Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. As we continue through the Christmas season, I want to share a beautiful story with you—the legend of the candy cane. Now, this story is most likely not historically accurate but more a meaningful tradition. But it's a wonderful way to teach children—and remind ourselves—about the true meaning of Christmas and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Every time you see a candy cane this season, hanging on a Christmas tree or given as a gift, I want you to remember this story and the powerful truths it represents.
According to the legend, the candy cane was first created back in the 18th century in certain areas of Europe. At that time, there was said to be a ban on public displays of Christianity in some regions. Christians were oppressed—no Bibles or crosses could be owned openly. One man, a candy maker, found this oppression deeply distressing. He wished he could share the love of Jesus and the joy of Christmas with the rest of the world, especially with children.
When Christmas came around, children didn't get to see nativity scenes or enjoy learning about the true story of Christmas. As a candy maker, this man prayed to find a way that he could offer local children a Christmas gift that would allow him to secretly communicate the real story of Christmas. His prayer led to an idea—the candy cane. And every element of this simple candy was designed to tell the Gospel story.
First, he chose to make the candy in the shape of a shepherd's staff. After all, Jesus is the shepherd to His followers. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 40:11: "He leads His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young."
Psalm 23 begins with those famous words: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Jesus Himself said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." And in John 10:27, Jesus says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
So when children held this candy shaped like a shepherd's staff, they were reminded that Jesus is their Good Shepherd who leads them, protects them, and cares for them.
But the candy maker's genius didn't stop there. He realized that when you turn the shepherd's staff upside down, it forms the letter "J"—which stands for Jesus! Matthew 1:21 tells us: "She will give birth to a son and you are to give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins."
The angel told Mary in Luke 1:31, "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus." That name—Jesus—means "Yahweh saves" or "The Lord is salvation." It's the most important name in all of history. And there it was, hidden in the shape of a simple candy cane!
The candy maker chose to make the candy hard, not soft. This was done to remind children that Jesus is our "rock"—dependable, solid, and strong. Psalm 31:3 says, "Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me."
When storms come in life, when we face difficulties and challenges, Jesus is our rock—unchanging, unshakable, reliable. We can build our lives on Him, and we will not be moved. The hard candy reminded children that Jesus is strong enough to hold them through anything.
Now we come to the colors, and this is where the Gospel becomes so clear. Wide red stripes were added to the candy cane, representative of the crucifixion and the blood Jesus shed for our sins. Isaiah 53:5 prophesied about Jesus: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."
Those red stripes represent the lashes Jesus received—39 stripes across His back before He was crucified. They represent the crown of thorns pressed into His head. They represent the nails driven through His hands and feet. They represent the blood that flowed from His body as He hung on the cross.
And why did Jesus shed His blood? Revelation 1:5 tells us: "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood." Jesus said in Luke 22:20, holding up the cup at the Last Supper, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." John 3:16 reminds us that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Through His blood, we are given salvation and eternal life. The red stripes on the candy cane tell us that Christmas isn't just about a baby in a manger—it's about that baby who grew up to die on a cross for our sins.
But the candy cane doesn't just have red stripes—it also has white stripes. These white stripes represent the holiness and purity of Jesus, who was sinless. Unlike every other human who has ever lived, Jesus never sinned. He was perfectly pure, perfectly holy, perfectly obedient to God the Father.
But the white also represents something else—the purity that Jesus gives to us when we ask Him to be our Lord and Savior. 1 John 1:7 promises: "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin."
When we come to Jesus in faith, confessing our sins and trusting in His sacrifice, He washes us clean. He makes us white as snow. Isaiah 1:18 says, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." The white stripes remind us that Jesus doesn't just forgive our sins—He purifies us, cleanses us, and makes us new.
Even the flavor of the candy cane has meaning! The candy maker chose peppermint, which was very similar to hyssop. Now, hyssop was used for sacrifice and purification in the Old Testament. When the Israelites painted lamb's blood on their doorposts during the first Passover, they used hyssop branches. When priests performed purification ceremonies, they used hyssop.
Psalm 51:7 says, "Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow." So the peppermint flavor reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us—He became our Passover Lamb, our ultimate sacrifice, our purification from sin. Every time we taste that peppermint, we can remember the sweet fragrance of Christ's sacrifice.
And finally, the candy cane was made to be given as a gift. It wasn't meant to be kept for yourself—it was meant to be shared with others. This represents the love of Jesus when He gave us the gift of salvation. Romans 6:23 tells us, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Salvation isn't something we earn or deserve—it's a gift! And just as we share candy canes with others, we're called to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet. The candy maker couldn't openly preach the Gospel under persecution, so he found a creative way to share it through candy. We have the freedom to speak openly about Jesus—so let's use that freedom!
This Christmas season, I encourage you to use candy canes as a teaching tool with your children or grandchildren. Give them a candy cane and tell them this story.
I also love this story because it reminds me of how creative persecuted Christians have been throughout history. When they couldn't openly share their faith, they found creative ways to encode the Gospel message—in songs, in symbols, in everyday objects like candy.
In our episodes about the Korean church under Japanese occupation, we talked about how Christians met secretly in the mountains. In our episodes about North Korea today, we've heard how believers memorize Scripture because they can't own Bibles. Throughout church history, persecuted Christians have been incredibly creative in passing on the faith.
The candy maker in this legend—whether the story is literally true or not—represents that same creative faithfulness. He couldn't preach openly, so he preached through peppermint candy shaped like a shepherd's staff. He found a way to tell the Gospel story that wouldn't get him arrested but would plant seeds of truth in children's hearts.
We who have religious freedom should be convicted by this. If persecuted Christians are that creative and bold in sharing Jesus under threat of death, how much more should we—who face no such threats—be sharing the Gospel openly and frequently? We don't need to encode the message in candy. We can speak it plainly. Yet often we're silent.
This Christmas, let's not be silent about Jesus. Let's tell His story clearly. Let's share the Gospel—that Jesus, God's Son, came as a baby in Bethlehem, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and offers salvation as a free gift to all who believe. That's the message the candy cane represents. Let's share it boldly!
Thank you for joining me today. I pray this story of the candy cane enriches your Christmas celebrations and gives you a tool to share the Gospel with children and adults alike.
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and share the sweet story of Jesus!
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