I love symbols and symbolism!
Last year, during the Advent and Christmas season, I decorated my blog with a
poinsettia, a flower filled with Christmas symbolism. (Click here to revisit the poinsettia devotions.)
This year, I’ve chosen another object filled with symbolism to use as my blog’s Advent and Christmas décor – a candy cane – but not just any candy cane. I’ve actually drawn a manger created from two crossed candy canes. The candy cane is an object rich in symbolism connected to the gospel message, the truth that Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins.
The manger is a symbol of Jesus birth, His coming to earth and clothing Himself with human flesh.
The candy cane is a symbol of Jesus’ death and resurrection, a reminder that Jesus was born to die.
Now, people are born to live. We do everything we can to live as long as possible, with as little pain as possible and with as much pleasure as possible. We don’t even want to think about our mortality.
Jesus knew, from the outset, that He would live a short (33 years), painful, burdensome life, followed by a gruesome, torturous death. Yet, He obeyed His Father’s desire, set aside all of His “Godness,” and was born of a virgin and placed in a manger.
Jesus grew. He taught. He healed. He was arrested and tortured. He died…then He rose again.
As 2016, the year of my focus on sufficiency and How God’s sufficiency is mine through Jesus Christ draws to a close, I wanted to share with you an observation about Jesus’ sufficiency. Jesus, even while He was a helpless baby, is sufficient. He is sufficient to save us. He is sufficient to meet all of our needs. When we welcome Jesus into our lives, His sufficiency becomes ours and allows us to become all that God created us to be – sufficient to please, honor, and serve our great God.
Yes, Jesus truly is sufficient…period.
Starting on today and running until Christmas, my Monday and Friday posts will expose each of the ways that the candy cane symbolizes the sufficient Savior and the gospel (good news) about His sufficient salvation, the reason that Jesus was born.
Bible Reading: Matthew 1:18-21
The red and white striped candy cane flavored with peppermint has been around since about 1900. About that same time, the “Legend of the Candy Cane” also began. This legend says that the candy cane was created to tell the true story of Christmas. For the next few days we will talk about each of the ways that the candy cane tells a part of the Christmas story.
To see the first way that the candy cane tells us the true story of Christmas is to turn it upside down. Upside down it looks like the letter “J.” The letter “J” is the first letter in the name, “Jesus.”
Jesus is God’s Son. God sent Jesus to earth in the form of a human baby to live the perfect, sinless life that we can’t live. Philippians 2:7 says, “he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form.” After Jesus lived the life of man, He died on a cross. This death was the punishment for our sins. Jesus died in our place.
Pick up a candy cane. Turn it upside down. Look at the “J” and say a prayer thanking God for sending Jesus, His only Son, to die so you could live forever with Him in heaven. Then unwrap the candy cane and enjoy!
“You will name him Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21b
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to live as a human man and to die for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.