The meaning of Bethphage

[RTTippett]

This past week, while reading Mark 11:1-11 [the Palm Sunday reading], I was led to realize a much deeper meaning for Bethphage being written. If anyone cares to discuss this, please let me know!

 

[Magenta]

I looked it up after you made reference to it in another thread; I discovered Bethphage means unripe olives. Of course this is interesting in relation to it being during the week coming up to Christ's crucifixion when this is mentioned, and Jesus curses the fig tree on His way to Jerusalem, which I understand to be a pronouncement of judgment against the temple system, for Christ is about to give His life as the ultimate sacrifice, and the temple will be destroyed thereafter. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins

 

[RTTippett]

Some tidbits of info:
Bethphage is thought to be the name of a town, but no one has ever been able to determine where that town was.
In the local language, which is rooted in Hebrew, "Beth" means "House," and "phage" means "an unripe fig."
In all of Scripture, "Bethphage" is only found written three times, with all three pertaining to the same story of preparation for the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. It is found once in each: Mark 11, Matthew 21, and Luke 19.

In all the times I had read this (or heard it read aloud in church), no one ever explained any of that to me.

 

[Magenta]

Oops, it means house of unripe FIGS, not olives

I meant to say figs but had olives on the brain LOL

Both are symbolic of Israel

 

[Magenta]

Some tidbits of info:
Bethphage is thought to be the name of a town, but no one has ever been able to determine where that town was.

A quick search shows Bthphage is on the Mount of Olives east of historical Jerusalem. Bethphage is mentioned in the New Testament as the place in ancient Israel from which Jesus sent his disciples to find a colt upon which he would ride into Jerusalem. The Synoptic Gospels mention it as being close to Bethany. Bethphage is about 2 kilometres from the modern village of al-Azariya D

 

[RTTippett]

Same difference, Magenta. It means House of unpicked fruit ... figs, olives, grapes, it really does not matter. Still, Bethphage is said in Mark 11:1 "[they - the disciples and Jesus"] came to Bethphage and Bethany." The conjunction "and" says Bethphage was a House [fig farm or fig orchard] that was part of Bethany. That then says when the group came back across the Jordan for the Passover [each Mark, Matthew and Luke write of that in their prior chapters, before mentioning Bethphage], the disciples then stayed at the House of Unripe Figs, while Jesus went on to the House of Mary and Martha [and dead Lazarus]. Because the disciples were at "Bethphage" they were not witnesses to the miracle of Lazarus being raised from death.

 

[RTTippett]

Yes, the nearby village is where two disciples were sent to get a donkey colt, never ridden before by a man. There were only two roads out of Bethany - the Jericho Road being one, and another that went to the village. Two disciples went one way, Jesus and the rest went the other. Both roads led to Gethsemane, where they met up again. It means Bethphage and Bethany is one general place, with the village a second place.

 

[RTTippett]

The amazing thing that I realized is Bethphage being where the disciples stayed, before going into Jerusalem with Jesus on a donkey colt [Palm Sunday], is the disciples were the unripe figs of Jesus. It says Jesus carried with him an omer of green figs to drop off at the Temple of Jerusalem, along with his disciples. The counting of the omer is seven weeks (49 days). By the time Pentecost Sunday came around (the 50th day), the green figs were declared by the High Priest as fit to eat, while the Apostles spoke as the fruit of Jesus fit to speak.

 

[KingdomBrat]

Good Thread

 

[Blik]

It is amazing and wonderful how digging deeper into scripture, past the literal history of it, we find such gems of the spirit.

We are told we need not obey literal instructions like circumcision and diet but to be led instead by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual. Those commandments had such profound spiritual meanings, we are still to obey the spirit of them. It makes me seriously question scripture, searching to be sure we are not obeying some we should be obeying, like Passover. Are we certain God wants us to substitute the communion rite for Passover?

There are such spiritual insights to be had in all God's voice.

 

[Magenta]

Same difference, Magenta. It means House of unpicked fruit ... figs, olives, grapes, it really does not matter. Still, Bethphage is said in Mark 11:1 "[they - the disciples and Jesus"] came to Bethphage and Bethany." The conjunction "and" says Bethphage was a House [fig farm or fig orchard] that was part of Bethany. That then says when the group came back across the Jordan for the Passover [each Mark, Matthew and Luke write of that in their prior chapters, before mentioning Bethphage], the disciples then stayed at the House of Unripe Figs, while Jesus went on to the House of Mary and Martha [and dead Lazarus]. Because the disciples were at "Bethphage" they were not witnesses to the miracle of Lazarus being raised from death.

