The Easter Tea Bag: A Simple Reminder of an Extraordinary Sacrifice

An Unlikely Easter Object Lesson

As we come into Easter, I thought we'd have a look at the humble tea bag. You might be wondering why I'm talking about a tea bag at Easter and not Easter eggs! But a tea bag has lots of different parts — a label, a string, a staple, the bag itself, and the tea leaves inside. Each one of these parts can remind us about Jesus' great sacrifice at Easter.

Let's take a closer look.

The Label: Names for Jesus

First, we have the label. Jesus was called lots of different names. "King of the Jews" was placed over his head when he was on the cross, but we know him by other names too — Messiah, King, Prince of Peace. Just as a tea bag carries a label that tells us what's inside, Jesus carried names that told the world who he truly was.

The String: The Whipping

Next, we have the string. The string reminds us that just before Jesus died, he was whipped. It's a painful reminder of what he endured for us.

The Staple: Pierced for Us

Then we have the staple. Staples are quite sharp, and this reminds us that Jesus was pierced — pierced with sharp nails through his hands and feet, and pierced by a crown of thorns pressed onto his head. He endured all of these things because he loves us so much.

The Tea Leaves: Our Sin

Next, we have the tea leaves. They don't seem like much, but they are quite dark, and they remind us of the sin that we brought into the world — the sin that Jesus paid the price for.

Watch what happens when you add these dark leaves to hot water. See how they stain what was once pure? That's what our sin does. And that's why Jesus came — to take that sin away.

The Bag: Resurrection and New Life

Lastly, we have the bag itself. Once the leaves are emptied out, the bag stands nice and tall — empty, just like the tomb on Easter morning. And when we set fire to it, something amazing happens. As the flames rise up, it reminds us that when God's Spirit came into the world — just as Jesus had promised — Jesus conquered death. He beat death. He rose back to life.

Pretty cool, right?

A Reminder Every Time You See a Cup of Tea

This is something I love to think about. Every time I see someone drinking a cup of tea this Easter — maybe your mum or dad enjoying a cuppa around a hot cross bun — let it remind you that Jesus came because he loves you so much. He paid the price on that cross for us, but he didn't stay there. He rose again so that we might rise too and have a life with him forever.

A Prayer of Thanks

Dear Heavenly Father, we want to praise and thank you for your ultimate sacrifice — for all the things you went through, Lord. The people who mocked your name, the people who whipped you, the people who hurt you. But God, most of all, we hurt you because we sin, and we are so sorry for that. We are sorry when we do the wrong thing.

God, we just want to praise and thank you for sending Jesus to pay that price so that we can have a life forever with you — that we may rise up too. Thank you for this reminder this Easter. Be with us and all that we are around, to share that love. We pray these things in your name. Amen.