I was sitting in church during worship a couple weeks before Easter this year. Up until that time I had this real sense that Holy Spirit was going to reveal Jesus as the King of Kings. I saw this image of Jesus Christ specifically wearing purple, which historically has been a color worn by kings and those belonging to royalty. I was deeply moved to write, so I put pen to paper and produced the following narration.
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Purple is a color; it’s what you get when you combine royal blue and crimson red. Purple is no ordinary color, though. Purple is the color of a KING. Purple is not just the color of any king; it is the color of our KING, JESUS. He wears garments adorned with purple; it is woven along the seams of His royal robes. His sash and mantle are dyed with the deepest of purples, and they match the patterns of purple upon His banner. King Jesus also dons a headpiece; this crown is arrayed with many precious gems and metals designed to reflect His light, and chief among them are the purple gems. These gems are not of this earth. Purple is a marvelous color. It is the color of sovereignty, wisdom, humility, and of a self-sacrificing, unconditional, never-failing love. Purple is extraordinary as King Jesus is extraordinary. Our King doesn’t seek his own; He doesn’t lord his power over others; He isn’t proud, angry, or like any earthly kings we know. Jesus is a King who sacrificed himself for all. Mankind is blessed to have Him as King.
Jesus is a lamb, graced with a humble purple cloth. He walked to the altar, and placed himself upon it. He looked into the eyes of death and said, “have your way.” The King, the Lamb, wearing simple purple garb, surrendered to death and evil and all the bad in this world; He bled his own blood upon that purple cloth, and His kingly purple garments became an even deeper purple as it mixed with His redeeming blood. At that point death opened its gates and let the Holy of Holies, the Heavenly King himself - wearing majestic blood-stained purple - come in. Death could not withstand the presence of the King of kings and literally exploded, letting all its captives free.
We were those captives, and today we remember our King’s gift to mankind by wearing purple. We approach His throne of grace and mercy with all humility and commemorate when our Prince of Life conquered darkness and brought us into the light for all eternity. Life overcomes death. Light overtakes darkness. Love overthrows hearts. Hallelujah that our King, the King of heaven and earth, is the embodiment of love and selflessness. He is risen. We are His children. Our redeemer wrapped his purple mantle around us. We are clothed in his heavenly raiment.
