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| Photo by Mikereichold 2008 |
In the candy maker’s home country at that time, Christian oppression made it illegal to make public displays of Christianity or even to own a Bible or cross, let alone a manger scene. He prayed that God would show him how he could share the true story of Christmas with with local children by offering them a unique and meaningful treat.
This confection would be a stick of candy, white to
symbolize the Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14;
Luke 1:35) and the sinless purity of Jesus (I John 1:7), and hard to symbolize the solid Rock, the Foundation
of the Church (2 Samuel 22:3,47; Psalm
18:2,46;62:2,6, etc. Matthew
16:18). It
was flavored with peppermint, an herb of the
same family as hyssop, which was used for temple sacrifices and purification (Psalm 51:7; Exodus 12:22;
etc; Hebrews 9:19) and offered
to Jesus as He suffered on the cross (John
19:29).
A large red stripe on the candy cane denotes the blood shed by Christ on the cross (Romans 3:25; Colossians 1:20) for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28), by which we are saved to eternal life (Revelation 1:5, John 3:16, Luke 22:20), and three small stripes symbolizing the whipping Jesus received, by which we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
White at Christmas time reminds us of angel robes (Matthew 28:3) and wings and of snowflakes falling, as pristine as Christ is pure and completely without sin (Psalm 51:7). The glorified body of Christ was clothed in shining robes “white as snow” when He appeared to Daniel as the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9), to the inner circle of apostles at His transfiguration (Mark 9:3), and to John at His revelation (Revelation 1:14).
The nativity scene would be incomplete without white sheep led by shepherds, emphasizing the importance of our following the Good Shepherd and depending on Him for all we do (Psalm 23). The purity of white reminds us that Jesus is the lily of the valleys (Song of Solomon 2:1), and that the Holy Spirit took on the appearance of a dove as Jesus was baptized (Matthew.3:16).
Red symbolizes each drop of precious blood Jesus shed for us on Calvary’s cross (Matthew 26:28), which washes us clean so that when God sees us, He sees not our sin, but the perfect sacrifice of His blameless Son (Hebrews 9: 11-13; John 1:7).
When we see a red stop sign or traffic light, it warns us of danger. “Red” means stop – - our sinful ways, our wicked thoughts, our worldly lifestyle (1 Peter 4:1). And yet, red also symbolizes fire or passion. God wants us to be on fire for Him, as He is a consuming fire (Heb.12:29; Revelation 19:12), our hearts burning with His Word (Jeremiah 20:9; Luke 24:32) and our lives burning brightly with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3).
As we enjoy a candy cane, may this iconic symbol remind us of Jesus Christ, God Himself, Who came in the flesh (John 1:14) to save us by paying our sin debt in full as He died on the cross, was buried, and rose again the third day, proving His Deity! May we lead others to invite Him into their heart by trusting in this Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), so that they too can have eternal life!
Merry Christmas to all, and all blessings for 2020 and until He comes again! May you experience the love, joy and peace that comes only from knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!
© 2019 Laurie Collett
6 comments:
Hi Laurie,
yes, there are many ways to share the gospel and in these times many are trying to wipe Jesus from the Christmas period. May we all share what we have been given to share as we get closer to the time of our Saviour's return.
God bless you and yours as you celebrate our Saviours birth.
Dear Laurie,
The man who invented the candy cane with all the patterns relating to the Gospel must have had a brilliant mind!
This story reminds me of a song which was popular, but failed to make it into the UK chart.
Known as "The Deck of Cards" the song describes a soldier who was court-marshaled for playing cards in church.
The soldier then explained that the deck of cards is his Bible, almanac, and prayer book. The Ace stands as one Almighty God, two as the Old and New Testaments, three as the Trinity, four as the four Gospels, five as the five wise virgins, six are the six days God made heaven and the earth, and he rested on the seventh. Eight is the eight members making up Noah and his family, nine is the number of the ten lepers who did not return to thank God for their healing, the ten are the Commandments handed to Moses, the Queen is Mary, Queen of Heaven, the King is God himself, the King of Heaven, the knave is the Devil.
There are 365 dots in a deck of cards, the number of days in the year. There are 52 cards in the pack, the number of weeks in a year. There are four suits, the number of weeks in a month, twelve picture cards which is the number of months in a year. Finally, there are thirteen tricks which is the number of weeks in a quarter.
An excellent blog.
Alex and I wish you and your husband a very merry Christmas and a prosperous year ahead.
God bless.
Hi Brenda,
Thanks as always for your comment! Amen, may we be good stewards of the talents and opportunities He gives us to share His Word! May God bless you and your family in this season and until He comes again,
Laurie
Dear Frank,
Thanks so much for sharing this thorough explanation of God's plan summarized in a deck of cards, which some might consider to be a worldly or at least secular object! The significance of numbers in the Bible has always fascinated me, especially as it is borne out by mathematical relationships in nature -- God's creation.
Thank you for the good wishes. May you and Alex also have a joyous Christmas and all blessings in the New Year!
Laurie
New story for me. Thank you so much.
You're very welcome, Aritha, and thanks for your comment! Merry Christmas and God bless.
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