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“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus…” -Galations 3:14

Artichoke?

Redeemed began with a picture the Lord gave me of the top of a green bud.  At first I thought it resembled a cabbage or a crocus flower.  I saw the image several times when praying and wondered what it meant.  I even felt compelled to pray that it would open up like a flower although that made no sense at the time.  It actually started me on a research journey.  And it wasn’t until I was walking through the grocery store one day that I truly knew the answer.  When I saw an artichoke in the produce section I was quite surprised but excited.  It was the picture the Lord was showing me in prayer!  But now I wondered, is an artichoke in the Bible?

After a few minutes of research I discovered the actual word “artichoke” is not in the Bible.  Yet, there are references to this interesting botanical fruit and what some call a vegetable.  Genesis 3:17-18 says,

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.”

Why is this a relevant verse?  Because a thistle is actually an artichoke!  The picture the Lord gave me was an artichoke, which is an immature, unopened flower bud of a large thistle plant.  I had no clue until I started to look online that what God was showing me was a picture that represented sin because thistles symbolize the curse on the ground and human pride.  Adam was to toil the ground and grow crops through difficult and hard labor because of the curse of sin.  

Redeemed!

Once I understood what the artichoke represented-the curse of sin-it seemed a little sad that he had shown me a symbol of sin and nothing more.  However, God wasn’t through, because as I studied artichokes more, I came across pictures of beautiful purple flowers.  When I looked closer, I realized that these flowers were the blossomed buds of artichokes!  I didn’t know they could open up to become flowers!  When left unharvested, the artichoke bud opens up to a massive, striking electric-purple flower.  I was honestly surprised and that’s when the Lord spoke to me in my heart and spirit.  The budding artichoke is a symbol of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!  Jesus became the curse for us, dying on the cross and placed in a tomb (symbolized by the unopened, cursed artichoke) and then gloriously resurrected on the third day (the beautiful budded artichoke that has become a vibrant purple flower)!  Hallelujah!

Jesus died and rose again and through his death and resurrection has redeemed us (bought us back) from the curse of sin and death!  Thank you Jesus!  God can speak through anything, even an artichoke! 

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:13-14).

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. -John 8:36