Good Morning Friends,
When Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was not merely expressing agony, He was deliberately pointing us to Psalm 22. That psalm describes both deep suffering and astonishing hope. And tucked inside it is a strange image: “I am a worm and not a man” (Psalm 22:6). The “worm” mentioned there is the crimson worm, the tola’at, a small creature that is really not a worm at all but an insect, whose life cycle became a vivid symbol of sacrificial love in ancient Israel. When the mother crimson worm gives birth, she climbs a tree, fastens herself to it, and dies so her offspring may live. In the process, she stains the wood with a crimson dye. For centuries, that dye was used to color the garments of priests and kings. It is no accident that Jesus quoted Psalm 22 as He hung on the cross. So, Do You Understand The Meaning Of The Question: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Scripture Summary
Psalm 22:1, 6 David cries out in abandonment yet trusts God’s deliverance. The “worm” image expresses utter humility and vulnerability, yet it becomes a prophetic picture of redemptive suffering.
Matthew 27:46 Jesus takes David’s words upon His own lips, entering the full depth of human forsakenness so He might bring us into the fullness of divine fellowship.
John 12:24 Jesus teaches that life comes through His death, like a seed that must fall and die to bear much fruit.
Isaiah 1:18 speaks directly into the crimson imagery:
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
The prophet uses the same color, crimson, to describe the depth of human sin. But God promises a cleansing so complete that scarlet becomes snow-white. The crimson worm stains the wood; Christ’s crimson blood stains the cross. And from that crimson comes cleansing.
Message: The crimson worm gives us a living parable of Christ’s love. When it is time to bring forth new life, the mother attaches herself permanently to a piece of wood, typically oak. She cannot be removed without dying. Her body becomes the shelter and nourishment for her young. And the crimson stain she leaves behind marks the place where life came through sacrifice.Psalm 22 uses that image to foreshadow the Messiah. Jesus knew that. When He quoted the first verse on the cross, He was pointing to the whole psalm, including the worm on the tree.On the cross, Christ fastened Himself to the wood, not by instinct, but by love. He willingly gave His life so that we might be born again. His blood stained the cross, not as a mark of defeat, but as the sign of new creation. Like the crimson worm, He died so His children could live.And just as the worm’s crimson dye was used to clothe priests and kings, Christ’s blood now clothes us in righteousness. We are covered, cleansed, and made new by the One who became “a worm” so we could become sons and daughters of God.The cross is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of ours.The tiny crimson worm of Psalm 22 continues to preach a quiet sermon. Scripture keeps echoing this pattern: life through death, cleansing through sacrifice, communion through a body broken and blood poured out.
You know the story, in the upper room, on the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying that it was His body given for them. Then He took the cup and declared it the new covenant in His blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. In that moment, He interpreted His impending death as nourishment, covenant, and life. The crimson worm gives its life on the wood; Jesus gives His life on the cross. Both acts are voluntary, sacrificial, and life-giving, but Christ’s is cosmic, eternal, and redemptive for the world. it does not end in death but in life and resurrection.
And So, when we weave these threads together, a single tapestry emerges. The crimson worm shows us a picture of life given so life may come forth. Jesus, in the upper room, interprets His own body and blood as the true and greater life-giving sacrifice. Isaiah promises that the crimson stain of sin can be washed clean through a crimson sacrifice. The worm stains the wood. Christ stains the cross. The worm gives life to its offspring. Christ gives life to the world. The worm’s crimson marks the place of birth. Christ’s crimson marks the place of rebirth. The gospel is crimson before it is white. The cross is red before our hearts are clean. And the One who became flesh, who broke bread, who poured the cup, now invites us to receive the life He gave.
Pray we grasp the depth of Christ’s humility. Pray we see the cross not only as suffering but as birth. Pray that we understand that His sacrifice clothes us in righteousness. Pray we live as people marked by the crimson love of Jesus. Pray we proclaim His goodness to those “yet unborn,” those who have not yet heard. Pray we rest in the One who became low so we could be lifted high. Pray Lord Jesus that the crimson of Your cross be the place where our hearts are reborn. Pray we learn to live in the wonder of Your love, the depth of your sacrifice, and the joy of Your resurrection life.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 