Outside

For R and C, and all who feel outside.

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 

Hebrews 13:12

He spoke quietly, gently. 

We were always taught that the mzungu (white man) knew best. That his way was always better. So I felt shame when asked to lead. I remained quiet, afraid my opinions would not matter.

Centuries of colonization left their indelible mark on his belief system: 

You are an outsider. Less-than. Keep quiet.

My Kenyan friend, a strong and gentle leader, felt outside even after being invited in.

Shame silences too many gifted, intelligent, courageous world-changers.

Are we who are so skilled at proclaiming the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ overlooking the #shame lurking within our own churches, ministries, and mission organizations? Click To Tweet

If you wonder who among you might be experiencing shame, listen for silence. Look for those who linger back, those who are faithfully present, yet consistently quiet. Those from honor-shame cultures where so much is said without words. 

My Kenyan brother holds a high leadership position in ministry and has for some years. He has sacrificed much to declare the gospel to the unreached. Yet his eyes still glisten with tears when he admits the shame that would bid him be quiet in the presence of others whom history has deemed better than him.

There is no better than at the foot of the Cross. Old, young, rich, poor, male, female, Kenyan, American, Canadian, Saudi Arabian, Iraqi, Kazakhs, Japanese—all are invited.

But alas, invitation is not enough to transform outsiders into insiders! 

Jesus understood this. The substance of the invitation of the cross lies in the action of His sacrifice. 

Jesus gave His life so we could know without a doubt that we belong. To make insiders from every tribe, nation, and tongue. This is the Church, the Bride of Christ. She belongs to her Bridegroom, and she is beautiful to Him.

Belonging is essential to community, mission, and church. Those who dwell on the fringes, outside the heart of fellowship, are vulnerable. 

Let us gather them! Let shame silence no one in the family of God. The price of our honor was too dear. We as Jesus’ followers are stewards of this precious truth.

Are we willing to lay down our lives for one another, following Jesus’ example, honoring one another for the sake of the gospel? Jesus died so no one would remain outside.

Through Jesus, we are all sons and daughters reconciled to our Father. Valued and immeasurably loved.

On the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of worship in the Hebrew calendar, the high priest performed two vital ceremonies, involving two goats: One would perish and one would live (Leviticus 16:7-10). The purpose was two-fold: to make the people clean before the Lord and to remove their sins. The first goat was sacrificial; the second was the scapegoat. The first shed his blood, the second symbolically carried the sin and shame of the people outside the camp.

Jesus embodied both. Through His blood, He provided atonement and cleansing from sin for every person. Crucified outside the walls of the city, His crucifixion was a spectacle of shame in the culture of that time. Like the scapegoat, His death is a visible demonstration of the complete removal of our sin and shame.

Shame has no business among those redeemed at such a precious cost.

Lord Jesus, thank You for going outside the camp to die for my sin and shame. Give me the courage to go outside my comfort zone to honor my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

@audreycfrank

To learn more about how Jesus suffered outside the camp to remove our shame, read Chapter 9 in Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World.