Jesus only sent two disciples to get the colt and donkey, told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, whereas the raising of Lazarus is told only in the gospel of John, where upon learning Lazarus had died, it seems they all went with Jesus as per John 11:16~ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

 

[posthuman]

from the house of unripe figs, He entered Jerusalem (('Jah-Provides-Peace')) through the Eastern gate, the one toward the sunrise, called the 'Golden Gate' or the 'Gate of Mercy' -- a bruised reed He will not break

and the next day, He cursed the fig tree that had no fruit out of season.

i think having unripe fruit is quite different than having no fruit at all

 

[RTTippett]

from the house of unripe figs, He entered Jerusalem (('Jah-Provides-Peace')) through the Eastern gate, the one toward the sunrise, called the 'Golden Gate' or the 'Gate of Mercy' -- a bruised reed He will not break

and the next day, He cursed the fig tree that had no fruit out of season.

i think having unripe fruit is quite different than having no fruit at all

When I realized the meaning of Bethphage, not fig tree ever grown to the mature state of producing figs ONLY produces unripe figs. All figs are unripe first, then all figs are either picked as unripe fruit and left to ripen somewhere, or they stay on the tree until they ripen and fall to the ground. Bethphage was then a House known for fig trees AND it was known for its figs to be picked in an unripe state, for the purpose of taking them to the Temple before the Passover, as the ritual of the first fruits. First fruits were green fruit and grains that had to sit for two months before they were declared ripe and ready to eat at Shavuot [Feast of Weeks]. The symbolism of the barren fig tree that was cursed, withered and died is then important for seeing the leafy branches cut from the fields and placed before Jesus riding a donkey colt into Jerusalem were branches [some think from date palms] farmers pruned from date palm trees, which were dead branches. They were piled by the roads to be burned. So, I do believe you are right to connect the dots from Bethphage to the fig tree that bore no fruit.

 

[RTTippett]

Jesus only sent two disciples to get the colt and donkey, told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, whereas the raising of Lazarus is told only in the gospel of John, where upon learning Lazarus had died, it seems they all went with Jesus as per John 11:16~ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

John is the only Gospel that tells of Jesus raising Lazarus. Mathew was a disciple who did not write about that event. Mark wrote the accounts of Simon Peter, but did not write about the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus. Luke wrote the accounts of Mother Mary, who was with the disciples and Jesus on the other side of the Jordan. She told Luke of Jesus spending the night in Jericho at Zacchaeus' house, telling the parable of the minas. Luke then wrote of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem one a donkey colt Jesus had sent two disciples to get. By Luke not writing about the AMAZING event of raising Lazarus from death, says she [like the others who had come from beyond the Jordan] did not witness the event. Only John witnessed it and only John wrote about it. I believe it was God's plan for it to happen that way. I believe the reason Bethphage is written in Mark, Matthew and Luke was God leaving one little nugget of truth for the faithful to find and be amazed by what God's nugget of truth reveals ... without writing anything more than one word - Bethphage.

 

[KingdomBrat]

John the Beloved was given some amazing insight the others never knew.
1. WORD
2. Lazarus resurrected
3. only Apostle to survive 70 A.D.
4. Taught his own Disciples [Polycarp and Ireneaus]
5. Patmos/Revelation/the Apocalypse
6. Bishop of the Church of Ephesians
7. Died well past the age of 100

Christ truly Blessed John and gave him deeper insight than most others.

 

[RTTippett]

In case anyone is interested, I have posted a Biblical commentary about Mark 11:1-11, which includes Bethphage, the donkey colt, the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, and going to the temple on my blog that is part of my website. Everyone is welcome to read and add comments here. https://www.katrinapearls.com/post/...ing-bethphage-a-donkey-colt-and-palm-branches

 

[Magenta]

By Luke not writing about the AMAZING event of raising Lazarus from death, says she [like the others who had come from beyond the Jordan] did not witness the event. Only John witnessed it and only John wrote about it.

I do not think that is a reasonable assumption to make considering it was Thomas who said let's go.

Not writing about or recording something is not proof of absence to a particular event.

 

[tourist]

Oops, it means house of unripe FIGS, not olives

I meant to say figs but had olives on the brain LOL

Both are symbolic of Israel

I'm currently trending towards figs.