Despising the Shame

Easter is around the corner. Surely, one of the most exciting and intriguing of our holidays. It contains sunrise services, choral cantatas, warmer weather and sunshine, lilies, new beginnings, new clothes, family dinners—the pinnacle of Christian celebrations:  Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

But back up a few days (and a couple thousand years) and we encounter the days before Easter: times of misunderstanding, resistance, persecution, betrayal, desperate prayer, and finally the crucifixion—the apparent end of the ministry of Jesus.

But, in reality, the crucifixion was the goal set before Jesus from the beginning. He was born with the cross in mind. The writer of Hebrews records a very curious phrase about this aim and destination in chapter twelve:

. . . 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.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Because of what would happen after the crucifixion (the resurrection and the defeat of sin, death, and hell), Jesus endured the cross, “despising the shame.” “Despising” from the Greek suggests “looking down upon”, “paying no regard to”, “seeing as detestable”, or “holding something in contempt.” It seems redundant that Jesus would regard “shame” as “detestable”. But, in other words, Jesus saw no positive value, or lightly valued the shame of the cross—even knowing the law.

“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 ESV

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14 ESV

Jesus knew the stigma associated with the cross. He knew what an insult the crucifixion was; He knew how it appeared to repudiate all that He had come to do; He knew the cross would cause many on the fringe to turn away from Him. But, a servant serves; and a true servant serves even at personal expense.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 ESV

The cross revealed the price Jesus was willing to pay on our behalf. He did not value His own life: He did not value His own reputation; He did not value His own safety or comfort. In fact He despised all of those things when measured against the value of what His serving would accomplish in the hearts and lives of people.

The cross wasn’t the first example of His servant mentality, either.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5 ESV

The God of the universe—the one through whom the universe was created—took on human form, and suffered the indignities of a poor laborer and itinerant preacher. He washed feet—the work of the lowest servant.

Further, Jesus encountered resistance, harm, betrayal, and death at the hands of those He was hoping to rescue. He was cursed by the religious and the masses as He was crucified. Jesus, the Christ, who could have transformed earth and all of its inhabitants to dust at any time, subjected Himself to serving. He served those who appreciated Him; He served those who followed Him; and He served those who rejected Him (in hopes they would one day follow, too). In spite of all the reasons for not doing so, Jesus served.

We have an incredibly vivid example of what Christianity looks like by our Master’s example. Christians serve. They serve humbly, willingly, wholeheartedly, and well until they are called home. Living humbly does not mean living poorly; it doesn’t mean living weakly; it doesn’t mean harboring negative feelings about one’s value. Living humbly means living “in Christ”, in obedience to Christ and being willing to do ANYTHING He calls you or I to do. Living humbly means obeying, embracing our calling, however great or small, despising the circumstances and personal cost.

And we can do so (only) because of Easter! PTL! Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:6-10 ESV

Making the Final Four!

March Madness is finally here—the month that makes college basketball “must see TV!” (Go Bears!) There is quite the build up to this magical time. Three hundred (plus) teams hope their seasons end with a place among the top sixty-eight in the premiere NCAA tournament. For all basketball programs, “the post season” is where it is at; and the glitter of the annual March playoffs are where glory is sought and sometimes found.

The attraction of March is so alluring that winning a lot of games, or even winning one’s own conference championship pales in comparison. All prior success is dismissed if your team is not invited to “the Big Dance.” For those seeking elite status, phrases like “making the tournament,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “Elite Eight,” “Final Four,” and “playing in the Championship game” all describe stations on the way to success. Get there and you are “something” or “somebody.” Fail to make the tourney, and you are a “struggling program.”

During the brief social phase of my college career, I agreed to be interviewed by a pledge from a friend’s sorority. The pledge was eager to please her “big sister” and scheduled a meeting in the student union building right away. She sounded pleasant and determined on the phone. On the day of our interview I arrived early and found a seat with a view of the foyer’s three entrances and soon saw a harried young woman with a pledge notebook scanning the faces of all of us seated there. After a few false starts, she finally approached me and asked, “Excuse me, are you somebody?”

I couldn’t suppress a chuckle and the thought crossed my mind that whether I was “somebody” or not was immaterial; she still had to interview me. I could see the gears whirling in her head as she assessed the person before her. Her expression changed within a few seconds as my name fell off her networking list. Perhaps it was the t-shirt, jeans, or tattered Rod Lavers-- or the mention of my Volkswagen Beetle that did it; this was a private school after all. Seeing the earnestness of her question, though, prompted me to simply identify myself and dispense with my wit and sarcasm. We had a brief but pleasant few minutes and then she was off to her next victim.

Her question hung in the air, however. “Am I somebody?” By what measure(s) do I determine my “somebody-ness?” How do I get there?

A few years earlier, in 1978, I was riding the train to Chicago in early June. I was on my way to Wheaton and the offices of Slavic Gospel Association for my orientation before joining their Summer Youth Training in Europe (SYTE) mission program. At breakfast, I was directed to a table occupied by an older gentleman who was also travelling alone. He prayed before eating and that gesture sparked a conversation that continued throughout the day. At one point, he asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I told him that I wanted to become a “great man of God” (not in the sense of worldly acclaim, but in the Dwight Moody sense); I wanted to be used greatly by God. He understood what I was trying to say and simply replied, “Well, Mark, great men of God rarely began as great men; they began with simple, humble obedience. God decides whom He will raise up . . .” That counsel sounded okay to me, I just hoped that God would be quick about it; I wanted to make a difference in the world and was ready to get started.

As it would turn out, Dwight and I are rarely brought up in the same conversations; at least I’ve never heard anyone ever making the comparison, unless, of course they wanted to insult Dwight Moody.

But God has raised up many faithful men over the years. I’ve read scores of biographies: Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Dawson Trotman, and Jim Elliot come to mind—just to name a few. Of course, the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, and Daniel are also very compelling as well as instructive. Take Joshua for example:

The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. Joshua 3:7 ESV

God still calls. He still raises and exalts. But for what purpose did God exalt Joshua and Moses? Why did the God of the universe need to raise up men like Moses and Joshua? The short answer is “because He wanted to.” God raised them up (exalted them) for His own reasons. In other words, it served God's purposes—whatever they might be-- to exalt these two men. It served God's purposes to exalt David and Daniel, too. But, it also served God's purposes to call prophets like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea (and many others) to roles that made them the objects of scorn and ridicule. In effect, God exalts and abases—for His purposes.

Within many evangelical denominations we measure a servant’s worth by their position within the hierarchy or the size of their congregation. Though it may be true that men and women with extraordinary gifts find additional opportunities and larger and larger audiences, it does not follow that servants in smaller venues are lesser parts of the kingdom. God exalts and abases.

To become comfortable with this truth requires a different perspective, or perhaps a different axis on the chart. The true measure of value in the kingdom of heaven is faithful obedience. Are we faithful to what God has called us to do? Are we faithful in following His commands? Are we faithful to hear His voice and obey? Are we faithful, come large crowds or small? The exaltation of Jesus was not earthly acclaim, faithful crowds, or the admiration of the masses, but the cross.

God exalts and abases—as it serves His purposes. Salvation, deliverance, atonement, peace, healing, regeneration and abundant life are not possible without the cross. If Jesus’ life was destined for the cross, perhaps we need to re-consider what “success” will look like in our own lives. If I may, I might suggest that we measure our faithfulness and leave the venues and destinations to God.