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Monday, August 7, 2017

Ashamed of Christ?

Pretty sure that I have mentioned before that repetition in the Word is one of the means of emphasis.  In Hebrew parallels are used for emphasis; sometimes to emphasize a comparison or a contrast.  The human authors of the New Testament had Jewish backgrounds.  Many times, the elements of both repletion and parallelism appeared in their work.
Ashamed of Christ?

Look at Luke 9:26, notice what is repeated.  In the NASB, ashamed and glory.  Note what is the object of shame for each use.  In the first clause, the object of shame is Christ and His words.  In the second clause, the object of shame is the one who held Christ and His words in shame.

That raises some questions.  What does it mean to hold Christ in shame; to hold His words in shame.  It would seem that if I were to ignore, discount, trivialize, or disobey Christ’s words, that would be tantamount to being ashamed of His word.  If I am ashamed of His word, doesn’t it follow that I am ashamed of Him?

Have you ever withdrawn from someone because of something he or she said?  Have you ever ignored someone because you did not view them as important or what they said as weighty?  Isn’t that what Christ is describing here?

Now consider Matthew 6:33.  Christ commands that we seek His kingdom first.  If we do not do so, is that being ashamed of His word?

If that is the case is not the effect what Christ describes here?

2 comments:

  1. Stimulating observations, Mike! It is perhaps instructional to me to see the dictionary.com definition of ashamed as:
    1) distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt,
    foolishness, or disgrace; or
    2) unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame,
    ridicule, or disapproval.

    I can see these feelings at work in different situations. If I am not obeying in some way I could easily be ashamed in the light of Jesus' clear teaching on something. Guilt is a powerful force driving us away from Jesus and/or His word.

    A LOT to think about here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. I am writing these for me. This type of thing is a constant struggle. Grace is good.

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