Shame

When my father was raising me he used shame and guilt to control me.  I new a male prostitute who became a Christian and he was caring shame.  I have known many woman who were sexually abuse and many of them carry shame around with them coloring their entire lives.  Others are ashamed or being a coward during a momentous event in their life.  Men become ashamed if they cannot find work.  Men who were abused often feel shame when their fathers or mothers laid upon them and they can never shed it living the life of a victim until they are sick of the fear, anger, confusion and loneliness.

Woman were frequently supporting or following Jesus and one such lady came to Jesus when he was dining with a Pharisee.  We all know what a Pharisee is like and many of us are one or were one; the person who judges people according to their standards and not Gods.   They have inflicted shame throughout the generations inside and outside of the Church.

A couple thousand years ago one of these woman carried the shame of prostitution met Jesus.  She responded to him like many other women did.  One evening Jesus was eating  at a Pharisee’s house at his invitation.   Shortly after Jesus reclined at the table this woman walks into a Pharisees house, what would compel her to do that?   She stood behind Jesus and wept letting her tears fall onto his feet.  Then she wiped her tears with her hair.  Then she takes a jar of perfume (over a years salary) pours it on Jesus feet.

Jesus questions and teaches the Pharisee about who needs compassion, then says she loves me much, and forgives her all her sins.  He tells her to go in peace.  I do not think she went back to the streets.   You can read about this story in Luke7:36-8:3.  Luke talks more about women and Jesus than any other author in the New Testament.

The Pharisee was looking at the woman’s past record, but Jesus prefers to see the potential that love and forgiveness possess for changing a person’s heart (Bock, p.219).

We can use this story to learn how to treat people who feel ashamed but instead I want to share how we can rid our selves of our shame.  In Romans 6, 7 and 8 when we believe in Jesus to rescue us his death on the cross satisfies God’s justice because Jesus suffered our judgement for us, which canceled our record of sin.  Jesus death goes even further by making us  holy, by giving us his righteousness.

God then adopts us into his family and begins to change us from the inside out as we believe, obey, sin, repent, ask for forgiveness, read the Bible, pray, give our money to further the ministry of our Church, worship, evangelize, and serve other people.  In the meantime God takes away our shame, fear, anger and guilt and replaces those with peace, hope and love.

Unload your shame at the feet of Jesus and find how sweet his forgiveness is.