Table of Contents
Bible references
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. …. 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:34-38).
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26).
According to Mark 8:34-38, Jesus called the people and His disciples to Himself and spoke to them about being ‘ashamed of me’. So while Jesus was talking about feeling ashamed, those He intentionally called to come and listen were His disciples and some other persons who were not necessarily His disciples. While speaking to these audiences of disciples and unbelievers, the use of the pronoun ‘whosever’ buttresses the truth that both disciples and unbelievers are capable of the sin of being ashamed of Jesus. Said differently, we deduce from Mark 8:38 and Luke 9:26 that being ashamed of Jesus is not a sin common to only the believer, nor only the unbeliever. Rather, it is common to all.
Meaning of ashamed of me
The term ‘me’ in the phrase ‘ashamed of me’ refers to no other person than Jesus Christ Himself. Hence ‘ashamed of me’ simply means ‘ashamed of Jesus Christ’. Now, what is the meaning of being ashamed of Jesus Christ?
Concerning believers, being ashamed of Jesus means being unwilling to identify one’s self as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ because of fear of embarrassment, humiliation, ridicule, or disapproval.
Concerning unbelievers, being ashamed of Jesus means being unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior due to fear of embarrassment, humiliation, ridicule, or disapproval.
Reasons why some people were ashamed of Jesus Christ?
‘Being ashamed of Jesus’ has been a problem in the lives of many believers and unbelievers for centuries now. And the fact that Jesus Christ Himself spoke about it during His time makes it obvious that it was a problem at that time. And these were some of the reasons:
Jesus Christ had a humble beginning. He was born in a stable and His parents were of low status in society. His path to fame was through religion; He was not a scientist, nor an entrepreneur, nor a Pharisee, nor a priest, nor a Sadducee, nor an investor, nor a nobleman, nor an aristocrat, etc. In the days when He started His ministry, He bypassed the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Levites, and other religious elites and called to Himself, mostly, illiterates and poor working-class people to become His disciples. Jesus and His disciples alike were of low social status and were a bunch of common people. This became a stumbling block for the people in high social class and the religious elites, for it looked embarrassing for the aristocrats, the rich, and the nobilities to believe and identify themselves as followers of Jesus; hence, their unbelief. However, Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man of the high society, against all odds, became a disciple of Jesus. But who knew? Initially, it was secret until later.
At that time, there were a lot of religious elites and leaders such as the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the priests, etc. who were so revered by the Jewish people. Because Jesus Christ did not come from any of these sects, it became even more embarrassing for the religious elites of the time to accept Him; hence their unbelief. However, some religious elites believed in Jesus, but they did not profess their faith in public nor closely associate themselves with Jesus for fear of meeting the disapproval of their comrades. Nicodemus was one good example, he believed in Jesus but did not dare to make it known, for fear of ridicule or disapproval from his comrades. The Pharisees would have gnashed their teeth at him if they knew he believed in Jesus.
Jesus disgusted the religious elites of His time so much because of his good relationship with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners. He sat at a table and ate with tax collectors and other sinners in Matthew’s house. Also while sitting at a table in Simon the Pharisee’s house, a woman believed to be a sinner came to clean Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. And also Jesus visited the house of Zacchaeus, a tax collector; etc. From the perspective of the religious elites at the time, Jesus had soil His integrity and He could not be counted as a righteous man because He associated well with people abhorred as sinners, rather than the religious elites like the Pharisees, the scribes, the Levites, the Sadducees, etc. Therefore Jesus lost favor in the eyes of these religious elites and leaders and they spoke ill of Him all the time. For these religious elites and other self-righteous people, it was a shame to believe in Jesus and or associate with Him for He was the friend of sinners; hence their unbelief. Because of this widespread negative view that many unbelieving Jews held about Jesus, some of those who believed were tempted to be ashamed and never mentioned in public that they were followers of Jesus.
