It's Good Friday! I cringe a little every year when I say "Good Friday." It's good for me, but it was horrific for Jesus.
When I was a teenager, this was popular to say about things you despised: "Don't you just hate when ________. The blank was filled in with all manner of scenarios. I remember having a cartoon on my bulletin board for the longest time, that I had cut from a magazine. At the top it read, "Don't you just hate when..." Underneath it there was a picture of a character lifting his foot up to an exaggerated height, with gum going from his shoe to the ground. Thinking about it still brings a smile to my face. I can relate!
I hadn't thought of that cartoon in years. It came back to me this morning as I was thinking about a particular verse. The verse reveals something Jesus despised (hated) about Good Friday. In the whole New Testament only one thing is given the notoriety of being something Jesus despised on that day. That in itself is noteworthy, considering all that He endured, but what is even more interesting to me is what he despised. He "...endured the cross, despising the shame..." Hebrews 12:2. We are made privy to the fact that Jesus agonized in prayer, asking His Father to let Him bypass the Good Friday experience, if it was possible. Then we get to have a further glimpse into His emotions. The Scriptures plainly tell us one thing He utterly despised about this day. It wasn't the weight of the cross, on His raw, beaten back, as He carried it up to Calvary. It wasn't the pain of the nails being driven into His flesh. It wasn't the mockers at the foot of the cross, who added insult to injury. It wasn't the soldiers dividing his garments and casting lots for His coat. It wasn't the thorns pressing into His head. It wasn't the ever-increasing feeling of suffocation, or the terrible thirst He endured. No! It was the shame. Why was He subject to shame? Because it was part and parcel of the sin He took on. God designed shame to be married to sin. What happened when the first sin was committed? Adam and Eve made themselves coverings of fig leaves and hid among the trees when they heard the voice of God (Genesis 3:7-8).
It greatly disturbs me that in our modern age, we have tried to divorce shame from sin. We make excuses for our sins. We are just products of our environment, or products of dysfunctional parents etc. No one is held accountable. If we excuse our sins, we are shame-free. Our speech proves how we feel about sin and shame. Jesus said, "...whatever is in your heart determines what you say." Matthew 12:34. We communicate with phrases like, "It's all good," and "no worries." I know these are often meant innocently, but words are powerful and make a lasting impact.
Speaking of a lasting impact, I remember a phrase that made one on me. When I was a child and would do something wrong, my mom would look me square in the eye and say, "Shame on you!" I don't think that's commonly used with children anymore. Many would consider it child abuse. Not me! How can we feel the need to repent if we feel no shame? If we never feel any shame, the Bible calls us unjust. Other versions say unrighteous or wicked. "...the unjust knows no shame." Zephaniah 3:5. Two different times Paul says to the Corinthians, in essence, "Shame on you!" 1 Corinthians 6:5 and 15:34.
I have something to confess. Good Friday wasn't originally what made me begin thinking about shame this morning, Facebook did. As I was scrolling through the posts, my heart became heavy. If I wasn't a believer --- if I didn't know the Lord, would the Christian's posts reflect God in a light that He would be pleased with? The following are fictitious scenarios, but bear resemblance to what is commonplace. One person posts a map of his church with an invitation to the Easter Service. A few posts later he shares a post that repeatedly has inappropriate language in it. Someone else posts a Bible verse. A few posts later she shares some of the lyrics to her favorite Christian song. The next day she posts a picture of herself in her new revealing swimsuit. ????
I come away thinking, "Do we have no shame?" That's when I thought about what the Bible says that Jesus despised on Good Friday. I want to make it clear that I have plenty to feel ashamed of. I know I am made righteous by the blood of Jesus in God's eyes, but I continue to struggle with temptation. I am ashamed to say that sometimes I succumb to it. I believe in confessing our sins to trusted Christian friends. "...confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed..." James 5:16. There is a big difference in sinning, feeling ashamed and repenting versus sinning and excusing the sin. We should strive to the uttermost to portray Christ. "Be imitators of God , therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God...Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." Ephesians 5:1-2 & 11-12. There's that word again. God's not ashamed to use it in the Bible. Look at that last verse again. "For it is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret." In our world no sins are kept secret. Propriety is a foreign concept. When I was growing up, there were certain things you didn't mention in mixed company. Today there is nothing out of bounds. T.V. talk shows educate even many toddlers on topics that are shameful.
When I am going to have visitors over, I try to make sure the toilets are clean, and the garbage has been taken out. I am not naive. I know everyone has garbage and dirty toilets sometimes, but I care about what my guests think of me. My lack of cleanliness would also reflect on my family, and I care about what people think of them. In the same way, I shouldn't publicly parade garbage on social media if I claim to be a Christian. It reflects on my Lord. Do I want to cause Him more shame? He bore my sins, now I bear His name. Earlier we looked at Ephesians 1-2 and 11-12. I left out a big chunk that I would like to go back to "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person --- such a man is an idolator --- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:3-10.
In Hebrews we learned what our Lord despised. In Psalms we learn what He won't despise. It is extremely good news for us. "...A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." According to the dictionary, contrite means to feel sincere remorse or guilt and to desire atonement. Two synonyms for contrite are --- wouldn't you know --- ashamed and shamefaced. Jesus despised the shame of sin that He felt. He didn't deserve the guilt, but He bore it for our sakes. How much more should we bear our shame when we sin. He will gladly make atonement for us and wash our sin and shame away. Let us not forget the first part of Hebrews 12:2, the verse we began with, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." I know Jesus looked forward to reunion with His Father, but certainly part of the joy set before Him was our reconciliation. That's why He came to earth. It was worth the shame to Him, and heaven is worth my shame when I sin. Thank you dear, Holy Savior!
