The Shame of the Cross
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How many of you could tell a story about a time when you were seriously embarressed or ashamed?
waiting tables and spilling a drink on someone
waiting tables and spilling a drink on someone
Piano recital
There are the experiences like this when you do something that makes you feel embarrassed… then there are times when someone else does something that makes you feel ashamed.
Kids acting out in public
bring a friend to a social gathering and he or she offends everyone there.
Shame is that feeling associated with (but not limited to) failure, public exposure, disgrace, embarrassment, social rejection, ridicule, and dishonor.
SHAME Feelings associated with (but not limited to) failure, public exposure, disgrace, embarrassment, social rejection, ridicule, and dishonor.
Shame is such a powerful feeling that there are cultures that are considered, “shame based cultures”
In the world there are there different types of cultures: Guilt, Fear, Shame
There are different types of cultures
Shame is that feeling that someone is looking at you and sees you as somehow less than you should be.
Guilt Culture
Guilt Culture
In a guilt culture your social standing depends on your level of guilt or innocence.
These cultures are obsessed with justice, with keeping people in-check with standards of right and wrong.
From their earliest days children are taught to follow the rules and are told they will be innocent if they obey those rules or guilty if they disobey them.
Adults are kept in-check with endless lists of laws and, when offended, are quick to bring charges against other people in the hope that they will be found guilty.
Every person experiences the desire to avoid guilt and protect innocence.
As you can probably tell, we live in a guilt based culture - we respond to the ideas of right and wrong, guilty and innocent, just and unjust
When we talk about sharing the gospel it seems completely wrong if we don’t include the fact that we are guilty before a holy God.
And it comes from a guilt based society.
because you are guilty your punishment will be the justice of God pored out on you in hell
Unless you repent, believe in Jesus, and trust that he has taken your guilt upon himself and has given you his righteous standing, so you can be viewed as innocent.
This is the story of Barabbas
Fear Culture
Fear Culture
In a fear culture your standing depends on your level of fear or power. These cultures are usually tribal and animistic and they pressure you with the fear of consequences meted out by supernatural spirits.
After Mandee and I were first married we went with her family to Belize for three months to work on a movie.
my father-in-law is a media producer with Pioneers mission
And this was a project that had been praying toward and working on for almost a decade. So in 2007 we packed and went to Belize to shoot this movie. I was the boom mic operator. and mandee was in charge of transportation
The movie is called The Enemy God and it the true story about a shaman from the yanomami tribe in Venezuela.
The movie captures well what a fear based culture is like
animistic, spirit worship, constantly living in fear of evil spirits.
The goal of a shaman is to get the most powerful spirits so that they could protect their people from the attacks of other shamans and evil spirits.
Shame Culture
Shame Culture
In a shame culture your standing before other people depends on your level of shame or honor.
It’s like there is an imaginary scale that has shame on one side and honor on the other.
The things you do, the things you say, and the ways you behave can tip the scale in one direction or the other.
If you have been shamed, the way to recover your reputation is to do something that will restore your honor.
In shame based cultures, honor is more important than life itself
EXAMPLE
In 1989 in St. Louis, Missouri, sixteen-year-old Palestina (Tina) Isa was murdered by her Palestinian father with the aid of her mother.
Tina began to listen to American music such as dance, rap, R&B, and rock. After learning that Tina had taken a part-time job without her parents' permission, and dated a non-Muslim man, her father felt she had become too modernized.
On the day of her murder, her father repeatedly stabbed Tina, while her mother held her down.
This was what is called honor killings - by killing his shameful daughter Tina’s father restored honor to himself and his family.
EXAMPLE
NT221 The Wisdom of John: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Johannine Literature Honor and Shame Cultures
During World War II, many Western persons—many Americans had a hard time understanding why 18-year-old Japanese boys would fly kamikaze runs and dive-bomb planes into our aircraft carriers and destroy their lives. Well, the reason is because honoring the motherland and the cause of the emperor was more important to them than life and death. Honor and shame was more important than life and death. We have a hard time grasping that, but it’s very clear that this document reflects that kind of belief in the importance of honor and avoiding shame, especially in avoiding shame.
