In Psalm 22, a messianic prophecy Jesus Himself quoted on the cross, we read these words:
“I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.”
Psalm 22:6
The Hebrew word for worm is tola’ath, often linked to the scarlet worm in ancient imagery.
The picture is striking.
The female attaches herself to wood to bring forth life. In the process, her body is crushed, staining the wood crimson. Her offspring are covered by what comes from her, marked by it, sustained by it. Then she dies. And in time, what remains turns white.
Then Isaiah speaks with a connection that is hard to ignore:
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
Isaiah 1:18
This is the Gospel in shadow.
Jesus was lifted up on wood.
His body was broken.
His blood was poured out.
And through His death, life was given to those covered by His sacrifice.
What was once scarlet with sin is made white through Him.
The cross was not an accident.
And Scripture is not a collection of coincidences.
Long before Calvary, God was already revealing Christ.
The worm was not random.
The image was not accidental.
Creation itself was pointing to the Gospel before the nails were ever driven.