When I was a teenager, this was popular to say about things you despised: "Don't you just hate when ________. The blank was filled in with all manner of scenarios. I remember having a cartoon on my bulletin board for the longest time, that I had cut from a magazine. At the top it read, "Don't you just hate when..." Underneath it there was a picture of a character lifting his foot up to an exaggerated height, with gum going from his shoe to the ground. Thinking about it still brings a smile to my face. I can relate!
I hadn't thought of that cartoon in years. It came back to me this morning as I was thinking about a particular verse. The verse reveals something Jesus despised (hated) about Good Friday. In the whole New Testament only one thing is given the notoriety of being something Jesus despised on that day. That in itself is noteworthy, considering all that He endured, but what is even more interesting to me is what he despised. He "...endured the cross, despising the shame..." Hebrews 12:2. We are made privy to the fact that Jesus agonized in prayer, asking His Father to let Him bypass the Good Friday experience, if it was possible. Then we get to have a further glimpse into His emotions. The Scriptures plainly tell us one thing He utterly despised about this day. It wasn't the weight of the cross, on His raw, beaten back, as He carried it up to Calvary. It wasn't the pain of the nails being driven into His flesh. It wasn't the mockers at the foot of the cross, who added insult to injury. It wasn't the soldiers dividing his garments and casting lots for His coat. It wasn't the thorns pressing into His head. It wasn't the ever-increasing feeling of suffocation, or the terrible thirst He endured. No! It was the shame. Why was He subject to shame? Because it was part and parcel of the sin He took on. God designed shame to be married to sin. What happened when the first sin was committed? Adam and Eve made themselves coverings of fig leaves and hid among the trees when they heard the voice of God (Genesis 3:7-8).
It greatly disturbs me that in our modern age, we have tried to divorce shame from sin. We make excuses for our sins. We are just products of our environment, or products of dysfunctional parents etc. No one is held accountable. If we excuse our sins, we are shame-free. Our speech proves how we feel about sin and shame. Jesus said, "...whatever is in your heart determines what you say." Matthew 12:34. We communicate with phrases like, "It's all good," and "no worries." I know these are often meant innocently, but words are powerful and make a lasting impact.
Speaking of a lasting impact, I remember a phrase that made one on me. When I was a child and would do something wrong, my mom would look me square in the eye and say, "Shame on you!" I don't think that's commonly used with children anymore. Many would consider it child abuse. Not me! How can we feel the need to repent if we feel no shame? If we never feel any shame, the Bible calls us unjust. Other versions say unrighteous or wicked. "...the unjust knows no shame." Zephaniah 3:5. Two different times Paul says to the Corinthians, in essence, "Shame on you!" 1 Corinthians 6:5 and 15:34.
I have something to confess. Good Friday wasn't originally what made me begin thinking about shame this morning, Facebook did. As I was scrolling through the posts, my heart became heavy. If I wasn't a believer --- if I didn't know the Lord, would the Christian's posts reflect God in a light that He would be pleased with? The following are fictitious scenarios, but bear resemblance to what is commonplace. One person posts a map of his church with an invitation to the Easter Service. A few posts later he shares a post that repeatedly has inappropriate language in it. Someone else posts a Bible verse. A few posts later she shares some of the lyrics to her favorite Christian song. The next day she posts a picture of herself in her new revealing swimsuit. ????
I come away thinking, "Do we have no shame?" That's when I thought about what the Bible says that Jesus despised on Good Friday. I want to make it clear that I have plenty to feel ashamed of. I know I am made righteous by the blood of Jesus in God's eyes, but I continue to struggle with temptation. I am ashamed to say that sometimes I succumb to it. I believe in confessing our sins to trusted Christian friends. "...confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed..." James 5:16. There is a big difference in sinning, feeling ashamed and repenting versus sinning and excusing the sin. We should strive to the uttermost to portray Christ. "Be imitators of God , therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God...Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." Ephesians 5:1-2 & 11-12. There's that word again. God's not ashamed to use it in the Bible. Look at that last verse again. "For it is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret." In our world no sins are kept secret. Propriety is a foreign concept. When I was growing up, there were certain things you didn't mention in mixed company. Today there is nothing out of bounds. T.V. talk shows educate even many toddlers on topics that are shameful.
When I am going to have visitors over, I try to make sure the toilets are clean, and the garbage has been taken out. I am not naive. I know everyone has garbage and dirty toilets sometimes, but I care about what my guests think of me. My lack of cleanliness would also reflect on my family, and I care about what people think of them. In the same way, I shouldn't publicly parade garbage on social media if I claim to be a Christian. It reflects on my Lord. Do I want to cause Him more shame? He bore my sins, now I bear His name. Earlier we looked at Ephesians 1-2 and 11-12. I left out a big chunk that I would like to go back to "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person --- such a man is an idolator --- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:3-10.
In Hebrews we learned what our Lord despised. In Psalms we learn what He won't despise. It is extremely good news for us. "...A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." According to the dictionary, contrite means to feel sincere remorse or guilt and to desire atonement. Two synonyms for contrite are --- wouldn't you know --- ashamed and shamefaced. Jesus despised the shame of sin that He felt. He didn't deserve the guilt, but He bore it for our sakes. How much more should we bear our shame when we sin. He will gladly make atonement for us and wash our sin and shame away. Let us not forget the first part of Hebrews 12:2, the verse we began with, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." I know Jesus looked forward to reunion with His Father, but certainly part of the joy set before Him was our reconciliation. That's why He came to earth. It was worth the shame to Him, and heaven is worth my shame when I sin. Thank you dear, Holy Savior!
