(the names of Jesus series)
Song of Solomon 2:1 “I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.”
The Bible has many reference names for Jesus, some relate to His position, others to His practice, but in a few cases, the use of symbolism contains a poetry that speaks of the romance of Christ and His church.
What better way to symbolize romance than in flowers. Flowers denote beauty, fragrance, and a delicacy that transcends the brutality of a world that can be all too harsh.
When taking into consideration the traditional scope of biblical poetry, terms like Rose of Sharon or Lily of the Valley come to mind. The Hebrew word sharon means “a plain or a level place.” The Plain of Sharon is the coastal plain between the mountains of central Israel and the Mediterranean Sea, north of Joppa to Mt. Carmel.
Webster’s says that the “rose of Sharon” is a hardy plant of the mallow family with the name “Hibiscus Syriacus” and has white, red, pink, or purplish flowers. However, the Rose of Sharon mentioned in the Song of Solomon is a crocus-like flower and the source of saffron.
The Purity of Christ
The color of a rose also holds symbolic meaning. Typically, a white rose represents Christ’s purity and a red rose represents Christ’s sacrificial blood. When a white and red rose are placed together, the arrangement represents Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The purity of Christ is represented in His perfection. The color of white has always been a symbol for purity. When Abraham in his obedience to God’s command took his son Isaac to Mt. Moriah and offer him up as a sacrifice to the Lord, God provided a white ram caught in a thicket to be the atonement on behalf of Isaac. In like manner, Jesus offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
Revelation 12:10,11 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
Red is the color of the blood that flowed from the body of the Savior who loved us so much. Jesus was willing to give His life so that any who comes can have atonement for sin.
Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
The Aroma of His Love
What can we say about the fragrance of the Lord?
The Rose of Sharon is experienced not only in sight but in the fragrance of His anointing. When a person who is lost is redeemed from the scourge of sin, the aroma of Christ inhabits their soul. They move from the stench of death to the fragrance of new life.
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
The Spirit of God manifests in the life of a believer, radiating Jesus’ presence wherever they go.
Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
It is the love of God that is so enticing, it draws its admirers in like a garden of beauty, beckoning all to come in and rest.
The Value of His Being
Varying scholars have suggested that the biblical “rose of Sharon” may be one type of crocus: “a kind of crocus growing as a lily among the brambles”. The Crocus sativus is one such flower growing in the valley, known for producing one of the most expensive and rare spices in the world called saffron.
Mark 15:16-18 “Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Clothed in the kingly robe of purple, little did the Roman guards know that the King of Kings was the One they were persecuting. Thorns are all the world has to give and yet they could not diminish the glory of God’s Son.
Love Expressed
God’s people receive His love when they look to Jesus for grace and they practice that love by loving God and loving others.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
A wedding is the symbol of the union of a groom and bride and she is often adorned with flowers. The beauty of the union of two people in holy matrimony not only parallels the union of Christ and His bride but Jesus is the tie that binds two believers as one.
It was for His bride that Christ died, and it will be for His bride He will return one day to claim her as His own.
Like a gifted bouquet that expresses love one for another, Christ will be the gift that endures for eternity.
John 3:29 “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.”
The union of Christ and His church will be unlike any event recorded in history. The glorious King will come and Heaven will be an expression of His love. Many who have died and returned have expressed the amazing quality of colors expressed in that heavenly home. The beauty of all that Jesus has been preparing for His bride will only be eclipsed by the brilliance of the Son of God.
We all have the opportunity to receive His gift of love, Jesus is the reward for all who believe. His call goes out to all who would receive it, “come to me all you who are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.“
Beauty awaits those who heed the call.
U.T. 