Tassels?

Have you ever noticed the tassels hanging from the prayer shawls being worn by visitors to the western wall in Jerusalem?  Ever wonder why they wear them?

Well, in Numbers 15 God instructs them to wear the tassels.  He tells them it's a reminder of how He has commanded them, of how they are to obey, and how they are to seek to be holy to Him. That's a cool way to have something always before you as a reminder.

Did you read that the tassels were tied with a blue cord or had a blue cord running through them?  According to Listening to the Language of the Bible  not only were tassels a sign of royalty but the high priest had blue threading in his robes.  So in essence, when wearing the blue threaded tassels on the outer garment the statement being made was 'I am a child of the Holy King, chosen to serve God in heaven.'  And while this was intended to give the people reminders it did get the attention of the nations around them.  Who, in turn, watched the Hebrews to learn about their God.

As I read Listening to the Language of the Bible I learned another interesting detail.  When the bleeding woman of Luke 8:44 touched Jesus she was actually touching the tassels of his clothing.  The Greek word used in Luke 8 (kras'-pe-don) and the Hebrew word in Numbers 15 (tzitzit) both can mean 'tassels'.

I had never thought about Jesus wearing tassels, but he did.