Who acts shamefully in this passage? Who tries to humiliate, embarrass, and dishonor another? It is, of course, the Roman soldiers. They dishonor Jesus by making a mockery of his kingship. They humiliate and try to embarrass him by stripping him and putting the scarlet robe and crown of thorns upon him. In perhaps the greatest attempt to shame, they spit on him, a disgusting act to make him feel totally worthless. Shame on the soldiers for their mistreatment of Jesus!
And how does Jesus respond? Matthew does not record any response from Jesus. He does not try and defend himself or lash out in righteous anger. This suggests that he willingly took upon himself the shaming of the soldiers. He did so not because he had done anything that deserved such shaming, but to take our acts of shaming others and our feelings of shame upon himself. He does so to free us from the sin of shaming and the feelings of being ashamed.
Have you ever had the feeling that you are worthless? Maybe it's because of something you've done or because of something done to you. But whatever the case, here we see Jesus taking all of that on himself and taking it to the cross. You are not worthless in God's eyes. You are deeply loved. What a gift God gives, in setting us free from our shame! As with all of God's gifts, we receive this gift by faith, believing it to be true. Although there have been times when I have felt ashamed, worthless, and unworthy, the shaming of Jesus reminds me that I no longer need to feel that way. Jesus died for that. I know I am deeply loved by many, and, most importantly, deeply loved by God.
On my visit to Israel, we were guided into the Praetorium. There, as I knelt on the floor, inscribed withRoman military markings, Our leader began to read Matt. 27-31. I couldn't help but fall to my face, weeping in shame over the way my sins were part of what brought my Lord to this wicked place. That you, Pastor Jeff for reminding that Jesus takes us out of our shame and into love! Praise His Holy Name!
ReplyDeleteMerriam Webster defines shame as the painful feeling of humiliation caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Both Peter and Judas must of experienced shame for what they had done, Jesus bore their shame which set Peter free to move forward and do God's will. Judas didn't stay around to experience the gift. It would have been a completely different story for his life had he been able to endure the shame a while longer. When I experience shame it takes me on a downward spiral and I am reminded of all that I am guilty of, it is like being in a deep and dark pit that I can't get out of. The only hope I have is Jesus and what He did for me at the cross. I cannot lightly accept that Jesus bore my shame, but like Peter, I am set free from this pain and it is my prayer that I am able share that gift with others who do not know this Love and Freedom.
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