Easter, and the Worm of Jesus

By Kyle Blackwell

In today’s world, Christians are surrounded by atheists, muslims, agnostics and all other kinds of belief systems. I have been confronted many times regarding why I believe in the Bible. Contrary to what society tells us, the Holy Scriptures are a very reliable source of history. There have been over 25,000 archaeological digs that have done nothing but corroborate the historicity of the Bible. There have also been over 5,800 copies of Greek manuscripts that have been discovered. This does not even include the other copies that were translated in Syriac, Coptic, Latin, and many other languages. All this being said, this is not the reason that my trust in the Bible is as strong as it is. However, with all this information provided, it is amazing that the Bible, or at the very least, the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are not allowed in schools as a reliable source of history. 

The defense of the Christian faith is not just a good idea to keep in your back pocket. But this is actually a command in The Bible. 

…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. -1 Peter 3:15

Throughout the Old Testament there are instances of prophecy about the coming of Christ and the washing away of our sins. The first time I read the Old Testament, Jesus was visible in every book. However, while reading it for a second time, I started to dig a little deeper. My searching of the scriptures would always begin by praying for understanding and a deeper faith in Christ. Learning about Shiloh and the coming of a savior from the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49 is where it all started. In Daniel 9, the second temple being destroyed shortly after the coming of the Messiah was revealed. Well, the second temple was destroyed in 70 AD, roughly 40 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53 speaks of the suffering servant, where a man despised by many bore the sins of the world. Within the book of Jonah, The foreshadowing of Jesus being in the belly of the earth was predicted by Jonah’s surviving the belly of a large fish for three. days. I also read about the root of Jesse in Isaiah 11, which predicts Jesus’ family tree as Jesse was the father of King David. There are many more prophecies which came true but I would really like to get back on track to the one verse in the Bible that changed my faith into an absolute knowing. 

And we come to Psalm 22!

Verse 1

Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani

This is Hebrew for My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Does this sound familiar? Let me fast forward to the New Testament in the book of Matthew chapter 27. Jesus said this in the ninth hour while on the cross, paying the price for the sins of the world. In the day of Jesus dying on the cross, the Israelites would have known exactly, to which psalm Jesus was referring. The reason being that these Psalms were actually songs used while worshiping God. Therefore, this Psalm would have been just as memorized as Amazing Grace is to us. 

Verses 6-8

But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Verse 6 states that Jesus is a worm and that He is despised by the people. The pharisees wanted Jesus dead because He was a threat to them. They did not know how to deal with Him because Jesus would always call them out for their wrongdoings and their judgemental ways. He made them aware that it is not only what you do, but also the way you do it. Basically, is your heart in the right place? And pay attention to verse 8. “He trusts in the Lord, let him deliver him; let him rescue him”. 

“He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.” -Matthew 27:43

It is almost eerie how accurate this psalm is depicting the actual act of Christ’s death. 

Verse 16

For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me, they have pierced my hands and feet

The dogs are referring to the gentiles, Roman soldiers. The company of evildoers encircled Jesus. I find this very interesting that the psalmist wrote that the evildoers encircled him. In the gospels we find that Jesus had a pair of convicts, one on each side, while on the cross. Everything is literally drawn up to a “t”. The amazing thing is that I am not even going into great detail because we have not even touched the surface of what I am about to tell you. The psalmist stated that they have pierced his hands and feet. 

Psalm chapter 22 was written about 1,100 years before Christ’s death on the cross by a man who had never even seen a crucifixion, even though verse 16 is undeniably talking about a crucifixion. How do I know the writer (King David) never saw a crucifixion? Because this sinister and brutal style of death had not even been invented until about 500 years later by the Persians. Then it was adopted by the Romans about 100 years later. 

Now for the grand finale! Let's go back to verse 6 where David wrote “I am a worm, not a man”. Most preachers skim over this verse very quickly, saying this means that Jesus is made lower than everyone else. I completely understand where they are coming from because for a long time I was just so impressed by the rest of the revelations brought out by this passage and all the prophecies that came true, that I completely missed out on this most important word. 

The word I am talking about is worm. In Hebrew, the original word used is tō·w·la·‘aṯ. This comes from the strongs Hebrew 8438 “tola”. Tola has the literal meaning of scarlet worm. This is a very interesting type of worm. It really does not even look like a worm at all, more like a grub. The female scarlet worm only reproduces one time in its life. When the mother is about to give birth, it will go up a tree and attach itself in a heart shape by curling her head and tail together, in a way that if it is removed it will kill the worm. While the mother is giving birth, she offers herself as a food source for her babies. She gives up her life so her babies can live, just like Jesus. While the babies are eating their mother, she secretes a bright-red substance, staining her babies for the rest of their lives. This offers them a protection that wards away predators throughout their lifetime, the same way the Blood protects us from satan. This is where things really get interesting. The red substance is actually harvested by the Israelites as a red dye. This is the same way God instructed the priest's clothing to be dyed as well as the coverings for the first temple. However, this dye can only be harvested for a period of three days. After three days the red dye turns snowy white and almost like a wax, just like Jesus’ blood cleanses His disciples. 

Do you understand what I am trying to tell you? It is almost as if this worm was created just for Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus stated in John 6:35:

 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

After learning about the scarlet worm, I had a better understanding of what Jesus meant by saying He is the bread of life. I really love how the worm stains her children red for the rest of their lives. When you are truly washed by the blood of Jesus you will never be the same. His blood protects you for the rest of your life. Will satan try to get you down and remind you of your past sins? Yes, he will. However, you have to remember to put on the breastplate of righteousness as mentioned in Ephesians 6. This is not your righteousness in which you live, but the righteousness of Jesus.

This is my reason for believing in the Bible. Not just the historicity of the Bible but also for the prophecies that ALL came true. I love the Lord, my God with all my heart, and I hope that this writing has given you a better understanding of my Jesus, or at least challenged you to learn more about His majesty. Most importantly, I hope this writing has spoken to your heart so that you can submit your life to Jesus! Go to our Prayer Request page if you desire more understanding of Jesus, or you need someone to pray for you.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge -Hosea 4:6