Israel as the Prodigal Son

 Israel is often compared in the Bible to the unfaithful wife who cheats on her husband, in their case, God. However, another comparison can be made in the parable of the prodigal son (Luk 15:11-32). In the parable, a man had two sons. The younger son took his inherence, traveled to a faraway country, and wasted his money on wild living and prostitutes. The young man became destitute but eventually came to his senses. He returned to his father and repented of his sins. The father forgave him and welcomed him back into the fold with a celebration. However, the older son was not pleased and rebuked his father. The father simply reminded his older son that everything he had was his, but his younger brother was lost, and now he’s found.

The parable of the prodigal son is a narrative about forgiveness, repentance, and restoration. As with all parables, it can have more than one application. I believe the prodigal son can also represent Israel. Israel too wasted their inherence (their land and covenant relationship with God) by prostituting themselves with other gods and was forced to travel to faraway places (the diaspora and being scattered among the nations). This was prophesied about in Leviticus 26:14–46. For their disobedience, their enemies would occupy their land, the land would become desolate, and they would be scattered among the nations. Hosea 3:4 expounds on this period, saying, “Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!”

However, just as the prodigal son repented and was accepted back, I will make the case that so too will Israel repent and be welcomed back into the fold. Leviticus 26 ends by declaring God will not utterly reject Israel but will remember the covenant He had with their ancestors and be their God once again. A repeated pattern can be found in scripture. Time and time again, God calls on Israel to repent and promises that if they do, they will be forgiven:

Isaiah 44:22 I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Hos 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for your sins have brought you down.

Hos 14:2 Bring your confessions, and return to the LORD. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.

Zec 1:3 Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.’

Other supporting scriptures: Jer 3:12-14, Jer 31:34, Eze 18:21-22, Isa 43:25, Joel 2:12-13

Moreover, it’s prophesied that not only can God forgive Israel, but that they will be forgiven and restored:

Hos 3:5 But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the LORD their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the LORD and of his goodness.

Isaiah 10:21 A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. (Remember the remnant, it will become relevant soon)

Deu 30:1 “In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the LORD your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions.

Deu 30:2 If at that time you and your children return to the LORD your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today,

Deu 30:3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you.

Isa 54:7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back.

Other supporting scriptures: Jer 3:22, Jer 50:4-5, Eze 11:17-20, Eze 36:24-28, Eze 16:60–62, Isa 11:11–12, Hos 6:1-3, Hos 14:4–7 

If there are any doubts about whether the above verses are to be interpreted as literal or figurative, Romans 11 should clear up any confusion: 

Rom 11:1- 4 Paul clearly states that God is not done with the nation of Israel, making a distinction between the Church and Israel.

Rom 11:5-10 God chose a remnant from Israel; the rest he hardened their hearts and blinded them for a time. Otherwise, Christianity would have remained an insular Jewish sect.

Rom 11:11 God brought salvation to the gentiles in part to provoke Israel to jealousy.

Rom 11:12-16 Israel will eventually accept God’s salvation, and their descendants will be holy.

Rom 11:17-22 Israel is the olive tree, and the gentiles are the branches. The gentiles were grated into the olive tree but did not replace it. The branches are not the root. For this reason, we shouldn’t become haughty because God can just as easily break us off.

Rom 11:23-24 God declares that if Israel turns from their unbelief, He has the power to graft them back into the tree.

Rom 11:25-36 Israel’s heart is hardened until the full number of Gentiles come to Christ. Ultimately, God, in his mercy, will take away their sins, and all Israel will be saved.

Is there more scriptural support that Israel will turn from their unbelief? Yes, and it happens during the Great Tribulation. Let’s examine the end-time sequence of events. Zechariah 14 is very prophetic. It says of those days that the nations of the world will fight against Jerusalem and it will be captured (Zec 14:1-2). Half the population is captured; the rest flee the city. Zechariah gets more into the details and says two-thirds will die, but one-third will be left. But this remnant will go through the fire (i.e., the Great Tribulation) and be refined. They will call on the Lord, and He will answer them. That’s when Jesus will intervene to fight against those nations attacking Israel (Zec 14:3). He will set his foot on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, but that may not be where He goes first.

