Reaching for the Tallit, Part I (Oct., 2021)

We have seen pictures of the Jewish men at the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. They wear what we often call a prayer shawl. We read about this important garment in Numbers 15. The Jewish men are to make fringes in the borders of the garments and to place a border of ribband of blue on them (v.38). The fringe is symbolic of all the commandments of the Lord. The men are instructed to obey those commandments and to seek not after their own heart and eyes (v.39). When they or others looked at the fringe, they are to remember the commandments. The tassels represented 613 Commandments, which the Children of Israel memorized. The men are to be holy unto God (v.40). Deuteronomy 22:12 says, “Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.” There are four holes in each corner representing the nail holes in Jesus’ feet and hands. The blue stripes represented the stripes upon His back for our healing.

You may not realize that this is very significant in Scripture. Think with me about the woman that had the issue of blood in Mark 5. She heard about Jesus’ healing power. She pushed through the crowd and came up from behind him touching His prayer shawl (Passion Bible). She purposely reached out for the tassel on the corner of the prayer shawl (the “tallit). The tassel is referred to as the “tzitzit”. There was a commandment that she stood on. It could have been Exodus 15:26, “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these disease upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” “Wherever he (Jesus) went, in the countryside, villages, or towns, they placed the sick on mats in the streets or in public places and begged him, saying, “Just let us touch the tassel of your prayer shawl!” and all who touched him were instantly healed!” (Mk. 6:56).

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb of Jesus. She sees that the stone has been rolled away from the sepulchre. She runs to tell Peter and John. John 20:6-8 says, “Then cometh Simon Peter following him (John) and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie and the napkin, that was bout his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.” What did John see that convinced him that Jesus had been raised from the dead? We know that Jesus’ body had been wound with linen clothes. There was the hull of the linen clothes. His body had come through the linens. …But there is something else that caused John to know that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

How was one buried in the time that Jesus was placed in the tomb? The body was washed. It was wrapped in a white shroud, and one corner of the tallit would be cut off before it would be used to cover the deceased (often their head). At His resurrection, Jesus had folded His tallit and left it there for his disciples to see. Scripture refers to it as the “napkin”. Everyone had their own way of folding their tallit. The disciples would have recognized by the way that the prayer shawl was folded that it belonged to Jesus. If His body had been stolen, the thieves would not have bothered with folding it or would not have folded it in Jesus’ traditional way. John knew immediately upon looking at the corner of the tallit that Jesus had folded it.

Jesus will come back on a white horse, and we will be following him on white horses, wearing white fine linen, pure and bright (Rev. 19:16). “On his robe and on his thigh, he had inscribed a name: King of Kings and Lord of lords.” This title will be written on the hem of Jesus’ tallit that He will be wearing.

Do you need healing today?Reach out by faith and touch the tzitzit of Jesus’ tallit.His Word concerning our healing is available to all of us.Let us reach out and allow His healing virtue to quicken our body, in Jesus’ name.Amen!(to be continued).