When they had crucified Jesus, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:35–37 NIV).
I could tell it was a cultural blunder, but I didn’t really know what I had done. One of my Chinese students handed his name tag over to me as he was leaving English class. “Don’t ever write my name in red again, please.” He said it politely, but firmly; there was no suggestion about it.
I was befuddled. Red is a lucky color in China, the color of happiness and prosperity. Red is the color of celebration for the New Year. Chinese brides traditionally wear red for their wedding.* I had only written the names of three new students in red because the marker on hand had been mislabeled with a black cap. What had I missed?
I asked Paul, my young cultural guide, about it. As I related the story, he started to laugh. He explained that, in ancient China, if the emperor wrote your name in red, it was a death sentence.
Oops.
Three of my new students were welcomed with the message, “If you join this class, I am going to execute you…even if you know what a passive participle is.” Worse, they were the only students with red name tags. Everyone else was going to live a long and happy life, apparently.
It reminded me of the sign on Jesus’ cross that stated, “this is jesus, the king of the jews” (Matthew 27:37 NIV). This wasn’t just a nametag to prevent people from confusing who was who on death row that day. Matthew tells us it was the charge against Jesus. He was officially guilty of being Jesus, the King of the Jews. The religious leaders even offered a correction to Governor Pilate, “Write that this man claimed to be the King of the Jews.” But Pilate retorted, “What I have written, I have written.”
Just like the ancient Chinese emperor! Christ’s name was inscribed on that cross; the King of kings was executed on behalf of his people.
Like the emperor, I write a lot of names in red—in my mind, at least. No, I don’t want to execute anyone. But I have assassinated the reputation of people through my careless words. I have wished comeuppance on those Johns and Joes and Julies who’ve done me wrong. I have mouthed names as I blasted out a judge-y text, email, or post. What irrevocable damage have I done with my tongue?
And yet, it wasn’t my name etched into the wormwood of the cross where God judged all wickedness; it was Christ’s—the innocent in place of the guilty.
The result? The risen Savior declares in Revelation, “The one who is victorious will…be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels (Revelation 3:5).” In the Bible, red signifies blood, death, and atonement; white signifies purity and innocence. We celebrate because we are eternally pure in God’s sight through Christ—hands, lips, hearts, and all. We sing for joy because our names are written—not on a hit list—but in the Book of Life, guarded by the mighty hands of God.
Great incentive to guard our tongues, isn’t it? No more names in red.
*White wedding dresses are becoming more popular because of global influence, but white is traditionally considered the color of death. Most often, I have seen modern Chinese brides wearing a white wedding dress for some pictures and a red one for others.