Opprobrium

Jesus The-Messiah Christ was disgraced in the eyes of men. So why is it that we, who live in a culture where disgrace is nasty, still worship him? We don't think that people are cool if they get whipped. We don't think they're cool when they're writhing in pain because of an intense whipping session.

As far as the world knows, our Christ brought nothing but opprobrium upon himself in proclaiming to be the Lord of All. How so very ironic.

Likewise, I believe we need to follow in the footsteps of our "disgraced" Lord. Why are we living a life more "honorable" than the one our Lord lived out?

I will tell you why. It's because our sadly pathetic brains are distorted into an impossibly twisted state of being where we see the highest honor as something to be scorned and we see the most disgustingly shameful thing to be something worthy of our yearning and desire.

It really is sad. I gain respect for people who have nicer shoes and boots and grades and looks and personality. I am repulsed by those who earnestly seek God and those who want me to help the poor or the unfortunate. I feel sorry for those who seem to read the bible all day and go to church all week and evangelize to random people at the beach. What I don't realize is that I'm the one that they should feel sorry for.

I'm staring out at a beautiful field from a fiery lake and I don't even realize I'm getting burnt. I'm far beyond the point of being charred to a crisp. I'm looking out with my melted eyes at beautiful things and they repulse me. It's disgusting to me.

Opprobrium. Opprobrium infests our lives and we do not even recognize it. We see it as something to be proud of and flaunt to all our friends. What God did, we do not see. We pretend to but we don't.

In a sense, Christ did bring upon himself an opprobrium. That opprobrium is the fact that he lowered himself into the form of a man that he may save all the little cockroaches roaming the earth. The wonderful part is that God Himself does not see us as cockroach scum. Somehow, he sees past the mud, the dirtiness, the darkness, and sees His children. He sees something fit enough to send his one and only unique son to be tortured and slaughtered, AT THE HANDS of the ones He is saving, so that those filthy animals can have the undeserved chance of an eternally blissful life with Him.

God is good.

ineffably good.

PostScript. I wanted to write a post centering around the word Opprobrium because I recently learned of its existence.

PostPostScript. This is not a sermon but rather a reflection. A devotional thought.

PostPostPostScript. Look forward to the music video! it's gonna be gangster!