During World War II, many Western persons—many Americans had a hard time understanding why 18-year-old Japanese boys would fly kamikaze runs and dive-bomb planes into our aircraft carriers and destroy their lives. Well, the reason is because honoring the motherland and the cause of the emperor was more important to them than life and death. Honor and shame was more important than life and death. We have a hard time grasping that, but it’s very clear that this document reflects that kind of belief in the importance of honor and avoiding shame, especially in avoiding shame.
During World War II, many Western people—many Americans had a hard time understanding why 18-year-old Japanese boys would fly kamikaze runs and dive-bomb planes into our aircraft carriers and destroy their lives.
Well, the reason is because honoring the motherland and the cause of the emperor was more important to them than life and death.
Taking hold of honor, and avoiding shame is the greatest good, even over life itself.
The Shame of the Cross
The Shame of the Cross
In the west, we don’t understand shame in this way. The easiest comparison we have is embarrassment. It is such a subjective feeling that its often difficult to explain or quantify. but we know it when we feel it.
Shame is that feeling when you show up to a dinner invitation way over or under dressed.
Shame is that feeling when your parents see your report card and you know your grades are not that good
Shame is that feeling when a check bounces, or your debit card is denied at the store because of insufficient funds.
Shame is that feeling when you present yourself as knowledgable in a particular area only to have your self-confidence smashed by someone else who knows far more than you.
Shame is when stories are told about your past that damage your reputation
Shame is when stories are told about your past that damage your reputation
Shame is when your social circles reject you
Shame is when when your honor is stripped away and you are now viewed with dishonor
Shame is being treated as if you are somehow less than human, that you have no dignity, that you have failed to live up to the standards of society.
Shame is: nakedness and exposure, isolation and being an outcast, contamination and self-disgust.
Yesterday morning I was talking to Jamie, Eric, and Kat about shame in our culture. And we discussed how shame is something that we don’t want to experience, and when we do, we have figured out ways to not feel the its sting.
We comfort each other out of being ashamed
Our culture pushes the borders of shame back further and further.
We do everything we can not to feel, nor allow others to live with the sickly feelings of shame.
The bible recognizes and addresses all three of these cultures: guilt, fear, and shame.
The bible recognizes and addresses all three of these cultures: guilt, fear, and shame.
NT221 The Wisdom of John: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Johannine Literature Honor and Shame Cultures
Western culture today is largely not an honor and shame culture, but in the hierarchy of ethical values in the ancient Near East and in the Jewish world, honor and shame were right at the top of the value hierarchy, as high up there as even ‘truth’ as opposed to ‘error’ was. Ancient Near Eastern people would rather die than be publicly shamed, and indeed they were prepared to die for the honor of their kin group or their tribe or their people or their faith. It’s an honor and shame culture.
And shame had a very prominent place in the Ancient Near East during the time of Jesus.
As we look at Marks account of the crucifixion, we will see that Mark does not back away from the shame of the cross.
The Shame of the Cross
The Shame of the Cross
He does not try and excuse it.
He does not try and soften it.
he does not try and justify it.
Rather, he explains it in great detail… So this is what we are going to focus on today. The Shame of the Cross
There have been many great sermons preached on the this passage that will give you...
The pain-filled details of what Jesus endured
They will explain the physical tole of being beaten and crucified.
They will explain the realities of what crucifixion did to the body from a medical point of view
they will explain the historical aspects of crucifixion, from the size of the nails, to the crown of thorns and the weight of the cross.
These are great sermons, and if you haven’t listened to any i would encourage you to listen and learn about the realities of the crucifixion.
However, these details, as important as they are, are not whats in view for Mark. Mark wants us to see and understand the shame of the of the cross.
And by God’s grace what we will see is that in his crucifixion Jesus received our shame so that we could receive his honor.
And he bore our shame by hanging on a tree… For there was nothing more shameful than being crucified.
The Romans invented crucifixion to bring maximum shame to criminals, it was not enough for them to just be found guilty and be punishment, but they had to be shamed as well.
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Crucifixion was considered the appropriate punishment for slaves, prisoners of war, and revolutionaries (like Barabbas)
Public trials served as status degradation rituals, which labelled the accused as a shameful person.
Flogging and torture, especially the blinding of eyes and the shedding of blood, accompanied the sentence.
