Anonymous Asks (263)

“What does ‘despising the shame’ mean?”

Hebrews 12:2 calls 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”. I always love verses that talk about Jesus being exalted to the Father’s right hand. That’s our security as believers: the Father’s pleasure in the finished work of his Son. Every demonstration of that is a confirmation that we are loved and protected, and that the penalty for our sins will never come back to haunt us.

But this verse also talks about something equally wonderful from the believer’s perspective, and that is the attitude of the Lord Jesus to terrible, unprecedented experience of going to the cross on our behalf and bearing the sins of the world in his own body. He despised the shame.

The online English dictionary tells us the word “despise” means “to regard with contempt or scorn” or “to dislike intensely; loathe.” Merriam-Webster says, “to look down on with disrespect or aversion.” The Greek word of which “despise” is probably the most adequate English translation does not have quite the same sense: the idea of revulsion or aversion is not present. It means literally “to think little about”.

The writer to the Hebrews is telling us that when the Lord Jesus went to the cross, the question of how humiliating it would be for him did not factor into his considerations. He looked at the intended outcome of his sacrificial work — our salvation, the joy he would take in accomplishing it and the pleasure the Father would find in his perfect work — and considered the cost to himself in mocking, abuse and hatred from his enemies so negligible it was unworthy of his contemplation. He was unconcerned with what people thought of him, so intent was he on fulfilling the Father’s will.

The same writer earlier talks about the process of “bringing many sons to glory”, and puts the words from the Old Testament into the mouth of the Lord Jesus, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” He says of these children, “He [Jesus] is not ashamed to call them brothers.” This was the joy that was set before him: that he enabled God to simultaneously justify sinners and remain righteous in so doing, and then (marvel of marvels) to make us members of his own family. The Lord Jesus took great pleasure in accomplishing what nobody else in all the universe was qualified to do.

So then, the love the Lord Jesus showed for his Father, the world and each of us in enduring the cross and disregarding the dishonor that went along with becoming a curse on our behalf should give us tremendous joy and confidence. It should also remind us never to worry too much about what the world thinks of us as disciples of the Lord Jesus, who remains seated at the Father’s right hand in glory whether they can see him or not, and who awaits us there.

The joy set before us if we make following Christ and pleasing him in this life is the reward of a “Well done, good and faithful servant” in eternity. That’s worth despising any shame we may encounter along the way for being associated with him; there is no greater honor that may be imagined.