Capital Community Church Sermon Archive The Tree Didn’t Grow Very Far From the Apple - Pastor Raymond Woodward
Dec 11, 2025
Pastor Raymond Woodward explores idioms and how they deepen our understanding of biblical texts. He dives into the symbolism of apples and figs, linking them to theological concepts like sin's spread and humanity's inherited flaws. The discussion of Jesus cursing a fig tree highlights prophetic echoes of Eden's fall. Delving into genealogies, he reveals how scandalous figures in Jesus' lineage emphasize grace. Ultimately, he explains the virgin birth as a divine solution to the curse, offering new life and redemption through Christ.
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Idioms Carry Culture, Not Literal Meaning
- Idioms compress cultural meaning that literal translation misses.
- Pastor Raymond Woodward warns readers to interpret biblical phrases by cultural context, not literal words.
The Forbidden Fruit Likely Was A Fig
- The Genesis forbidden fruit is often mislabeled as an apple because of Latin wordplay.
- Pastor Raymond Woodward argues Jewish tradition points to a fig tree and fig leaves in Eden.
The Fig Tree As A Prophetic Symbol
- Jesus curses a fig tree near Jerusalem in Mark's gospel, despite it not having fruit because 'the time of figs was not yet.'
- Raymond suggests Jesus may be condemning the same type of tree that brought sin into the world.