Scourging was done both to the front and back of the body, the victims were nude; often they befouled themselves, losing control of all bodily function.
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
The condemned were forced to carry the cross beam.
The victim’s property, normally clothing, was confiscated; hence they were further shamed by being stripped naked. (see Diod. Sic. 33.15.1).
Semeia 68: Honor and Shame in the World of the Bible I. Introduction
1. Crucifixion was considered the appropriate punishment for slaves (Cicero, In Verrem 2.5.168), bandits (Jos. War 2.253), prisoners of war (Jos. War 5.451) and revolutionaries (Jos. Ant. 17:295; see Hengel 1977:46–63).
2. Public trials (“misera est ignominia iudicorum publicorum,” Cicero, Pro Rabinio 9–17) served as status degradation rituals, which labelled the accused as a shameful person.
3. Flogging and torture, especially the blinding of eyes and the shedding of blood, generally accompanied the sentence (Jos. War 5.449–51 & 3.321; Livy 22.13.19; 28.37.3; Seneca, On Anger 3.6; Philo, Flac. 72; Diod. Sic. 33.15.1; Plato, Gorgias 473bc & Republic 2.362e). Since, according to m. Mak. 3.12, scourging was done both to the front and back of the body, the victims were nude; often they befouled themselves with urine or excrement (3.14).
4. The condemned were forced to carry the cross beam (Plutarch, Delay 554B).
5. The victim’s property, normally clothing, was confiscated; hence they were further shamed by being denuded (see Diod. Sic. 33.15.1).
6. The victim lost power and thus honor through pinioning of hands and arms, especially the mutilation of being nailed to the cross (Philo, Post. 61; Somn. 2.213).
7. Executions served as crude forms of public entertainment, where the crowds ridiculed and mocked the victims (Philo, Sp. Leg. 3.160), who were sometimes affixed to crosses in an odd and whimsical manner, including impalement (Seneca: Consol. ad Marciam 20.3; Josephus, War 5.451).
8. Death by crucifixion was often slow and protracted. The powerless victim suffered bodily distortions, loss of bodily control, and enlargement of the penis (Steinberg 1983:82–108). Ultimately they were deprived of life and thus the possibility of gaining satisfaction or vengeance.
9. In many cases, victims were denied honorable burial; corpses were left on display and devoured by carrion birds and scavenger animals (Pliny, H. N. 36. 107–108).
The victim lost power and thus honor through the tying of hands and arms, especially in the mutilation of being nailed to the cross.
Executions served as crude forms of public entertainment, where the crowds ridiculed and mocked the victims , who were sometimes affixed to crosses in an odd and whimsical manner.
Death by crucifixion was often slow and strung out. The powerless victim suffered bodily distortions, loss of bodily control.
In many cases, victims were denied honorable burial; corpses were left on display and devoured by birds and scavenger animals.
The reason for this horrific treatment was not just to punish the guilty, but to utterly shame the individual and strip away any sort of honor.
The entire passion narrative was a stripping of honor and a process of shaming
They Shamed Jesus by stripping away every earthly support that he had:
his friends gave way in shaming abandonment;
Shame was stripping away every earthly support that Jesus had: his friends gave way in shaming abandonment; his reputation gave way in shaming mockery; his decency gave way in shaming nakedness; his comfort gave way in shaming torture. His glorious dignity gave way to the utterly undignified, degrading reflexes of grunting and groaning and screeching.
his reputation gave way in shaming mockery;
his decency gave way in shaming nakedness;
his comfort gave way in shaming torture.
Everything about the passion amplifies the shame Jesus endured. And our passage this morning highlights the embarrassing and shameful death of Jesus.
The Shame of the King
The Shame of the King
16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
mark 15-16-20
Once Pilate handed him over to be crucified the roman soldiers led him into an area of the governors headquarters and continued to beat him and mock him.
They not only mocked him by stripping him and beating him in public, but now they begin to mock him because he claimed to be king.
The guards acted out a parody as if Jesus was their king...
They took a purple cloak, the color of royalty and clothed him in it.
They then twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on him, as if he were a king with a crown.
They dressed up Jesus as a king to make fun of him, to shame him.
