A candy maker wanted to invent a candy that would incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a pure white stick of hard candy -- white to symbolize the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the church and the firmness of God's promises He molded the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus. It could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd. Thinking the candy looked somewhat plain, the candy maker added red stripes. He used three small stripes to represent the stripes Jesus received at the hands of the soldiers. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so we could have eternal life. The peppermint flavor of the candy cane is similar to hyssop, which is in the mint family and was used in Old Testament times for purification and sacrifice. Jesus is the pure Lamb of God who came to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world.