The true meaning of the Candy Cane

Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me.

White is for my Savior

Who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus My Lord, that's for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

Many years ago, a candy maker wanted to make a candy at

Christmas time that would serve as a witness to his Christian

faith. He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth,

ministry and death of Jesus. He began with a stick of pure white

hard candy; white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless

nature of Jesus; hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation

of the Church; firmness to represent the promise of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to

represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior.

He thought it could also represent the staff of the Good

Shepherd, with which he reached 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 candymaker

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 true

meaning is still there for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.