This Jewish remnant will flee to Jordan, likely the rock city of Petra. How do we know this? Because of Micah 2:12:

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

The Hebrews knew it as Bozrah, which means "sheepfold" or "fortress," but most people today know it by its Greek name, Petra. There is another clue in Daniel that tells us this is the right location. Daniel 11:14 says there are three ancient nations that will escape the Antichrist’s grasp: Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Those ancient nations no longer exist, but the geographical locations they once occupied do. Those three nations encompass the territory of what is today modern-day Jordan, where Petra is located.

Why Petra? Well, aside from the fact that it appears to be supernaturally protected during this period, it’s the perfect hiding place. Petra is literally a rock city surrounded by mountains and cliffs. The primary entrance is a very narrow gorge only accessible by foot or horseback, making it easy to defend. Water is also not a problem because the city has hundreds of underground cisterns and aqueducts. This is the woman who flees to the wilderness (desert) for one thousand two hundred and sixty days or 3.5 years in Revelation 12:6. Jeremiah 49:13-14 suggests the Antichrist forces will prepare to invade Bozrah (Petra), likely near the end of the 3.5 years:

"For I have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes. I have heard a message from the Lord, and an ambassador has been sent to the nations: 'Gather together, come against her, and rise up to battle!'"

This will be a Red Sea moment for the Jewish remnant. They will be surrounded by their enemies with nowhere to go. God will allow them to be put in a position where they have no other recourse but to turn back to Him and call upon His name. In fact, this appears to be a precondition for Jesus’ return:

Mat 23:39 “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ”

Hos 5:15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

The “offense” mentioned by Hosea is outlined in the Book of Daniel:

Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

Daniel says the purpose of the Great Tribulation, among other things, is to “finish the transgression." This transgression is the corporate rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Once they acknowledge their offense and accept Jesus as the Messiah, their transgression will be finished, and that’s when Jesus will intervene and save them:

Zec 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Rev 19:13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

Rev 19:14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.

Why is Jesus’ robe dipped in blood? Because he had just destroyed the Antichrist forces at Bozrah. Isaiah expounds on this:

Isa 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength? “It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who has the power to save!”

Isa 63:2 Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes?

Isa 63:3 “I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. Their blood has stained my clothes.

Isa 63:4 For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors.

The tribulation is, in part, about dealing with Satan, the anti-Christ, and judging a Christ-rejecting world. But the other part is God dealing with Israel. That’s why the Great Tribulation is called Jacob’s Trouble (Jer 30:7). It's not a coincidence that Revelation centers around Jerusalem. The Two Witnesses are from Jerusalem (Rev 11:8). The sealed 144,000 are all from the tribe of Israel (Rev 7:4-8). The Battle of Armageddon takes place in modern-day northern Israel. Why? Because God is taking care of some unfinished business. The only way to get around it is to allegorize scripture.

When did the fig tree wither?

 Matthew 21:19–21 NIV

Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.

Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,

not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain,

‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.

Mark 11:19–20 NIV

When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[a] went out of the city.

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Matthew 21:19–21indicates the fig tree Jesus cursed withered immediately. However, Mark 11:19–20 would suggest the fig tree withered some time later. So, which is it? It takes a careful reading of the sequence of events to resolve this apparent contradiction. We will start with Mark 11 as it is the more complete version. Note that Jesus and his apostles visit Jerusalem on three consecutive days:

Visit 1 (Mark 11:1–11)

Jesus and the disciples come to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, on the way to Jerusalem.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey.

In the evening, they return to Bethany for the night.

Visit 2 (Mark 11:12–19)

They leave Bethany in the morning.

They comes upon Fig tree and Jesus curses it.

They return to Jerusalem and Jesus cleanses temple.

In the evening, they leave the Jerusalem.

Visit 3 (Mark 11:20–33)

In the morning, they head back to Jerusalem and pass withered fig tree.

Peter remembers Jesus cursing the fig tree.

Jesus returns to temple in Jerusalem and is challenged the priests and elders.

Now, onto the Matthew account and you should spot the differences:

Visit 1 (Matt 21 1:1–17)

Jesus and the disciples come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, on the way to Jerusalem.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey and clears the temple.

They leave Jerusalem and head to Bethany for the night.

Visit 2 (Mat 21:18–46)

The next morning, returning to Jerusalem, Jesus curses fig tree amazing the disciples amazed how quickly it withered.

Jesus returns to the temple in Jerusalem and is challenged by the priests and elders.

