"'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was
crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But
go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There
you will see him, just as he told you.''" - Mark 16:6-7
In 1973, archeologists uncovered a cache of date palm seeds in ancient Masada,
Israel. Scientists estimated that the seeds were produced about 70 AD. The
Romans called it Phoenix dactylifera -- "the date-bearing phoenix" -- because it
never died and appeared to be reborn in the desert where all other plant life
perished.
The seeds were stored at Israel's Bar-Ilan University where they remained for
the next thirty years. In November 2004, Dr. Sarah Sallon approached the
university and asked for some of the seeds.
"When we asked if we could try and grow some of them, they said, 'You're mad,'
but they gave us three seeds," Sarah said.
Sarah's friend, biologist Dr. Elaine Solowey also didn't have much faith that
the seeds would germinate, but Elaine carefully prepared the seeds for planting.
First she soaked the seeds in hot water to make them once again able to absorb
liquids. Then she soaked them in a solution of nutrients followed by an
enzymatic fertilizer made from seaweed.
Tu B'shevat, a Jewish holiday known as the New Year for Trees, fell on January
25, 2005. Elaine chose that day to plant the seeds in new potting soil, hook
them up to a drip irrigation system, and then she left them locked up. Elaine
occasionally checked on the plants for a few weeks, and in March 2005, she
noticed a sprout. By November 2005, the sprout had turned into a sapling that
was 3 feet high with nine leaves. Nicknamed Methuselah, the seeds is oldest seed
to ever germinate.
God has the power to bring life to that which was dead. His greatest triumph is
the resurrection of Christ. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for your new life in
Him and in Him you too will be raised from the dead.
"The seed dies into new life and so does man." - George MacDonald
God's Word: "He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he
was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands
of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" - Luke
24:6-7
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2005, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN MARK
pkennedy6@yahoo.com
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