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Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46

How the Color Red Teaches the Atonement

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(1.) RED – THE COLOR OF ATONEMENT, MERCY, AND FORGIVENESS:
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Unfortunately, the rich Jewish tradition of mercy, forgiveness and atonement has lost the identity of the Atoner, yet in the last days, the symbolism of time, places, events, and color (red clothing) will identify the sinless One who said, "Not my will, but thine, be done." "Mercy and forgiveness, says the Talmud, are distinguishing characteristics of Abraham and his seed, and these characteristics motivated God to choose Israel as His people." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)

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(2.) YOM KIPPUR – DAY OF ATONEMENT: 
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One of the most important holidays in Judaism is Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. Fasting, special prayers, and the reading of the Book of Jonah establish symbols that will eventually be used to recognize the Atoner. A further discussion of the subject of Jonah will follow in Lesson # 27. The sign of the prophet Jonah (three days and nights) was not and is still not recognized by many, neither were nor are the connections between the way temple sacrifices were carried out and the ultimate sacrifice made on Mount Moriah and the Mount of Olives.

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(3.) GOAT TIED WITH A RED RIBBON AND SACRIFICE OF A RED CALF: 
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One offering at Yom Kippur was a goat, tied with a red ribbon. It was helped to escape the temple confines through the Gate Beautiful with the sins of the people. It had to die on its own outside the temple. The Gate Beautiful is also known by the names The Gate of Mercy and The Gate of Forgiveness. Another symbolic sacrifice was that of the red calf. It was brought through the Gate Beautiful, outside the temple, sacrificed on the Mount of Olives and its ashes kept for a separate washing for a purification of sins. (Numbers 19:1-9)

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(4.) GETHSEMANE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, A "WINE PRESS" – RED STAINED CLOTHES: 
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The atonement began with the "red" offering of the Sinless One on the Mount of Olives in spring of that year, it was the preparation day preceding Passover. Astonished at the suffering He was experiencing He still cried out, "Not my will, but thine, be done." He bled from every pore in his body. His clothing must have been stained red. Isaiah’s prophetic statement: "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat." (Gethsemane is transliterated from the Hebrew word for winepress/winevat.)

I have trodden the winepress alone . . . their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." (Isaiah 63:2-3)

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(5.) THE "LILIES OF THE FIELD" ARE SCARLET RED: 
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Kings of Israel were instructed to dress simply in red clothes (very expensive dye). Over the years the red garments of royalty have become a "purple color," yet, originally they were deep blood red, just like the Lilies of the Field ( Luke 12:27). These lilies bloom in the spring – at Passover. They cover the Mount of Olives like droplets of blood. They testify of Him. The following verses came to my mind sitting in the Garden of Gethsemane.

     The season bursts forth in radiance,
          painting the landscape in shades of green.
               Flowers add their rhythm in cadence,
                    splashing color to brighten the scene.

                         Most precious are the lilies of red.
                              They spin not, they toil not, yet in their way,
                              they teach of the color of Him who bled,
                         on Gethsemane’s most fateful day.

                    His glory is to lighten our load.
               He heals us with joy and harmony.
          A landscape of love for young and old,
     His radiance opened eternity.

Chorus:
Lilies of red, they testified of Him who bled and died,
Lilies of red, witness they give, He died so we could live.
He lives, he’s risen from the dead, praise God for Lilies of red.

Following the Son of God’s example, we serve the Living God by serving each other. That is the way to thank Him for His first born son who said, "Not my will, but thine, be done."

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