Notice that the Matthew account is missing some important details. It explicitly mentions two separate visits to Jerusalem but doesn't mention the third. Instead, it merges the events of the three visits over the two visits to Jerusalem that's mentioned. The Mark account, on the other hand, gives a more clear description of events. Jesus curses the fig tree on one day, and Peter (and the apostles) remark about it the next day.

As an aside, there are two Greek words used for "immediately" in Matthew 21:19 depending on which underlying text is used, mēketi and parachrēma. Parachrēma implies "immediately" or "at once" while mēketi means "no longer" or "not anymore." Given the proper context of Mark 11, it's likely the latter.

Did Matthew get it wrong? Dealing with Matthew 27:9–10

Matt 27:9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced,

Matt 27:10 “and gave them for the potter’s field, as the LORD directed me.”

Here, Matthew seems to mistakenly attribute the story of the purchase of the potters’ field to Jeremiah rather than Zechariah. How is it possible that Matthew made such a glaring mistake? In dealing with apparent contradictions, it's been my experience that there's always plauseable explanations to be found, even if it's impossible to know the definitive answer. So, let's examine Matthew 27:9–10.

Upon careful inspection, Matthew 27:9 quotes Zechariah 11:12-13:

Zec 11:12 Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

Zec 11:3 And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter. (NKJV)

However, Matthew 27:10 alludes to Jeremiah 32:6-9:

Jer 32:6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Jer 32:7 ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.” ’

Jer 32:8 “Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

Jer 32:9 “So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money—seventeen shekels of silver.

Zechariah mentions thirty pieces of silver and a potter, but nothing about buying a field. Jeremiah, on the other hand, visits a potter's house (Jer 18), buys a potter's jar and smashes it in the Valley of Slaughter (Jer 19), and then buys a field from his cousin Hanamel for seventeen shekels of silver (Jer 32) (makes you wonder if Hanamel was a potter). Zechariah's prophecy and Jeremiah's actions both foreshadowed the death of Judas. So, Matthew 27:9–10 seems to be an amalgamation of Zechariah and Jeremiah. For reasons that are not clear, Matthew attributed it solely to Jeremiah, perhaps because Jeremiah preceded Zechariah.

On a side note, the Old Syric translation of Matthew 27:9 (circa 5th century) doesn't mention Jeremiah or Zechariah but simply says, "Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet, who said, And I took the thirty (pieces) of silver, the price of him who was precious, whom the sons of Isroel bargained for." Make of that what you will.

There is something called "citation formula" (sometimes quotation formula) or "ascription." It's basically a literary device where a writer may attribute a quote or idea to someone else. For example, in Stephen's speech in Acts 7, he appears to blend or summarize several Old Testament passages. In Acts 7:42–43, Stephen attributes a statement about Israel's idolatry to the book of Amos. However, the wording closely resembles a passage from the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 66:17). I believe this is what Matthew was doing. He was quoting Zacheriah, but doing it within the larger context of Jeremiah. The Apologetics Team website gives an excellent explanation. Excerpts: 

What then is the solution? It would appear that, while quoting primarily from Zechariah, Matthew was pointing the reader to a key passage (or theme) in Jeremiah as well, one that tied in with the point he wanted to make. Thus, to draw this to the reader’s attention, he made reference to Jeremiah, since the reference to Zechariah would be obvious...

It would seem then, in light of all the potential texts in Jeremiah, that Matthew was most likely pointing to Jeremiah 19:1–13, where the prophet is commanded by the Lord to “buy a clay jar from a potter” (yotser) and to take it, in the presence of the elders and the priests, “to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate,” proclaiming a word of solemn judgment on Jerusalem: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle” (19:1–3). Jeremiah was then to smash the potter’s jar and say: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired” (Jer. 19:11). —Matthew 27:9–10 prophecy from Zechariah or Jeremiah?

On another side note, The Greek Septuagint, the one New Testament authors often quote from, doesn't mention anything about a potter in Zechariah 11:13. It only says, "And the Lord said to me, Drop them into the furnace, and I will see if it is good , as I was proved for their sakes. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them into the furnace in the house of the Lord." So, while Matthew 27:9 does quote Zechariah, it's reasonable to conclude Matthew 27:10 is a reference to Jeremiah 32:6–9, as Zechariah's prophecy doesn't mention anything about purchasing a field.