The Legend of the Candy Cane
"A
candy maker wanted to invent a candy that would incorporate several
symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus Christ.
He
began with a pure white stick of 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 the
firmness of God's promises.
He
molded the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the
name of Jesus. It could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd.
Thinking
the candy looked somewhat plain, the candy maker added red stripes.
He used three small stripes to represent the stripes Jesus received
at the hands of the soldiers. The large red stripe was for the blood
shed by Christ on the cross so we could have eternal life.
The
peppermint flavor of the candy cane is similar to hyssop, which is
in the mint family and was used in Old Testament times for
purification and sacrifice. Jesus is the pure Lamb of God who came to
be a sacrifice for
the
sins of the world."
-Author
Unknown