Think about it.
Red is the color of blood. Blood is not usually an every day conversation topic. Blood shed is in the news for crimes against humanity, criminal acts and prison terms. Blood causes many folks to become woozy and faint.
As an accountant, being "in the red," is not a good thing. Red indicates losing money, being underwater, or generally having issues that are unwanted. Red may be an indicator of a heavy debt load.
At Christmas, the things that are prominently red have prickly parts. Holly, for instance, has red berries, but its leaves are sharp and extremely prickly. The red, showy bracts of a poinsettia have pointy ends. And the ends of the Grinch's shoes? Pointy spikes! Yikes!
As Christians, we should be humbled by what the red "prickles" mean for us.
Jesus' blood is a symbol of his sacrifice. His blood shed is not for crimes against humanity, but for humanity's crimes against Him! The prickly crown of thorns was jammed on his head. He was beaten. Tortured. Hung on a cross. His crucifixion took place to pardon our prison term.
My life hovers "in the red." I carry a huge debt load as human, sinner number one. My sin debt is in the heavy red zone. By the grace of God, Jesus came and took my debt load on himself and wiped my slate clean. The amazing part? He does it over and over and over again. For me. For you. Wahoo!
The prickly holly leaves and poinsettia points are reminders of the jagged and rough journey Jesus took on our behalf. His life was not an easy, feel good, warm and fuzzy one. He endured the prickles of hypocritical religious leaders and ultimately an angry mob to turn over his life for ours.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NIV
And for that we say, "Hallelujah!" Praise his name!
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