Mustard seed

Mustard seed [∞]

File:Mustard seed.mp4

Discussion

The Greek word for 'mustard' is sinapi. The Hebrew word 'sinapir' אסנפר thorn sounds very similar to awsone 'hurt' אסון and api 'anger' אפי . Is it plausible that this is word-play pointing back to the seed of the woman?
It could be said that Jesus was the least of all of the seeds of woman since he served us all on the cross.
The seed of the woman had a bruised heel.

Great herb [∞]

Discussion

The nature of a riddle is that you don't know the answer from the riddle, but you discern the riddle from the answer. The answers to the riddles come from scripture. The mustard seed grew to be the greatest herb.
We need additional information: 1. Herbs were given to men to eat. This is an error, but we will run with it and then correct it to see the process of interpretation. Can you find the error? 2. Eating is a metaphor for learning.
One of the clues that the mustard seed represented Jesus was that he and it were both the least of all the seed. Jesus was the least because he served us all. The seed grew into the greatest herb, which was given to man to eat. What is the greatest thing that man can eat? The body of Christ.
We conclude that he became the great teacher. However, when we apply close reading rules, we catch the error. It does not say that the herb was given to men to eat, but to serve men. Though our first conclusion was a technical error, it was nonetheless true. Jesus was a teacher. Upon closer examination, the riddle is clarified. Now it can be said that his service is referenced in both parts of the riddle. He not only taught us about the cross, but he taught us about 'bruising our heel', or making the instincts of the flesh weak in order to be obedient in the Spirit. This was teaching by example. He served us, by overcoming his desire to not die, and fulfilled the Father's will on the cross.
The Rules for interpretation were applied to clarify the teaching. Scripture is the source of all the answers. Not our memory, doctrinal interpolations, tradition, history, etc. A child could have noticed that originally it was said that the herbs were given to man to 'eat, but that the scripture did not say that. Where did it come from? It wasn't a total fabrication. Everyone knows that herbs can be eaten. So it was 'penciled in' in our mind to make sense of the riddle as it was examined more closely in each pass. It wasn't heretically wrong, it just wasn't precise; which further digging corrected.
The Greek, undoubtedly would call someone a heretic, and doctrinal battles would ensue, if they had ever recognized the riddle to begin with. Studying the mystery is a collaboration. In Greek studies, they say it is a collaboration by asking "what does it mean to you?". In these studies, we share in the observation of what it says by close reading.

Great tree [∞]

Discussion

The parable progresses from the seed, which represents Jesus in the event of his birth , to the herb, which also represents Jesus in the event of his life and then to the tree , which we can safely say also represents Jesus, and the event of the cross.
The Hebrew word for 'tree' is ets עץ also means 'the flesh ע of the judge (the righteous man) died ץ.
Jesus has pointed backwards now to Ge 1:11, 12 He references the seed, the herb and the tree and is giving a commentary on it. It would be fulfilled by him. Please notice that this is a reference to the cross on day 3 of creation, and man was not created until day 6. It displays God's love that he had a plan to reveal himself to us through Christ and the cross before he made man.
If we use Greek methods of interpretation, we must read Ge 1:11,12 literally. They determine that God literally made grass and herbs with seed and trees with fruit which had seed. However, the purpose of scripture is not to give us a history, though it does. It's purpose is to reveal the invisible Father through the Son . If we miss the son in it, we have missed the point.

Moving the mountain [∞]

▸ ± Mt 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. Discussion

Has anyone moved a mountain by faith? [∞] If we read this literally, it causes doubt. If you can't muster up the tiniest of faith to move a mountain to the sea, what makes you think you have sufficient faith for salvation? If you haven't seen nor read about someone moving a mountain to the sea by faith alone, in 2000 years, what makes you think anyone has had faith? The problem is invented by reading it literally. Satan used the same method of reading scripture literally when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus was the stone that followed Israel in the desert and he became the bread .
Faith of Christ [∞] 'Faith' and 'believe' are overused and much maligned words in Christian circles. To sidestep popular debates, 'trust' is used instead. Trust - to adjust one's actions in the confidence of the fidelity of a person, object, or idea. Because you believe something, you adjust your life. You trust the idea 'good is better' when you try to be good. You trust in an object when it is used for it's purpose; you sit in a chair. You trust in a person when your life is changed by their teaching, counsel, reputation, or example. What did Jesus trust? If you assume that Jesus was a super baby because he was God, then your super baby cannot be your high priest, since he was not tempted in the same way that we are. Super baby had an advantage in resisting sin. Jesus 'closed his eyes' to his divinity. He chose not to use his omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience in order to live as we do, therefore, he did not have a divine knowledge of his divinity. Jesus trusted his parent's word that he was the Son of God, and was astonished that they appeared not to believe it . He trusted the scripture that he was God incarnate. He trusted scripture that he had to die and would be raised. These are the same things we must trust scripture for; he is whom the scriptures say he is.
Waters - Spirit and Truth [∞] 'Waters' is the word mayim מים. Hebrew has something similar to our capital letters but they are used at the end of words. The letter mem מ and final mem ם have the same sound of an 'm'. They are the same, but different. Where have we heard that before? The mem, on both cases, is a letter constructed of a kof כ (son of God) and a zayin ז (the bride). There are four letters constructed of these letters. The mem מ is the joining of the Son of God and the bride 'in heaven' It doesn't mean that we pre-existed, but that the Father chose us; he arranged the marriage; it is his promise. Pointing to the promise is the same as pointing to the Father. The tet ט shows the Son and bride joined on earth. Indeed, their wedding is not in the rusurrection, since there is no marriage in the resurrection. In the final mem ם the Son and bride are connected at top and bottom indicating the fuller idea that the promise of the Father is completed on earth by the Son. The Samech ס has rounded corners in contrast to the square corners of the final mem. It to indicates that the promise of the Father is completed by the Son. The mem speaks of completing it in the flesh, and the samech of completing it in the spirit. In 'Waters' we see the Father מ, who is Spirit and the Son ם, who is truth . Jesus told the woman at Sychar (at the well) that though she worshiped on the mountain (had a religion) the day would come when she would worship in Spirit and Truth. She would worship the Father and the Son. She would move the mountain to the waters (or sea).