Jesus was popular and at the same time unpopular: He was popular for the miracles He worked. At the same time, He was hated and insulted so much because of the sort of messages He preached and because of His alleged disregard for the Sabbath. For the majority of the Jews and the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus was nothing more than a liar, a deceiver, an imposter, a sinner, and a wizard who deserved to be stoned to death. This sort of stigma associated with Jesus made many people of high society and many commoners alike ashamed to believe in Him, associate with Him, or become His disciples. And because of this stigma, many of those who, against all odds, believed in Him were tempted to be ashamed to profess their faith.
Jesus’ humble beginning, His friendship with sinners, His alleged disregard for the Sabbath, and the disfavor he incurred in the sight of the religious leaders made it unthinkable and embarrassing for certain people, especially those in high society, to believe in Him. More so, they made some of those who believe in Him to be ashamed to boldly profess their faith in Him publicly.
From the perspective of most Jews, there is no honor in identifying one’s self as a disciple of Jesus – a man who was widely hated by both commoners and the religious and political leadership and who at several points in His life faced the danger of being stoned to death. Jesus knew the stigma attached to His name and He requested that believers should boldly identify themselves as His disciples amid the stigma, just as He has overlooked their sins and has accepted them.
When Christianity spread abroad to reach the heart of the Roman Empire, it won the love, attention, and devotion of slaves and other common people of the Roman society; and such came in their numbers to join the faith. Once again, its humble beginning became a stumbling block to the affluent and those of high status, for they felt ashamed to believe and join the church which was nothing more than the meeting of the poor, slaves, and other commoners. More so, those of high society who heard the gospel and accepted Jesus were ashamed to profess their faith publicly because of public disapproval, ridicule, and persecution.
How Christians show that they are ashamed of Jesus
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus hardly say “God willing”. E.g. God willing, I will come to your house tomorrow.
- They are too shy to say, “By God’s grace”. E.g. By God’s grace, I am doing fine.
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus and His word hardly refer to the Bible. E.g. I don’t wear bikinis because indecency is against the teachings of the Bible.”
- They are too shy to be seen by friends and neighbors with a Bible; they are unwilling to carry a Bible with them in public.
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus and His word hardly evangelize, for they cannot stand the embarrassment of being seen by friends and neighbors preaching the word.
- Christians who want to walk with bad companies are inevitably ashamed of Jesus Christ and His word. And to fit in their midst, he compromises on the word of God.
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus and His word do not conduct themselves as Christians. Their neighbors cannot tell by their words and deeds that they are Christians.
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus and His word hardly take part in fasting, Bible study, and prayer for they find it inconvenient.
- Rich Christians who are ashamed of Jesus do not link God to their success. They speak and act as though it was entirely their own effort that has fetched them their success.
- When a Christian who is ashamed of Jesus Christ receives an award, in his speech of gratitude, he does not make mention of God nor shows any gratitude to Him.
- They do not tell others what God has done for them for they feel shy to do so.
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus and His word hardly appreciate others with the saying ‘God bless you.’
- Christians who are ashamed of Jesus shun using Christian stickers.
What am I to do?
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Ro 1:16
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 2 Tim 1:8
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15
We see that even homosexuals and lesbians who practice abominations are proud of their deeds to the extent that they are not ashamed to step out and they freely go on rallies to campaign for same-sex marriage. More so, pornstars, nudist, and their likes, though they practice what is shameful, they are not ashamed to profess who they are, what they do, and what they believe in. How much more should a Christian be proud of Jesus and the word of God that leads to righteousness and eternal life?
Conclusion
We are blessed to be counted among the disciples of Jesus. There is no position in the world higher or better than and more prestigious than being a disciple of Jesus. The disciple and Christian should not for any reason be ashamed of his faith; rather, we should identify ourselves as Christians and disciples of Jesus in deeds and in words. The things we should be ashamed of are the profane circular music and videos, the indecent fashion, extravagance, pornography, the indecent life of the so-called superstars, immorality, the abominable sin of homosexuality and lesbianism, etc. And always remember that it is not worth it to be ashamed of Jesus because of the ridicule and disapproval of friends, family, neighbors, etc.