Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Purple (11/05/09)
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TITLE: The Color of Royalty | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mildred Sheldon
11/12/09 -
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Something’s piques my curiosity and I am driven to find out how man discovered the color purple and following are those facts.
Purple is one of my favorite colors, it can be found all through nature as well as clothes made by man. What is amazing is how man discovered the color purple. It is the dye manufactured in classical antiquity from the mucus-secretions of the hypobranchial gland of a marine snail known as the Murex Brandaris or the Spiny Murex. That particular color of purple is known as Tyrian purple or imperial purple.
Because that color was difficult to obtain only the wealthy could afford to have clothes dyed purple. Royal purple of Medieval Europe is bluer then the ancient Tyrian purple. Blue dye was rare in Europe and only wealthy or aristocracy could afford to wear clothing of that color.
There are many shades of purple but when royal purple is mentioned I equate that color with the crucifixion of Christ. When I close my eyes and visualize that color my imagination instantly transports me to the day my Savior was crucified. Going back to that day when Christ suffered for my sins is painful. Jesus is my heart, soul and life.
I am one of the crowd watching as the Son of God is taking punishment for my sins. The soldiers beat Him severely with rods then Christ receives 39 lashes where the skin on His back is cut to the bone and His precious blood runs freely. As if that is not enough punishment and degradation for the lamb of God the soldiers place a horrific crown of thorns upon His head. Adding insult to injury they place upon His raw back a purple cloak. They hit Him in the head with a staff several times as well as slap and spit upon the face of God’s only begotten Son. Christ utters not one word during this ordeal. My heart lay in shambles as hot tears run freely.
After Jesus suffers such treatment at the hands of the soldiers He is led out to be crucified. There upon the cross I see my Lord, Jesus Christ the living breathing Son of God, suffer so horrifically for my sins. He came from heaven and knew no sin to become sin for all. I hear His last words, “It is finished” and I lay shattered for my Savior is dead or so I thought.
Three days pass and I am lost, afraid and unable to find peace. And then the impossible happens. Jesus, my Jesus, I hear has risen. He’s alive. Praise God, halleluiah He is risen. My heart is pounding it feels like it is going to leap from my chest as my eyes behold my Savior.
When the time comes Christ will return to claim His own. All eyes will see the reigning King of the universe but Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us what we must do. “ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangle, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, endured such oppositions from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Will the returning King of Heaven be clothed in the color of royalty? He could be if He so chose but I think not. He will be clothed in a white light far brighter then our sun. All eyes will see Him and know that it is none other then Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
Scripture NIV.
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