"Put to Shame"

 "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." (John 1:10 KJV)

  "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of the world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." (1 Corinthians 1:18-21 KJV) 

  Telling people that do not believe, how salvation is offered by Christ coming and dying for their sins, is like the people that witnessed Ezekiel's little skits, knowing all that God was planning to do to them. More importantly, that they might know why He was doing it, and how they might believe that they will benefit from what He was about to do! 

  This is amazingly the most misunderstood thing that causes so many people to stumble and to walk away from following the Lord: they do not understand God's love! We see things so much more differently than God: He sees the eternal aspect of real life, life that is forever; we, on the other hand, only see that which is temporal, a life that is full of death and suffering. 

  If you can imagine what Christ was subject to, it was something that most likely amazed all the angels in heaven; and it surely overwhelmed all the demons of hell! That the Creator of this world would put on flesh, to expose Himself to the humiliation, ridicule, vulnerability, and suffering of this world; be put to shame, tortured, and nail upon a cross; all to be the Creator of the way for us to be reconciled to the Father: it seems amazingly clear to us that believe, but totally foolish to those that do not. 

  Besides all of that, we have them who not only do not believe the Gospel, they pretend that there is no God; as if the world created itself and transformed itself from nothing into something! It is pretty apparent to even the simplest minds, you cannot ignore the fact that there is a Creator; there is absolutely no way that things just fell into place. Everything is too complex for there to not have been a Designer of the entire universe, let alone, all the complexities of the world! 

  Imagine, if you will, how the simple fact that Jesus was put to shame, is very much the same as the illustration of Ezekiel acting out his people's deportation. On a much bigger scale, but in the same manner, we must be exiled from this life, as it where, just as Christ was exiled from heaven to set us free. If the Master was put to shame, for us, how can we not expect the same shame, for serving Him? 

  That said, truth be told: the greater shame will be felt by those that refuse the message of the cross...

"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:22-25 KJV)