“…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.” Hebrews 12:2 (NASB) 

It has always intrigued me as to why the author of Hebrews singles out shame in this passage. What is it that causes the writer to single out quite possibly the most experienced (negative) emotion? What is it that the author is trying to communicate here?

Let’s go back to the beginning and look at the first appearance of shame to see what we can find out. But before we dive in, there are a couple of things we need to understand: 1.) Adam and Eve are archetypes for all of mankind. In other words, what we see in them can be seen in our own lives. 2.) For this reason, I believe the Genesis (beginning) story is most effective when read through a metaphoric lens. This requires that we loosen the grip of literalism and allow the text to tell us something about ourselves and the nature of God.

With that being said, let’s look at the unfolding narrative of the beginning. For the sake of time I’ve listed just a few of the high points:

• God “took (married, lay hold of) man” and, in that moment, God and man were one. From the basis of this relationship, mankind would be called to extend Gods character and image into the earth. (Genesis 2:15)

• Inside of this (God-man) union existed absolute love, freedom, life, peace and unhindered joy. Man was fully alive. (Genesis 2:25)

We see that, in the beginning, union between God and man was established. This was the Tree in which they would live, move and have their being. They would flourish and grow and evolve from the life and inclusion of that Trinitarian fellowship. However, they began to fixate on another tree—one that would soon disrupt the awareness of that union. Instead of seeing themselves as ones unified with God and made in his image, the unresolved guilt of what they did produced shame of who they were. This caused them to turn away from face to face fellowship with the Triune God. This is the first appearance of shame in the scriptures.

Shame distorted the image of who They were and, as a result, they began to project that image on to the Father. 

In their eyes, the face of God became skewed, distorted and dark. A God they were once open and aware to, was now a god they couldn’t trust. As a result, they hid their face. This is the first use of the word “hid” (meaning “to withdraw, draw back”).

Simply said, they were ashamed; and in order to secure their hiding, they covered themselves. This covering is what it would look like for man to try and atone for their guilt and shame. In other words, this would be the mask that mankind would continue to wear—as it communicates that something is wrong with us.

Guilt says, “I DID something wrong.” Shame says, “I AM something wrong.”

LEPROSY: SYMPTOMS OF AN INNER ISSUE

A disease most common in scripture is leprosy. It’s an immune disease that manifests in sores on the body, nerve damage, and loss of senses. Although it merely looks like an outward problem, it’s mostly an inward one.

It’s no secret that, throughout scripture, leprosy resulted in public humiliation—to the point the leper would be hidden in sanctioned colonies. One scholar calls leprosy, “the disease that shuns”—one that brings public disgrace and shame. Still yet, this spiritual disease, just like shame, is an internal one that brings public humiliation. In the article ‘The Scientific Underpinnings and Impacts of Shame,’ the author states: “Whenever we feel shame, we feel humiliated, exposed and small. At that point, we’re unable to look another person straight in the eye. We want to sink into the ground and disappear.”

Although sin was a major problem for mankind, a corresponding problem (likened in the story of Adam and Eve) was that they did not run to the Father in time of need. Instead, they separated themselves (the Father never separated himself from them). The One whom they were called to abide in became the One they were afraid and ultimately ran from. The healer of their minds and hearts became, in their eyes, the One who was out to get them. Although the Father could’ve washed away guilt from their conscience (before it perpetuated into shame), they felt that they just couldn't approach. I imagine their shame had painted a picture on the face of God that, quite frankly, was never there.

The Father was drawing (walking) close in order to heal the inward disease of shame. What had escalated could’ve been immediately healed and cleansed by proximity—by “presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice.” 

As Adam and Eve perceived themselves as something other than their truest nature (sons and daughters in union with God), they hid from Gods face. From the basis of their (unchecked) guilt, shame (spiritual leprosy) soon took hold of their souls. In short, the cycle of shame and leprosy began.

As we traverse on into the biblical narrative, we see that this inward issue (leprosy) quickly perpetuated into a cycle of turning away—what we would call “rebellion.”

Maybe we didn’t have leprosy because we sinned, as much as we sinned because we thought we had leprosy. 

