by Jerry Senn
The ancient Mediterranean world revolved around one thing: honor. Your worth was tied to your status — your family name, your reputation, your public standing. To lose honor was to lose everything. People would go to great lengths to avoid shame, because shame didn’t just affect you — it stained your whole family.
That’s why Jesus’ behavior was scandalous. He touched lepers. He ate with tax collectors. He spoke to Samaritans and befriended prostitutes. In an honor-shame culture, every one of those actions was unthinkable. Association with the unclean made you unclean. It was a social suicide.
But Jesus didn’t ignore shame – He bore it. Hebrews 12:2 says that He “endured the cross, scorning the shame.” Crucifixion wasn’t just painful — it was humiliating — being naked, rejected, mocked. The cross was the most shameful death imaginable. But Jesus didn’t run from it, He embraced it — for us.
And in doing so, He rewrote the honor code. He didn’t build His kingdom by exalting the powerful. He lifted up the lowly. He said the first would be last, and the last first. He gave dignity to those who had none.
In a world obsessed with appearances and reputation, Jesus offers something better: belovedness. You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to polish your resume. You don’t have to fix your shame before you come.
Jesus already took your shame — and He offers you His honor. You are not your past. You are not your failures. You are not what people whisper behind your back. You are HIS.