Earlier today I was in an email exchange with a dear friend. We were having an e-discussion about the Tenth Station. For what it’s worth…this was my contribution to the discussion.
THE TENTH STATION
JESUS IS STRIPPED BEFORE THE CROWD
All: We adore you O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Leader: Physical humiliation isn’t enough. Spitting isn’t enough. Whipping isn’t enough. Crucifixion isn’t enough. We need to shame you. We need to strip away from you any shred of human dignity. We are blind to the dignity in which your Father clothes you. Unable to see your deeper dignity, we revel in the shame we pour out on you.
JESUS IS STRIPPED BEFORE THE CROWD
All: We adore you O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Leader: Physical humiliation isn’t enough. Spitting isn’t enough. Whipping isn’t enough. Crucifixion isn’t enough. We need to shame you. We need to strip away from you any shred of human dignity. We are blind to the dignity in which your Father clothes you. Unable to see your deeper dignity, we revel in the shame we pour out on you.
How many times have we branded someone with a scarlet letter? Drunk, convict, weakling? How many times have we labeled our brother or sister, so as to set them apart, reduced them to nothing by using shame?
Silence.
All: Dearest Jesus, as you stand there, stripped before the crowd, you are more dignified than any of us present. In our blindness, we still believe that shame reduces you. By the power of your Holy Spirit, help us to see the dignity that you have, that every child of God has, a dignity that neither we nor anyone else can take away.
By the crowd you’re stripped and broken,
Jesus, naked as the token
Of our hatred and our pain. Amen.
(www.preachingpeace.org by Jeff Krantz)
Our Lord stripped naked standing before the people. What a powerful image! Standing naked with OUR truth revealed. Standing before the world with the naked reality of Our selves, Our souls and Our lives "hanging out there" for all to see. Yet, He stood naked.
At times I feel as if I am a voyeur, looking at others and terrified that someone will see the naked truth of my own life. It's like when you drive past a horrible accident. You see the lights of the emergency vehicles. You see the twisted wreckage. You see the blood and shattered glass. You may see tears and even evidence of death. You don't really want to look, but you can't help it. You stare. You know that you should give privacy and respect to those involved, yet drawn in some kind of sadistic way we turn and gawk to see whatever we can see. We sit in darkened rooms watching "reality" TV and news stories from around the world, "you tube" and hidden cameras. My God...what if the hidden camera is on me.
For if we stand naked in our world and the truth of the wreckage of our lives and souls is revealed, others (and ME too!!!) in pious "self-righteousness" are all too willing to pick up stones of guilt and judgment, stones of shame and rejection, stones of alienation and disdain and to throw them at the naked and broken one before them. (“He who is without sin may cast the first stone.” We tend to ignore Christ’s admonition.)
Yet, our Lord stood naked before those who betrayed him, those who spit upon him, those who said they loved him and yet turned their backs, those who mocked him, those who nailed him to the cross...and without saying a word took our shame, our guilt, our brokenness, our condemnation that we might stand without shame and without guilt that we may have our brokenness healed and be freed from the chains of condemnation.
For through the grace filled and merciful love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can stand naked, the truth can be told, all can be revealed and we need not fall to our knees and hide our face in shame, but we can stand with dignity and look directly into the eyes of the one who gave himself for us and see in Him – Love: all consuming love, love which we have never known before, love which heals all, love which forgives all, love which drives away all fear and shame.
At times I feel as if I am a voyeur, looking at others and terrified that someone will see the naked truth of my own life. It's like when you drive past a horrible accident. You see the lights of the emergency vehicles. You see the twisted wreckage. You see the blood and shattered glass. You may see tears and even evidence of death. You don't really want to look, but you can't help it. You stare. You know that you should give privacy and respect to those involved, yet drawn in some kind of sadistic way we turn and gawk to see whatever we can see. We sit in darkened rooms watching "reality" TV and news stories from around the world, "you tube" and hidden cameras. My God...what if the hidden camera is on me.
For if we stand naked in our world and the truth of the wreckage of our lives and souls is revealed, others (and ME too!!!) in pious "self-righteousness" are all too willing to pick up stones of guilt and judgment, stones of shame and rejection, stones of alienation and disdain and to throw them at the naked and broken one before them. (“He who is without sin may cast the first stone.” We tend to ignore Christ’s admonition.)
Yet, our Lord stood naked before those who betrayed him, those who spit upon him, those who said they loved him and yet turned their backs, those who mocked him, those who nailed him to the cross...and without saying a word took our shame, our guilt, our brokenness, our condemnation that we might stand without shame and without guilt that we may have our brokenness healed and be freed from the chains of condemnation.
For through the grace filled and merciful love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we can stand naked, the truth can be told, all can be revealed and we need not fall to our knees and hide our face in shame, but we can stand with dignity and look directly into the eyes of the one who gave himself for us and see in Him – Love: all consuming love, love which we have never known before, love which heals all, love which forgives all, love which drives away all fear and shame.
O Lord, Lamb of God, stripped naked standing before the people,
have mercy upon us.
O Lord, Lamb of God, stripped naked standing before the people,
have mercy upon us.
O Lord, Lamb of God, stripped naked standing before the people,
Grant us thy peace.
Paul+
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