CHRIST BREAKS OFF SHAME

If we are ever going to understand the sufferings of Christ, we need to be aware of Isaiah 53, where it says:

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4; NASB)

First of all, I need to mention that this verse does not say the Father struck him down, but that we considered it so. In other words, we thought that the Father was the one punishing Jesus, but the fact is (as the NT overwhelmingly affirms), mankind was the one who struck, smote, afflicted and ultimately killed Jesus.

Secondly, it’s interesting that the word “stricken” is used for one who is struck with leprosy. In the Passion Translation commentary of Isaiah 53, Brian Simmons points out that “The rabbis say: ‘His name is The Leper.’

Although Jesus wasn’t necessarily called a leper in the gospels, Mark tells us that he went about taking all the diseases upon himself. In other words, throughout his 3.5 year ministry he was steadily and surely compiling upon himself the weight of unresolved guilt, shame, sin, sickness and disease. This most definitely meant he was taking upon himself the shame of mankind. As the gospels move on into the garden scene, we find him accepting the responsibility of delivering us from that which produced shame. To say it another way, Christ was accepting the cross in order to go through shame and public humiliation for you and I—all for the sake of bringing us out of that pit (Mark 14:36).

With the pleasure and full acceptance of his Father, he entered into the dark abyss of our shame to get inside and shine the light of his abiding presence.

Just think about what some of the biblical narrative reveals about this; how he hung on the cross alone, naked and vulnerable. Perhaps this is why his mother was the only woman who came close to him, hinting that Jesus was naked and shameful to look upon (Matthew 27:55).

But as we know, it didn’t stop at the cross, but Christ, in his death and resurrection:

• Turned the tables of shame: What was operative in man was met with the resurrection power of the Son. The shame manufactured by the evil one was used to make a public spectacle of darkness. *see Colossians 2:11-15; Psalm 34:5

• Received the place of highest honor: by way of the cross, he lowered himself, overcame shame, and has now been given the highest place of honor (the opposite of shame). *see Philippians 2:8-11

• Made a seat for us: In Christ, we now stand unashamed in the Fathers presence (Hebrews 4:16). In his death and resurrection, we have been forgiven (given free entrance to the way it was before the fall) and seated right next to him. *see Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1

In other words, where Adam hid from God (Genesis 3:10), Jesus Christ came to manifest God (John 17:6). Author C. Baxter Kruger says of this:“Sitting at the right hand of God the Father almighty is the exact opposite of hiding in the bushes of the garden of Eden. It is the exact opposite of Israel running from God, of religion. The ascension preaches to us that here in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, the fall of Adam and Eve has been undone, Adamic existence has been thoroughly converted to God, fundamentally reordered into right relationship with God. Moreover, the ascension of Christ preaches that God and Israel have been reconciled and the evil one with his enslaving lie has been decisively defeated. Fellowship, not contradiction or conflict, now fills the covenant. Truth, not the allusion of the evil one, now dominates the relationship between God and human existence in Jesus Christ.”

CHRIST TOOK OUR SHAME

Leviticus 13-14 gives us the process of inspection to know if someone has leprosy. It deals with their skin, hair, eyes, feet, and garments. Once the person has been confirmed leprosy-free, they are provided clean (washed) clothes to testify of the passed inspection. 

In Revelation 1, John has an encounter with the risen Christ—he sees the glory of his garments, white like wool hair, radiant glowing skin, feet of dazzling bronze, and eyes of fire. In other words, what John beholds is the Christ—the One in whom shame has been destroyed and disintegrated by the power of his death and resurrection. He is the risen One who has redeemed us from the power of shame.

He is the risen, conquering King who has despised the shame and who has overcome spiritual leprosy on behalf of the entire human race!

After Christ comes to John, John then goes to Him. Christ broke off the shame of drawing close, and now calls all of us to “Come up here, my beloved!”

The resurrection of Jesus announced that Christ finally and fully broke the power of shame and reintroduced shame-free entrance into the presence of our Father. What Adam had ran away from, Christ ran into. He reversed the curse, and brought us with him. His death is our death, his resurrection is our resurrection. 

Make yourself at home, there’s nothing to ashamed of!

-RA