The Reproach of Christ

The word ‘reproach’, as used in the New Testament, implies infamy, repulsion, etc.  By associating with Christ, a believer often exposes him/herself to ridicule. That’s because much of society views people who take Christian faith literally and personally as weird or dim-witted. There’s nothing new about that attitude. From the dawn of Christian era, faith in God took a radical turn, colliding head-on against popular philosophies. In our times, however, folks—even professing Christians—crave admiration. People shun being painted in negative social light.

The epistle to Hebrews makes a strong case on Christ’s superiority. Jesus is above angels, above Moses, the Law, Aaronic priesthood, and Judaic religious systems. He that made the worlds is greater than all. Angels serve Him. Moses and the Law were sent by Him. Levitical priesthood and its statutory code were only obscure pictures of God’s Kingdom, later to be revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ. Early Jewish converts to the faith experienced reproach of Christ, but of a different kind than that of the modern-day believer. In their keenness to preserve ancient traditions, Jewish zealots saw Christianity as a fraudulent travesty bent on disrupting established religion, and they persecuted its adherents. Today, every true disciple of Christ is sandwiched between Biblical theology and diametrically opposed social norms coercing him/her to conform to status quo. It’s a high-pressure situation aimed at wrecking a Christian’s hold on integrity.

No age escapes this crucible, though rationally speaking, dynamics and social settings vary.

Imitate Valid Mentors

²⁴ By trusting, Moshe, after he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose being mistreated along with God’s people rather than enjoying the passing pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He had come to regard abuse suffered on behalf of the Messiah as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes fixed on the reward. ~Hebrews 11:24-26 (CJB)

Moses is among heroes of faith in our mentor list. A very learned man, arguably the best educated individual of his time, Moses was coached by the world’s greatest civilization to inherit the throne as pharaoh of ancient Egypt. He could have rationalized and hypothesized his prospects of saving Israel once he became king. Instead, he chose to disinherit himself from the oppressor of Israel. He preferred to suffer amongst God’s people than to enjoy the comforts of false identity. He was mature enough to understand that Egypt’s greatest treasures could not compare to the surpassing honor of being reproached for Christian testimony. Moses paid a price for his choice, but not nearly as huge as the awesome privilege of being God’s mouthpiece. The reproach of Christ isn’t an invitation to martyrdom. Loyalty to God pays handsome dividends!

Heroes of Faith

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is commonly termed ‘the Faith Hall of Fame.’ It lists a few names and explains how faith guided their decisions and actions. Abel chose an offering for God from the best of his herds while Cain picked ordinary stuff. God commended Abel’s attitude, but it cost the life of that righteous man at the hands of his envious brother. Enoch lived a life so dedicated to God he went to heaven in his mortal body. At God’s Word, Noah spent a century building an ark while the world scoffed. There had been no rain until Noah’s floods, and the concept of water falling from the skies was beyond ridiculous. Abram left home, at God’s prompting, to go to a place he knew not where, though he and Sarai were aged folks that badly needed the security of familiar environments among their kinfolks. Jephthah’s story is a tearjerker. Suddenly thrust into military leadership by a strange twist of fate, the man prayed for victory, promising to offer as a burnt sacrifice to God whatever met him first on his return home. The joy of his triumphant return quickly turned to grief and agony. None other than his youthful daughter, an only child, came singing and dancing to celebrate dad’s homecoming!

In each of these cases, the reproach of Christ is apparent. Imagine trying to convince cynics that God told you to erect the strange wooden structure you’ve been working on for a hundred years, to save the world from a deluge they cannot visualize! How would you like to lead your mate into the wilderness not knowing where you are going, other than that God said to go? Do you suppose living by Christian ethics portrays you as a cool dude? It doesn’t. If anything, you stick out like a sore thumb. Many a modern-day soul will count you miserably silly. Reproach of Christ isn’t for anybody who cherishes social approval. It’s for those who seek domicile in a land whose values this evil world doesn’t care about. It’s for people who take God at His Word. Their ability to see the invisible sets them apart from the mob.

Have you ever had to choose between Christian ethics and something else? Were you ever tempted to compromise godly principles on sexual matters? Or to preserve a ruinous friendship? Or to not lose a marriage proposal? Or to gain admission to social alliances? Or for a job offer? Or to facilitate a dubious business deal? Etcetera? How did that go? The reproach of Christ isn’t for people who bestride conflicting ethics. Integrity has no gray areas; right and wrong are matters of black and white. Does this sound legalistic? It isn’t. God, who started a good work in you is faithful to keep you from falling. But only if you let Him!

God’s Payday

A prominent Faith teacher of yesteryears used to say, “God’s payday is not every Friday afternoon.” How so true! Noah was in the crucible for a century before his faith was vindicated! Pharaoh didn’t release Israel from captivity the first time Moses made the demand. Faith isn’t merely a belief in God’s promises, it’s the test of a believer’s genuineness! How long will your conviction hold in the face of reproaches? Your part is not to make Jesus look good; the Lord has never cared about public opinion. Your part is to trust His Word and to live by it.

The Faith Hall of Fame concludes with sobering words; ³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. ~Heb 11:39-40 (NIV)

God’s grace, stretched through millennia, unifies the faithful who’ve inhabited the earth at different times. We are enjoined to the sincerity of those who went before. Faith trusts God before a promise is fulfilled. Many faithful died without ever touching the things they believed for! Still, faith isn’t affected by the fulfillment of a promise. Faith relies on God’s credibility, not on fulfillment of His promises. Else, how would Abraham, for instance, verify promises that would be fulfilled eons after he was gone? Or how would Moses, who died before Israel entered their promised land, talk so confidently about God’s faithfulness?

Scripture warns us; ⁸ Moreover, dear friends, do not ignore this: with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some people think of slowness; on the contrary, he is patient with you; for it is not his purpose that anyone should be destroyed, but that everyone should turn from his sins. ~II Peter 3:8-9 (CJB)

³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which will be greatly rewarded. ³⁶ For you need patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive the promise. ~ Hebrews 10:35-36 (MEV)

Waiting has a way of making us despondent. When God revisited Abraham and Sara to remind them of their promised son, both laughed at the message (See Gen 17:17, and Gen 18:12). Their natural capacity all faded away, both received supernatural insight into God’s infinite power. At the age of forty, Moses was more than determined to fulfill the task for which he was born. He only succeeded to kill one Egyptian before fleeing for his life. When God revisited the topic forty years later, Moses had been utterly divested of the desire to be involved. He asked God to find someone else to send. He was no longer interested! Faith isn’t something we invent by natural means. Neither is it sustained by mere willpower. Faith is a reality cast into our hearts by God’s Spirit as we embrace His eternal Word.

As humans, we are prone to fatigue. Prolonged periods of delay drain our natural fortitude. But faith in God isn’t natural. It is supernatural. That’s why we don’t throw in the towel when taunted by situations that challenge our confidence. If what you are believing for is based on a promise in God’s holy Word, wait for it. It is coming! But while you wait, brace yourself for reproaches from enemies of faith. If they scoffed at the Son of God, the author and finisher of our faith, how much more will scoff at you?