THE CROSS OF CHRIST

"The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God" -- 1 Corinthians 1:18

Devotion 5 of 13

THE PLACE OF SHAME

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2 KJV).

The cross was a place of unspeakable shame for Jesus. Before heaven and earth, He was subjected to reproach, disrepute, and ignominy. He was disgraced when He died. He was "crucified through weakness" (2 Cor 13:4). This is a reproach to any man, but particularly to the Son of man. There, on the cross, forsaken by His God, rejected by His own people, and punished by the political government, it looked as though He had lost. He certainly did not appear to be a King while suspended upon the cruel cross. This was surely a place of shame- unfathomable shame.

And, what did Jesus think of the shame associated with the cross. He despised the shame, regarding it a small thing in comparison to the "joy set before him!" That joy entailed receiving the heathen for His "inheritance," and the "uttermost parts of the earth" (Psa 2:8). What a blessing! He would, because of the cross, be able to "gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52). The contemplation of these things made the cross bearable to Jesus. He "despised the shame" related to His death, and thus "endured the cross." The cross did not defeat Jesus, even though appearance seemed to say it did.

But, what does it mean to "despise the shame?" Jesus scorned the shame, counting it a small thing in comparison to the outcome of His sacrifice. The joyful prospect of "many sons" neutralized the shame of the cross, making it contemptible. Viewing the "shame" of the cross next to the "joy set before Him," He was able to endure the cross without being distracted from His mission.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You that Jesus endured the shame of the cross in order that I might be raised from death in trespasses and sins. In His name I ask that You give make grace to boldly bear the shame related to me bearing my cross for Him.

-- Tomorrow: PEACE THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE CROSS --