The Pomegranate and Jesus Christ

The pomegranate is mentioned in the bible over 30 times. If you are not familiar with this fruit, it grows on a bush that grows up to 30 feet tall. It has a leathery skin and inside are hundreds of seeds, each encased in a fleshy, red coating. It is an ancient fruit which has significant symbolism in the bible.

The first significant symbol is one of abundance. Pomegranates contain more seeds that any other fruit. It can have 200 up to 1,400 seeds which are edible. The fun attribute of a pomegranate is that all of these seeds are like tiny pieces of fruit with their juicy, red covering. A person can eat a few fleshy seeds or all of the seeds as a snack. Any leftover seeds can be kept for a future snack without quickly degrading in quality. The pomegranate is very unique in this way.

Let’s look at the use of it’s symbol of abundance in the bible. In Numbers 13:23, we read about Moses sending the 12 men to spy out the promised land of Canaan. The spies returned with grapes and pomegranates which was evidence of the abundance found there.

In Deuteronomy 8:7-8, the pomegranate is listed as one of the 7 species from Israel,

"For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;"

How does the pomegranate’s symbol of abundance correlate with Jesus Christ? In John 10:10, Jesus tells us, "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Jesus came to give us an abundant spiritual life. He tells us in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” And Jesus tells us in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” And he tells us in Matthew 13:12, “Whoever has, will be given more; and they will have an abundance.”

The next significant symbol of the pomegranate is one of Blood. The pomegranate’s juice possesses a strong red color and it can cause a red stain on fabrics which is nearly impossible to remove.

In Exodus 28:33, the images of pomegranate is sewn on the hem of the priestly robe. The Priest of the temple was to offer animal sacrifices for the sins of the nation. The colors of the pomegranates on the robe were blue, purple and red. The Red pomegranates symbolized blood.

This symbol of blood directly correlates to our Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, who offered up himself as the ultimate sacrifice by shedding his own blood on the cross for all mankind. We read in Revelation 19:13,

"He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God."

Isn’t that amazing? The priestly robe of Aaron was a foreshadow of the blood stained robe to be worn by Jesus at his return.

Another symbol of the pomegranate is one of Kingship. The top of the pomegranate features a “crown” shape which is a symbol of a king.

The first temple was built by King Solomon. God instructed every detail of the temple design including 200 brass pomegranates decorating the top of 2 pillars located at the temple’s entrance as we find in I Kings 7:15-19.

God used the royal symbol of the pomegranate on the temple built by an earthly king, but God established Jesus Christ as our Eternal King. We read in Revelation 19:16, "On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords".

The final significant symbol of the pomegranate is the timing of its harvest. In Israel, pomegranates are in season starting in early autumn. This timing reveals when the spies were sent into the Promised Land. And autumn is also when Solomon completed building the first temple which culminated with a great celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles which foreshadows the promised Kingdom of God.

The timing of the pomegranate’s harvest in the autumn along with all of these events have great significance in relation to Jesus Christ. First and foremost, it correlates with the timing of the return of Jesus Christ on the Feast of Trumpets which occurs in the autumn. This is when the final trumpet call of God that will be sounded at the return of Jesus Christ as we read in I Thessalonians 4:16-17,

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

With the sound of a trumpet, our King Jesus with a blood-stained robe will return and usher us into the Promised Land of God where we will dwell abundantly in the house of the Lord forever and ever.

So the next time you see a pomegranate at the grocery store, buy one! Open it up and remember all of its significant symbols provided by God in the bible which point us ultimately to our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com