Emphasis Preaching Journal

Jesus' teaching about falling into the earth like a seed and rising to new life is amply illustrated by the seed of a date palm found at Masada. This particular seed has been carbon dated to approximately the time of the siege of Masada (73 BCE). Israeli scientists have planted the seed, and after two years, the plant is four feet tall, normal growth for date palms. It has been dubbed the Methuselah Tree, named after the oldest man in the Bible. What is further exciting about this particular seed is that it represents a species of palms that have been long extinct.