Jesus is...a Worm? (Christmas post #4)

It just feels wrong to write that statement.  Comparing Jesus to a worm.  Yuck.

Yet, if I really think about it…comparing God to a human might be just as bad.

Psalm 22 is what’s known as a Messianic psalm.  Jesus came as the Messiah, and on the cross actually quoted the first verse of Psalm 22, thereby claiming that whole Psalm for himself.  It’s full of prophecies that came true as Christ died on the cross.  But there is one part of it that is intriguing for me today:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?   

Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?   

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.   

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One, you are the praise of Israel.  

In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.   

They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.   

But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.   

All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:   

‘He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him, since he delights in him.’” 

The word “worm” is the Hebrew word תּוֹלָע (towla’at), which is translated worm or crimson/scarlet in the 11 times it occurs in the Bible. (Exodus 28:5-6; 35:25, 39:3; Leviticus 14:4, 49; Numbers 4:8; 19:6; Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 44:14; Jonah 4:7)

Interestingly, this word is specific to a worm-like creature known as the crimson-grub, or Coccus ilicis (now called Kermes ilicis).  I’ve tried to find solid research on it (the internet can be full of non-information sometimes :))…but here’s what I’ve gathered.

1. The crimson-worm is found on oak trees (Quercus coccifera) near the Mediterranean.
2. Although the males are capable of flight, the females are not.  They lay their eggs on the oak tree, attach to it and form a small, red, round structure (about the size of a pea) to protect and surround the eggs.  
   
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3. When the eggs hatch, the worms feed on the living body of the mother.
4. People used to scrape the bodies of these female worms from the tree and grind it into powder to use for  red dye or medicine.
5. The value of this crushed insect was high.  It was sometimes part of a tribute paid to conquering Romans…and was even used at times to pay rent in the Middle Ages. This dye also traces back to the early Egyptians.

Whew.  Interesting!  There’s so much more information and many more connections that I found in the links below.  Again, I’m only posting the connections that I am certain of…I am sure there are more, but I need to find more legitimate sources. 

We can take away a few things, though:

Jesus, the Son of God, the one who is the Divine Expression (Word) of God the Father and the epitome of hope (Light) in this dark world, likens Himself to a worm whose greatest value is in being crushed.  When crushed, this worm emits a red dye which is used for healing.  It is valuable and precious, like I Peter 1:18-19 tells us Christ’s blood is:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ…”

Jesus didn’t just come to be seen (Light) and heard (Word).  

He came to be crushed (Worm), so that through His blood we might be made right with God.

I Peter 1:19 ends with this:  “…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 

Ah.

The Lamb.

Tomorrow, on Christmas, let’s behold the Lamb – one of my absolute favorite pictures of who Christ is in the Bible.   

The baby whose birth we celebrate on Christmas morning came to give his life as a ransom for many…and the picture of a lamb is one of the fullest in its comparison.

Resources: Encyclopedia Britannica, Crimson or Scarlet Worm (Alpha Omega Institute), Gospel in a Bug, Project Noah, Online Dictionary, The Crimson Worm & the Cross, and Henry Morris talk.