The Story of the Candy Cane

Pastor Gary Oser

One item we both use to decorate and enjoy eating during the Christmas season is the candy cane. In case you don’t know how this candy came about, I thought I would share the story with you. I’m not sure whether it is true or a tradition; either way, it will give you a new appreciation for the candy cane.

A candy maker wanted to come up with a candy that could be used as a means of sharing the gospel (the story of Jesus, as told in the Bible) with others. What he created was the candy cane.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. The white symbolized the sinlessness and purity of Jesus. He is the only person to ever live on the earth who never committed one single act of sin. The fact that it was hard symbolized Jesus as the Solid Rock and foundation of the church, as well as the firmness of the promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the shape of the letter “J” to represent the name Jesus, the One who would save His people from their sin. Turned upside down, the candy cane could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd, which He uses to reach down and rescue sheep like us who have gone astray (see Isaiah 53:6).

Thinking that the white piece of candy was a bit plain, he added some red stripes to give it color and meaning. The original candy cane was designed with three small red stripes and a large red stripe. The three small stripes represent the scourging, the beating that Jesus went through to pay for our sins though He committed no sin. The large red stripe represented Jesus’ blood He shed on the cross for each of us so we can have eternal life through Him. Without the shedding of His blood, there could be no remission for sins (see Hebrews 9:22).

Candy canes today come in all kinds of colors and flavors. However, originally candy canes were designed not just to be eaten, but also as a means of witnessing to people about the meaning of Christmas. Use the candy cane as a tool to share the meaning of Christmas with others.