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by S.A. CookeIf the number of jelly beans produced each Easter were lined up end-to-end, they would circle the earth almost three times. According to the National Confectioners’ Association, Easter is the second most popular candy eating occasion. Fifteen billion jellybeans, 2 million marshmallow chicks, and 60 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced for this holiday.
What do Easter eggs and jelly beans have to do with the holiest celebration of the year? To people who don't know Jesus, they are goodies left by the Easter Bunny for children to find. For Christians, they can be not only a sweet treat, but also an effective tool for celebrating and presenting the message of salvation.
Candy with a message
Each jelly bean color is assigned a different meaning, message and Scripture verse, according to the gospels. Over the years, cute prayers and poems have evolved and show up frequently on witnessing tracts, bookmarks and other Christian paraphernalia.
There are hundreds of variations and versions of the poems and prayers; however, most convey the same glorious message - the plan of salvation. Select the colors, put them in a plastic sandwich bag and attach your own rhyme, verse, or prayer, and give the gift of Hope this Easter.
Red: For the blood Jesus shed on the cross at Calvary; precious wine.
Green: For growing in the Lord; palm branches
White: His Grace; the glory of the resurrection.
Yellow: Eternal Life; the sun
Speckled: Stands for sin in our lives; fish and sand.
Black: Our sins
Purple: For the hour of sorrow His family and friends experienced.
Pink: For new tomorrows
Orange: Edge of night
Jelly bean prayer #1*
(source unknown)
Little jelly beans
Tell a story true.
A tale of Father's love
Just for me and you.
GREEN is for the waving palms.
YELLOW is for the sun above.
BROWN is for the soft earth where
People sat hearing of HIS love.
A SPECKLED bean for fish and sand.
RED for precious wine and
BLACK is for the sin
He washed from you soul and mine.
PURPLE'S for the sadness of
HIS family and His friends,
WHITE is for the glory of
The Day HE rose again
Jelly bean prayer #2*
(source unknown)
Red is for the blood He gave,
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the Sun so bright,
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins we made,
White is for the grace He gave.
Purple is for the hours of sorrow,
Pink is for a new tomorrow.
A bag of jellybeans,
colorful and sweet,
is a promise, a prayer, and
a loved one's treat.
Resurrection eggs
The ancient Romans believed that "all life comes from an egg." Although the origin of the Easter egg is unclear, Christians believed eggs to be the "seed of life," and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Eggs are a marvelous way to teach children the Easter story. A dozen hollow, plastic eggs are used and each egg cradles a different item such as a cross, thorn or nail, along with a relevant verse in Scripture. Of course, the twelfth egg is empty, representing the empty tomb, and Jesus’ resurrection. As each egg is opened, the resurrection story comes to life for young children.
You can make your own, or complete kits are available at the Campus Crusade for Christ New Life Resources web site.
Each kit includes plastic eggs, complete with a donkey for describing Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Other eggs hold items such as a crown of thorns, three nails, a spear, and a stone. A booklet is included with each set.
Here are some suggested items and Scripture verses for your own resurrection eggs. If plastic eggs are not available, copy or draw a picture of a listed item, along with the relevant verse onto a small slip of paper. Insert under the wrap of a chocolate egg.
- Piece of bread or cracker (The Last Supper) Matthew 26:26
- A dime (Judas’ betrayal) Matthew 26:15
- Piece of rope (Jesus arrested) John 18:12
- Purple cloth (Jesus taunted) John 19:2
- Thorn (Crown of thorns) John 19:2
- Cross (Forgiveness) Hebrews 12:2
- Nail (Jesus nailed to the cross) Acts 2:23
- Sponge (Vinegar) John 19:29
- Toothpick with foil tip (Spear) John 19:34
- Gauze (Jesus’ body prepared for burial) John 19:40
- Rock (Tombstone rolled away) Matthew 28:2
- EMPTY! (JESUS IS NO LONGER DEAD, BUT ALIVE!) Matthew 28:6
The message of Hope and Life in Jesus - oh, how sweet it is!
* The sources for these poems are unclear. I did a thorough Internet search, but was unable to come up with the originator of these poems.
~ S.A. (Shae) Cooke, a freelance writer, lives with her family in British Columbia, Canada. She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Writers (FCW), and Momwriters.