They all saluted him saying, “Hail, king of the Jews”
At this point it would have been hard for Jesus to even stand up, thus making a mockery of his kingship even more humorous in the soldiers eyes
They took a stick and were striking him in the head to continue the physical beating, they spit on him and made fun of him by kneeling down in homage to him.
And through it all, Jesus never lashed out, he never tried to escape the pain and shame of what was happening to him.
Its amazing to think how this Jesus, was simultaneously holding together the universe as God, while being beaten and mocked by soliders by his own creation.
Each breath they took to mock him was a breath granted to them by Jesus.
I also find it interesting that these soliders bowed down before Jesus seeking to shame him.
And if we could zoom out a little bit we would see that one day these same soliders will again bow down before Jesus, not to shame him, but in their own shame will confess that he truly is the King!
So after this shameful abuse, they strip Jesus of the purple cloak and put his cloths back on him. They then lead him toward the place of execution.
Now, every step that jesus took was strategically orchestrated by the romans to maximize the shame of crucifixion.
The shame that Jesus experienced
The Shame of the Cross
The Shame of the Cross
21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
21-26
As Jesus goes out from the governors headquarters carrying his cross he was unable to make it all the way to Golgotha, for the beatings he took weakened him to the point he could not carry it any further.
So the people compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Jesus.
They brought Jesus to the Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.
(v.23) Once they got there some Jewish women offered him some wine mixed with myrrh
This was a jewish custom which was often performed by women during executions.
the wine mixed with the myrrh acted as a narcotic that would dull the senses to the pain.
However, Jesus refused the pain killers choosing to bear in full consciousness the suffering that was appointed for him.
They stripped Jesus of his garments and began to play a game right in front of him. casting lots to see who would get to keep his clothes.
Mark calls our attention back to a couple times in this passage.
is a messianic Psalm, meaning that it points forward to Jesus.
Here are a few verses from Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
psalm 22
psalm 22
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
ps 22
Everything that is happening to Jesus, the pain, the torture, the shame is all prophesied. There is nothing happening here that is outside of God’s sovereign hand.
In fact, Peter says so in
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
what comfort this should bring us.
That even in the darkest hours, the stressful days, the chaotic moments God is present, he is not absent. He is present and in control of all things.
So often we feel all alone in difficult times, as if God has abandoned us. But the cross shows us that God has not abandoned us, but he is always faithful to his people, even when we are faithless, he remains faithful.
No matter what lot we have in life, no matter what circumstances, no matter what illnesses or struggles, God’s sovereign hand is in control. He is faithful and is truly working all things together for the good.
Even when we feel shame and when we suffer, we serve a God that not only can sympathize with us, but he is also there with us in in pain and suffering and he is in complete control.
When the fear of the unknown seems to paralyze us, we can look to the cross and see that not only did Christ die to free us from fear, but God is sovereign even when times seem so dreadful
When we feel betrayed, or chaos seems to overcome peace, when anger overcomes
Even the horrific crucifixion of Jesus.
25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.
26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
=26
They then crucified him on the third hour, which was about 9:00 in the morning.
Look with me at verses 27-32
They then hung the a inscription of the charge against him, “King of the Jews”
this sign was also a form of shaming Jesus and the Jews
This is the type of King the Jews have - one who is beaten and hanging on a roman cross.
27-
27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus was identified with other criminals, two robbers, one on each side.
The word for robbers is not talking about petty theft, rather this word speaks of murderers and those who rob with violence.
And even these guilty murderers who deserve the shame they were receiving joined in on the mocking of Jesus… look at v. 32
to which Jesus said that he would see him paradise.
However, Mark does not tell us this story. Instead mark tells us that both the robbers in view also added to the shame and mockery of Jesus.
32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
Luke mentions a criminal who repented, but mark does not add this mans testimony, rather he focuses on the men who were activity joining in on the shaming of Jesus.
And it wasn’t just the criminals who shamed Jesus… look at vv.29-30
29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
29-31
Like I said before crucifixion was designed for maximum shame and punishment.
People would go out to see people crucified just for the purpose of bringing shame to them.
People walking by Jesus hanging on the cross
mocked him
waging their heads at him
again, another fullfilment of
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
ps 22
These people walking by wagging their heads at Jesus saying...
