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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26: We know of many great names for Jesus throughout the Bible such as Son of God, Prince of Peace, and even The Bread of Life, but who would associate the Saviour of the World with a worm?

 

That''s exactly what David did in the Bible in Psalm 22. This is a messianic psalm, which means a psalm that is giving us insight into the life of Christ hundreds of years before it came to pass.

 

In verse 6 it reads, "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by people." 

 

As you read the rest of this psalm you have no doubt it is talking about Jesus'' death on the cross. 

 

So why a worm? In Israel there was a well-known worm called the crimson crocus, which still exists today. In Hebrew it was called the ''tola''ath''.

 

This lowly worm had to be crushed in order to secret a scarlet or crimson dye. This dye was used to colour clothing and other fabrics. 

 

Isaiah 53 tells us "...he was crushed for our iniquities..." Jesus become like a worm for us and was crushed under the weight of our sin and the wrath of God to become a crimson stain. 

 

Crimson or scarlet was the Bible''s colour of sin because it was such a strong permanent dye that could not be removed. 

 

In fact, a scarlet yarn was the symbol of uncleanliness in Leviticus 14:49 in which hyssop was needed to bring about the cleansing. 

 

Also the wicked city of Babylon in Revelation 18 was dressed in this same colour symbolizing sin and guilt before God.

 

But it doesn''t stop there. Jesus became that crimson stain for us because he died for our sins. 

 

He shed his own blood for our sins and rose again on the third day so that we also can live in Him.

 

His blood was payment for our sin and has the power to totally cleanse the dye stain of sin when we trust Him as personal Saviour. 

 

This verse sums it up: "...Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool". 

 

And why did He do it? "Yet it was the Lord''s will to crush him and cause him to suffer." He did it because He wanted to have a relationship with us.

 

Thank God today that Jesus became a worm for you so that you did not have to crawl around in the dump of sin, but so that you can stand, walk, run in the abundant life.

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