Consequences or dangers of being ashamed of Jesus
Once I read a story about a boy who was so ashamed of his mother because she had lost an eye. This boy was so embarrassed about his mother that he wished she would disappear; he did not want anyone to see or know that the one-eyed woman was his mother.
If person A is ashamed of person B, it means person A feels embarrassed that he is related to or connected to person B. If you are ashamed of someone, you create the impression that that person is not worthy of you or that person does not deserve you.
This situation happens a lot in life: sometimes, for whatever reason, people tend to be ashamed of their mothers, their fathers, their friends, their siblings, or their grandparents, on and on, even to the extent that, sometimes, they are ashamed of Jesus Christ; the very person who can save mankind from sin, death, hell, and the wrath of God.
Before Jesus started talking about the subject of being ashamed of Him and His word, He made sure to call His disciples and other people who were not his disciples, and He spoke to them. He did this because being ashamed of Jesus is not a sin common to only the unbeliever, nor is it a sin common to only the believer; both believers and unbelievers are capable of this sin.
We may not know for certain the consequences that come with feeling ashamed of your parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. But we know for certain that there are consequences that come with feeling ashamed of Jesus Christ and His word. The consequences are:
1. Being ashamed of Jesus leads to unbelief
As of 2015, Christianity had about 2.3 billion adherents out of a global population of roughly 7.5 billion. Though it was the dominant religion in the world at the time, the majority of people were still unbelievers—those who did not believe in Christ. Why unbelievers? Is it because they have not heard the gospel?
Certainly, a lot of unbelievers have heard the gospel. But the situation is that not all people think highly of the gospel we Christians believe. For some unbelievers, the gospel we believe in for salvation is nonsense, for they do not see how the traumatic death of a man on a cross, which occurred many centuries ago, can save a person. Moreover, they neither understand nor appreciate what salvation means, nor do they see any need for it. No wonder the Bible says, “For 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).
For such unbelievers who count the gospel as foolishness, they are unwilling to believe in it. This is because they feel embarrassed to accept something that sounds like nonsense to them. Also, they are unwilling to believe in the gospel lest they be mocked and ridiculed by others who share their skepticism. And also, they are unwilling to believe in the gospel because they think they make a fool of themselves to do so.
Thus, those who view the gospel as nonsense and are ashamed of it remain firm in their unbelief—and unbelief is a damnable sin before God. Jesus has already declared the fate of all who reject Him: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Therefore, damnation awaits all unbelievers, especially those who have heard the gospel yet dismissed it as foolishness and were too ashamed to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
2. Being ashamed of Jesus alienates one from God
If you are in a relationship with someone and, for any reason, feel ashamed of them or think they are not worthy of you, you naturally begin to keep your distance. You grow cold toward them and quietly try to walk away. When you are ashamed of someone, you never mention to anyone that they are your friend or relative; neither do you walk with them side by side, nor show that you have anything to do with them.
When you believed the gospel and became a Christian, you were accepted into the family of God. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, became your brother (Luke 8:21; Hebrews 2:11) and your friend (John 15:14). But the Christian who is ashamed of Jesus keeps his distance from Him. He never speaks in ways that show faith or trust in Christ. He avoids using phrases like “God willing,” “by the grace of God,” or “if God permits.” He leaves God out of his plans and rarely gives Him thanks for anything.
Moreover, the life of such a person is not a good example of a follower of Jesus. He credits himself with his success story, and he does good deeds to bring glory to himself and not to God. God’s word is relegated to the background, and he lives on his own opinions, whims, and desires. For such Christians, daily Bible studies, prayer, fasting, etc., are out of the question. From the actions, habits, and attitude of a believer who is ashamed of Jesus and His word, it is clear that such a person gradually alienates himself from Christ and sets himself on the path to apostasy.
3. Jesus is ashamed of Christians who are ashamed of Him.
One thing I deeply admire about Jesus Christ is that He always speaks the truth and makes His intentions clear. Jesus has already expressed His thoughts about Christians who are ashamed of Him and His word—I mean Christians who act as though Jesus is not worthy of them. He said: “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).
It is Jesus who will decide whether a person shall inherit eternal life or not. He has already decided that eternal life is promised to only His disciples (John 3:16; John 14:1-3; etc.). And Jesus is the one to tell who His disciples are. For those who were ashamed to identify themselves as true disciples of Jesus on this earth, He too will be ashamed to count them as part of His disciples who shall inherit eternal life. Finally, those whom Jesus shall be ashamed of will end up in damnation like the unbelievers.
It is Jesus who determines who will inherit eternal life. He has already made it clear that eternal life is promised only to His disciples (John 3:16; John 14:1-3). And He alone will declare who His disciples are. Those who were ashamed to acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior on earth will find that He, too, will be ashamed to count them among the disciples who will inherit eternal life. In the end, those whom Jesus is ashamed of will face the same fate as unbelievers—eternal damnation.
You cannot have it both ways. If you are ashamed of Jesus and His word, why expect to share in His salvation? Why hope to spend eternity with Him in heaven when you were ashamed of Him on earth? Therefore, Christians who were too ashamed to identify themselves, in word and deed, as followers of Jesus must understand that they will be denied eternal life.
Conclusion
Muhammed and all other religious leaders were people who were far from perfect, for they tainted themselves with many sins; whereas Jesus Christ was perfect and sinless. However, the followers of these religious leaders are so proud of them and follow them faithfully. So why should a Christian ever be ashamed of Jesus Christ and His word?