“aha, you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three ays, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
they added to the shame of Jesus by making fun of him and mocking him for his supposed lack of power...
“If you’re so powerful Jesus, why don’t you just come down”
The chief Priests and the scribes likewise mocked him,
31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
You see, Mark has intentionally shown how everyone in jesus’ life shamed him in his last days.
38 But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed. 39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust. 40 You have breached all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins. 41 All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
From the most honorable in society to the outcasts and criminals
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
from his closest friends to his greatest enemies.
ps 22
and
19 You know the insults I receive, and my shame and dishonor; my foes are all known to you. 20 Insults have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
and
6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
Everyone piled on the shame.
You see, every fiber in the human body would have wanted to stop the pain, stop the shame, prove to all these people that he could come down if he wanted. He was God! he could have whipped them all out and been healed and vindicated all at once.
The disciples were ashamed of Jesus so they abandoned him
but the chief priests to the scribes are really powerful
Peter was ashamed of Jesus so he denied him three times
The Jewish people wanted to see Jesus shamed so they cried out “Crucify him, crucify him”
The Romans shamed him by dressing him up as a king and mocking him
The common people, Jew and Gentiles, walked wagging their heads at Jesus shamed him by making fun of him while he was on the cross
The criminals, the lowest in society, shamed Jesus even as they themselves hung on crosses.
The high priests and the scribes, the rulers of jewish people, also mocked Jesus saying...
“He saved others; he cannot save himself”
“He saved others; he cannot save himself”
This is an amazing statement, because they are absolutely right.
Jesus had saved others, but at this moment he could not save himself.
Though his not saving himself had nothing to do with a lack of power, but had everything to do with his covenant fulfilling love for his people.
You see, Jesus put on flesh for a reason. He became human for a reason.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus gave his life to pay a price, to set free, to redeem, to restore that which was in bondage to sin.
Jesus came in order to give his life as a ransom for his people
And there was nothing that could stop him from accomplishing what he came to do. he could not save himself, because to save himself would be to let us die in our shame.
and not only that... but it would be to let sin win, to let the curse remain, to let guilt continue its judicious hold on all people, and to let shame rot our bones forever.
The Priests words could be understood as, “he saved others, which is why he could not save himself”
Jesus was willing, for the joy set before him, to endure all things! The joy that was set before him was nothing short of a whole new creation where God and man would dwell together in perfect peace, love, joy, righteousness, truth, glory and honor.
Look what hebrews 12 says,
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
It was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross and despised the shame.
meaning that the shame of the cross was not enough keep Jesus from accomplishing his mission, to save his people from their sins.
Jesus not only took the guilt our sin deserved, but he also took the shame our sin brings upon us.
The one who had no reason to be shamed, took our shame upon himself. He was shamed so we don’t have to be!
We are no longer shameful before God, rather, because of the cross we have been given honor and glory in Christ.
It is because Jesus took our shame that we can go boldly into the throne room of grace.
on the cross Jesus took your shame, he removed those sin stained garments and has clothed you in his righteousness.
Jesus bore the shame of the cross so you could be honored
I love what Peter says in
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
We have died with him on the cross and we are raised with him in his resurrection.
We have died with him on the cross and we are raised with him in his resurrection.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
my friends,
You have been healed by his wounds. You have been healed of your shame, for he bore our sins in his body on the tree.
If this is true,
There is no shame in confession
Those hidden sins that you keep in the dark must be exposed to the light not to bring you shame, but because Jesus has taken your shame, and wants you to walk in righteousness.
The things that have happened to you in your past, those painful memories that bring you shame to even think about, those also have been removed. There is no stain of sin that can shame you before the Father. Because, Jesus took that stain upon himself so you could be washed clean by his blood.
Shame makes us feel naked and exposed, but the power of the cross is that you have been clothed and accepted in Christ.
And if Christ accepts you, so must his church. For Christ is the head and we are the body, and the head and the body must not be separated.
If Jesus has taken our shame, that means we don’t get to shame one another.
that means we cannot look at other people as being somehow less worthy of honor. For our honor is only found in Christ because he is the one who took our shame and gave us his honor.
May we live in men and women free from shame, and live boldly in the righteousness found in Christ.
Let pray