-Pause- 

"Despising the shame..." (Heb 12:2)

Throughout my study of James, I've noticed that James plants different words which reference the rich and the poor (this is only evident if you look at the Greek). He places them strategically to show the Jews the frailty of their thinking; namely, having riches equates to being loved by God.

A verse I came across today struck me and gave light to Jesus' decision to "despise the shame" of the cross, an attitude which is completely opposite this idea that the rich are most blessed by God: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor 8:9)

Through His poverty... we became rich.

Through His destitution, His beggarly state- we were welcomed into the King's palace and given the right to inherit His riches. Through the stripping of His righteousness, His power, His inherent goodness, His godliness, His equality with the Father to the point where the Father looked at His Son and saw a man covered in the filth of our iniquity, your sin, my overflow of wickedness (James 1:21) - we were given the right to become "children of God." (Rom 8:21)

For all time, we have access to Jesus Christ's righteousness, to the Father's opinion of Him as His "beloved Son." (Mat 3:17) In other words, we received Christ's reputation, once and for all, as blameless, when He took on our reputation of utter shamefulness which resulted in separation from the Father.

In fact, to His children the Lord is now just in saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Mat 5:22)
Did you think you'd receive this praise based on your own merit? Friend- you've missed the entire Gospel!

Why is it so difficult for us to despise the shame and abuse of man? It is so difficult to bless the ones who curse us and love the ones who hate us. (Mat 5:44)  It is so difficult to hail trials from afar with joy (see yesterday's post). And yet... all God has asked us to endure is the shame of men; Jesus was encompassed by a far greater shame... "Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mat 27:46)

We are called, like Christ, to despise the shame of the cross, (and our weight to carry is immensely lighter!) but we are called to do this for a reason... that through our poverty (of pride, self-defense, worldly reputation, regard for self, worldly intelligence or even earthly wealth) others might become rich... 

The only way we can endure the cross Christ has asked us not only to carry, but to be lifted up and crucified on as a murderer, is if we first die to our reputation and identify with our Savior in despising the shame.