That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew: Part 12: Jacob's Prophecy 2
his resurrection take on immortal life, in order that he may fulfill this prophecy and become a shiloh to whom all the world shall be gathered. He is to be a truly living man, a king of the tribe of Judah, and yet immortal, eternal, and invisible, ruling spiritually in faith. But such sweet speech is still too exalted and difficult for the Jews.
But if they say: Well this Jesus of yours has never done what Jacob later says of this shiloh, namely, "He will bind his foal to the vine, and his ass to the choice vine; he will wash his garments in wine, and his mantle in the blood of grapes" [Gen 49:11], then answer: A simpleton might perhaps take this to mean that this shiloh would be so rich a king that in his day wine would be as common as water, used for washing clothes, etc. From the foregoing, however, we have observed that this shiloh, is to reign forever, a single person, and that he has no heirs to follow him. All the prophets too say this. Therefore, his kingdom cannot be a temporal one, consisting essentially of mortal and perishable goods.
And if this does not compel the interpretation that the wine and vine must be spiritual, then the very manner and nature of the words and language must compel it. For what sort of praise would it be to laud such a glorious kingdom above all kingdoms on these four grounds, namely, that its ruler binds his foal to the vine, his ass to the choice vine, and washes his garments with wine, and his mantle with the blood of grapes? Could Jacob find no other praise than that which has to do with drinking? Must such a king have nothing else than wine? Again, is there nothing else praiseworthy in him but the fact that his eyes are redder than wine and his teeth whiter than milk? [Gen. 49:12]. What does it benefit a kingdom that its ruler has white teeth, red eyes, and binds a foal to a vine?
Luther continues with the prophecy from Jacob. In his dissertation he points out that the scepter cannot be an earthly scepter, since the Davidic dynasty has ended and, in Luther's day, there was no state of Israel. The Jews were dispersed. I don't know if Luther ever believed the present state of Israel would ever come
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