seven Species:
The Seven Species – Shvat HaMinim – seven types of fruits and grains named in the Torah (Deuteronomy 8:8)
The seven species are:
Wheat chitah חִטִּ֑ים
Barley se’orah שְׂעֹרָה
Grapes gefen/gephen גֶּפֶן usually consumed as wine
Figs te’enah תְּאֵן
Pomegranates rimon רִמּ֛וֹן
Olives zayit זַיִת usually consumed in oil form
Dates tamar תמר
or
Bee honey d’vash וּדְבָֽשׁ from Judges 14:8
The biblical verse from Deuteronomy does not actually mention palm dates but instead uses the word d’vash as the seventh species, which literally translates to honey.
In ancient times the palm date was often made into a form of honey by mashing the dates and cooking them with water until they thickened into a syrup. This mesh is also called ‘Silan’ ‘Dabas,’ or ‘Rub.’
It is generally thought that when the Torah mentions honey it is usually referring to palm date honey and not the honey produced by bees. This is why dates were included in the seven species instead of bee honey.
This date honey is what John the Baptist ate along with beans called locust beans.
‘te•ena,’ fig.
תְּאֵן
The ‘te•e•na,’ the common fig
the plural, “te’enim,” תְּאֵנִים
indicating the fruit as distinct from the tree.
Strong’s Hebrew: 8384. תְּאֵנִים (teenah) — fig tree
In Hebrew literature the word fig tree
is synonymous with prosperity.
It was not in Babylonia nor in Assyria
that man dwelt under and
ate every one of his fig tree, but in Syria
Mic. 4: 4; Is. 36: 16.
There are many interpretations of this event … several of them included in this post for prayerful consideration…
Scripture interprets itself ..it is the living WORD.
In Mark 11:12 14 20-23
he uses the cursing of the barren fig tree to both encompass and comment on his story of the Jewish temple: Jesus/Yeshua and His disciples are on their way to Jerusalem when Jesus/Yeshua curses a fig tree because it bears no fruit;
In Jerusalem he drives the money-changers from the temple; and the next morning the disciples find that the fig tree has withered and died, with the implied message that the temple is cursed and will wither because, like the fig tree, it failed to produce the fruit of righteousness.
Matthew 21:18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
(Mark 11:12-25) 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”
According to research strange thing about certain fig trees in Israel is that the fruit appears before the leaves. This made for an interesting observation that if the first fruit did not appear then there would be no other figs on that tree.
When Yeshua/ Jesus and His disciples were passing by looking for some of the sweet first fruit because they were hungry. At first glance the tree looked healthy and useful because it had many leaves
however it was a useless tree…
Why?
Because it had no fruit on it – it was barren.
but to any person passing by the tree it it gave a false image that was a good tree
when it was actually of no value because it had no fruit.
Here we are reminded of the words of Jesus/Yeshua
Here the tree was a type of profession
but
without productiveness
so, in a way it was a very
hypocritical tree.
צָבוּעַ
As we saw earlier in the post,
Jesus/Yeshua condemned hypocrisy
in both people and things
and it is mentioned more than any other sin.
With this tree Jesus/Yeshua gave His disciples
a very real illustration they would not quickly forget.
A critical viewer may comment that because the fig tree did not belong to Jesus/Yeshua or the disciples, they had no right to take the fruit, had there been any.
In Ex.22:29
Moses covered such cases
you are not to prohibit those that pass by when your fruits are ripe, to touch them, but to give them leave to fill themselves full of what you have.
The custom of picking ripe figs when passing orchards is still considered o.k. in the middle eastern countries, especially from trees that are not enclosed in someone’s property.
In September after the autumn/fall feasts; the figs still remaining on the trees are considered common property and the poor can go into the orchards and take what they need.
The fig tree is typified as the nation of Israel, where its
first ‘fruit’ is the first stage of growth, or re-establishment,
and the growth of ‘leaves’ is its coming of age.
He says also that
the generation that sees this
growth of leaves on the ‘tender branch’
will not pass.
