“We live in a world where people do not even acknowledge sin,” a man said to me. I saw his point. It is hard to deny that the present prevailing culture seems woefully ignorant about its own depravity. And yet, that does not mean that they are free from sin’s effects (which I suppose is one of the great lies that Satan provides – that one may relieve oneself of sin by choosing one’s own way and cutting the God stuff out entirely). No, the sin still manifests itself in pain and heartache. We live with the cost, whether or not we acknowledge the debt.
“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, 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.”
Shame is a funny thing in today’s culture. For one, it’s been gotten hold of by pop-culture psychology and rendered as a weapon of self-justification: a useless enterprise if ever there was one. Beyond this, it is a hallmark of the life of the average American. In recovery, we talk about how shame is at the root of our addiction templates and driving us to medicate the pain of ourselves away. Much more could be said on shame itself, but I just want to note that it seems everyone wants nothing to do with shame. Jesus however, chose a path that would shame him. He chose the cross.
Undoubtedly, the writer is implying that death by crucifixion has shameful elements (like being stripped naked publicly), shameful implications (the mark of criminality), shameful feelings (bearing the cross, being accused by men), and more. However, I still ask, what is the shame that Jesus despised? Shame is one of the categorical, manifest presentations of the reality of sin in our lives. Jesus, as we know, paid for our sins in His great act of love. What shame did He despise? Ours. And He says, “come, follow me”. Jesus is inviting us to step into reality. The reality of the truth of sin and its rampant death-bringing can be answered only through Christ and His cross, and then we can despise our sin. Jesus has set us the model for becoming impervious to shame through the accepting of our struggle and suffering. It feels so terribly backward, and yet it is the only way to conquer. Question: do you love Jesus but still live by shame? What suffering is being presented in your life whose shame you could despise?