A Candy Maker's Witness
- Author unknown
A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made
the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry,
and death of Jesus Christ.
He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth
and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation
of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God. The candy maker made the candy
in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus who came to earth as
our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which
He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who,
like all sheep have gone astray.
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red
stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus
received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by
Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.
Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane a meaningless decoration seen
at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see
and ears to hear". I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness to the
Wonder of Jesus and His great Love that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate
and dominant force in the universe today.