Israel
and
The Fig Tree.
In the natural world, the fig tree should bear fruit before the leaves. If the tree has leaves but no fruit, the tree is barren. This fig tree as a symbol of Israel, represents the barren and empty spiritual state of Israel. Here was a fig tree, resplendent in its abundance of rich, green foliage.
A leafy fig tree must have offered big fruits although they might not be ripe. On the other hand, the other trees in the garden that had no leaves did not give false expectations. It was clear that they had no fruits so they couldn’t disappoint anyone. Mark 11:13.
The fig tree was symbolic of the priests who had made the ministry in the Temple unfruitful preventing people from entering in
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Matt 23:13
Jesus/Yeshua wanted to awaken the consciences of the leaders with this and other parables; only some of them answered that call. Acts 6:7
The fig-tree not only bears fruit without visible blossoms, but begins to form its first crop of figs before the leaves appear.
The fruit is sweet and nourishing, very full of seeds, and possessing soothing, healing powers. 2 Kings 20:7; Isa. 38:21;
The fig-tree evidently corresponds to a knowledge of good, sweet works of kindness.
The Bible suggests for some commentators that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil may have been a Fig Tree. The clue for them is the Bible’s statement that after eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Adam and Eve realize that they are naked and thereupon sew together aprons or loincloths made of fig leaves to cover their nakedness:
Genesis 3:6-7
When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.
Praise God! We are now in receipt of the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:10 and do not need to try and cover our pwn nakedness before Him..we are washed and covered by Messiahs Blood and
One thought is that the curse on the fig tree was for the leaves. Adam received the sentence.
Cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”… Gen 3 :16-18
Was it for this reason that
Yeshua/Jesus allowed the crown of thorns
to be placed on His head,
that He may cancel the sentence,
breaking the curse??
and also the reason that His body was buried and He descended into (Eph. 4:9-10) the earth so that the earth might receive the blessing instead – reversing the curse? After the fall, and the glory left them, they clothed themselves with the leaves of the fig tree.. so is it indeed possible it was the fruit of the fig tree, not an apple tree?
The fig tree was the last of the signs as He was on His way to the cross; and He curses the one fig tree not every fig tree.
Was this because it was symbolic of the tree of the fall the reason He came to redeem us from the curse of sin and death?
Was this also for the sake of the example:
And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Let no fruit grow on thee (let there be no fruit from thee) henceforward forever. Mark 11:14
The barren tree represented the fruitlessness of Israel in showing the One True God to all the nations; which was and is their calling, and why they are called the chosen people. They had instead turned the things of God into empty rituals and legalism.
This incident was a visual parable to signify Yeshua/Jesus’ search for true fruit in the form of worship, prayer and righteousness in Israel.
Such is the sentence passed on this tree. Yeshua/Jesus addresses the tree as if replying to the false profession made by its show of leaves. It had the sap of life, it had power to produce luxuriant leaves; therefore it might and ought to have borne fruit. They had leaves/ rituals but no fruit/righteousness.
Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees!
Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Matt 3:10
Referring to Israel the fig tree is a metaphor for Israel and their standing before God; as in
Hosea 9:10. I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season.
and Jer.24:5
Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
and
Matt. 21:19
Christ said: As the branch cannot of itself bear fruit, except it. abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. No fruit of itself —the words reveal the reason there is so little fruit. Was this in reference to those in Israel who had rejected Him and were not connected to Him?
No fruit of itself —
the words reveal the reason there is so little fruit. And because we are not connected to Him this is what happens to it afterwards
Messiah was once again addressing the hypocrisy as in Luke 12:1
Hypocrites: actions different than words, the reason is self interest.
Sinners = people see them sin and they admit to it.
All hypocrites are sinners but
not all sinners are hypocrites.
Genesis 3:6-7
When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.
Below, a close-up of fig fruits, fig leaves, and a fig tree.
Fruit inspection is surely something we are to be doing in all seasons…
Shalom Shalom Mishpachah/Family!
Please don’t leave this page until you make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven.
I believe that
Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
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