As believers, there is no place in our hearts that Jesus has forgotten to flood with His acceptance, love, and forgiveness at the cross when we first saw Him and as we continue to see Him. God is always well pleased with His children, seeing them through the perfections of His Son. How could it be otherwise as He gave us a new redeemed heart, mediated by His Son’s work and not ours?
“Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:33-34 NIV
In that moment, the woman received a restoration that ran even deeper than the healing of her physical disease, knowing that Jesus was touching her by His warm regard for her. He reached out to assure her that she was made perfectly clean through and through. Jesus raised her up out of her shame into a place of honor for her belief in Him, speaking a new identity into her: “You …are …My …daughter”.
From the regard of His love, He drew out from her trembling heart and lips, words and actions from her past that had hurt her, words that described her long-suffering, words of faith that described her desperate need to touch His clothes, words that gave thankfulness for her deliverance by her Savior, Lord and Healer. The whole truth, a full testimony, was given and Jesus listened closely, delighting in her belief, and loved her deeply, as He does for each person who calls out to Him.
Question 3: Thinking of the works of Jesus at the cross, what do you think the words: “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34 NIV) mean for you personally?
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When we look to Jesus along the Calvary road, the deep shame He carried is our own, smearing His reputation and life, as it were, through a dung heap, flung outside of the city gates of Jerusalem, “becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8), so that we would be approved, honored, respected and esteemed by God.
Jesus was made to look pitiful, a total fool who testified of a Messiah and a kingdom to come but He ended up as a convicted criminal with a death penalty, naked and exposed to ridicule on a cross. He volunteered to become lower than a spineless worm squirming along the ground to be crushed by the footstep of our sin and by the wrath of the Father exacting His penalty for justice on Him, and the vengeance of Satan.
He was seen to be not a man, so deep were His sufferings, so horrendous were His bleeding wounds. In His devastating position, nailed and dying, people cruelly challenged Him to save Himself, not even considering to lift a finger to help Him. He was scorned and despised as they hurled insults and shook their heads with their lips curled up in disgust of Him (Psalm 22:6-7).
People would not even look at Him so intense was their hatred. We did not notice this Suffering Man who turned to look at us in abject wretchedness on a cross. But He noticed us.
Jesus knew every detail of the shame of our lives, carried in His body. In response, He returned love for revulsion, favor for disdain, forgiveness for hatred, blessing for being cursed, righteousness for godlessness, and full reconciliation in peace for being cast out.
For every violent touch Jesus received from us - a whiplash, a kick, a slap, a torn wound as long as a farmer’s furrow - He gave out touches of grace upon grace to us, points of contact with our souls that saved and healed us.
“He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. People would not even look at him. He was hated, and we didn’t even notice him.” Isaiah 53:3 NCV
Do you now see a look of love and blessing just for you, no matter what you have done in your past? Do not doubt for a moment that the nails that were pounded through Jesus’ limbs did not sink deep enough to puncture every situation you have faced in your life of sin, guilt and shame. The hammer’s blows caught each one in the flesh of Jesus, cut through it all, and the price was paid. The blood of Jesus Christ was enough and it will always be sufficient.
“And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross.” Colossians 1:20 NCV
How can we overcome the guilty fears or fearful guilt that come when faced with an avalanche of such powerful emotions in our lives? Shame that lies to us saying we are to be pitied and will never be good enough? Shame that mocks our identity and tells us that we are dirty?
We need to look at the way the bible describes these emotions and not look to the world’s descriptions. The world views shame and guilt through a different lens of self and human wisdom.
Applying questions from the truth of God’s Word can lift us out of this struggle:
Have I received repentance through faith at the cross of Jesus Christ? Am I assured of my salvation? If you are believer, then we can be eternally encouraged that Jesus has despised, condemned and crucified our guilt and shame for sin in His body at Calvary. This payment was received, never to be reversed, by the Father when Jesus went to sit at His right hand in heaven (Hebrews 12:2):
“For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:11
Is my guilt and shame appropriate because I have not yet come to Jesus to have my guilty conscience cleared? Come to Jesus, friend, and believe in His once and for all forgiveness for your sin by the blood He shed out of love for you at Calvary!
“Christ himself suffered for sins once. He was not guilty, but he suffered for those who are guilty to bring you to God. His body was killed, but he was made alive in the spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 NCV
Is my guilt and shame because I am embarrassed in sharing about Jesus? We should indeed feel shame for this as we are told in scripture to tell others about our testimony of our Lord, support our persecuted fellow Christians, and give out the gospel of Jesus Christ:
“So do not be ashamed to tell people about our Lord Jesus, and do not be ashamed of me, in prison for the Lord. But suffer with me for the Good News. God, who gives us the strength to do that,” 2 Timothy 1:8 NCV
Do I think that ‘I am my sin’ along with my guilt? Remember what Paul said in Romans chapters 7 and 8, showing us that as God’s children, we still sin in our flesh but we have been transformed at the cross of Jesus. Sin and guilt no longer define who we are nor rule us as it did when we were under Satan’s control before salvation:
"But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:20 NLT
Have I been focusing with guilt on my own past rather than on my new redeemed past which started at Calvary through Jesus’ accomplishments for me and continues to the glory of a face-to-face relationship with Jesus in heaven? When feelings and thoughts of shameful fear come upon you, go to your certain past in Christ and trace with your finger right back to where it all began when you received that first look of acceptance by Jesus as God’s daughter or son on the far hill at Calvary.
“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:15