“’Let’s say I was an alien and I had to go back to my home planet and explain to some head-of the-aliens guy about what people on this planet were like.’ I told Grant that I would say to the head alien, ‘The thing that defines human personalities is that they are constantly comparing themselves to one another… Humans, as a species, are constantly, and in every way, comparing themselves to one another, which, given the brief nature of their existence, seems an oddity, and, for that matter, a waste. Nevertheless, this is the driving influence behind every human’s social development, their emotional health and sense of joy, and, sadly, their greatest tragedies. It is as though something that helped them function and live well has gone missing, and they are pining for that missing thing in all sorts of odd methods, none of which are working. The greater tragedy is that very few people understand they have the disease. This seems strange as well, because it is obvious. To be sure, it is killing them, and yet sustaining their social and economic systems. They are an entirely beautiful people with a terrible problem.’”
– Don Miller, ‘Searching for God Knows What’
:: Why is it that when somebody cuts me off in traffic, steps in ahead of me in line, or otherwise fails to pay me what I feel is my due acknowledgement, I take such great offence? What is it in me that triggers that rage; that redness of face, that coldness of stare and that predictable surge of barely restrained profanity? On the surface, it hardly makes sense. Whatever the motivation of such an offender, the pragmatic reality is that this intrusion actually costs me very little; a few minutes of my time, at the very most.
But the deepest truths are rarely pragmatic. These seconds or minutes cost me by another’s disregard are not an attack on my schedule. No, an intrusion of that sort I might be able to simply let pass. As valuable as it is, it is not my time that had been taken from me; if I am able to look deep enough it is, in fact, my identity and my worth that I feel are at risk.
In our post-modern, American culture, we like to think that identity is something that simply flows from inside of a person and is communicated to the rest of the world through whatever vehicle they may choose to express it. Individualism dictates that identity and worth have no greater source than one’s self. Our identity - who we are - cannot be handed to us by anyone or anything. And, for that matter, it cannot be taken away.
While most people would claim to believe this, however, we simply do not live as if it is true. In every instance of offence or disrespect, we feel and respond as if this intrusion has actually cost us something deeply significant. We behave as if our very justification for existence is on the line. While individualism can do very little to explain this visceral reality apart from an appeal to some latent hangover of a long irrelevant survival instinct, there is another possibility.
What if, despite what one might expect, human beings were actually wired to receive their identity from an outside source? What if, somewhere along the way, we had lost our connection with that source? And what if, as a result, we now find ourselves trying to establish our own sense of worth and value? What if we now found ourselves in the midst of a deep and continual struggle to justify our own existence and imbue ourselves with a sense of significance?
Should such a thing be true, the nearest outside source available to replace that from which we had been disconnected would be each other. It would be totally natural for a totem-pole system of comparative values to emerge, where my worth is determined by how many people are beneath me in the applicable social strata. Affirmation, achievement, social and economic success, association with those more highly regarded than I; all these would be desirable and a means of filling that felt void of sustainable value.
In such an economy, disrespect or improper association could quickly cost a person their place; inevitably decreasing their worth. In many ways, this would feel like a fate worse than death; something to be avoided at all costs.
This is, of course, precisely the scenario spelled out by the narrative that we find in scripture. The author of Genesis tells us of a rebellion in which we walked away from God - in the tragic irony of a leaf declaring independence from its vine - and in this, lost our connection with our source. Enter insecurity, shame, relational brokenness and death. Enter a totem-pole world.
:: Honor and Shame in the 1st Century
While we, as 21st century Americans, tend to try and live as if this were not the case – convincing ourselves that we alone determine who we are in the world- and so thinly veil the totem-pole realities of our own nature, the Greco-Roman culture of first century Palestine was in many ways more honest. As explored in the article ‘Honor and Shame’, the social dynamic of this culture was structured almost explicitly around the felt reality of comparative values. A life of honor and esteem was considered to be the highest end, while dishonor was to be feared more then death. A challenge could not be left unanswered, and a gift could not be received without a more extravagant gift offered in return. This dynamic was the understood and accepted paradigm for the social economy of the day.
When we read the New Testament in this light, particularly the pastoral letters of Paul, we see certain things come to the surface that we may not have otherwise noticed. Even in the teachings of Jesus himself in the gospels, we see this dynamic play itself out. Take the discourse in Luke 14, for example, where Jesus addresses the propensity of people to seek out the seats of greatest honor at public celebrations. He goes on to tell his disciples that when they throw a party, they ought not invite their friends at all – who would then be socially obligated to outdo the invitation of their host at a subsequent event, and so pay them back – but to invite those of no social value whatsoever; people who could have no hope of returning the favor or boosting the hosts social clout.
In the course of his life and ministry, Jesus in fact continually engages this accepted system of value with a frustrating subversion. Again and again he refused to play by the rules. He subjected himself to shame by the people who he chose to associate with. He did things entirely unbecoming his station in that society. His stories contained images of people who displayed a willful ignorance of the social graces one would employ to climb the ladder of clout and honor. In a religious context, the priests and teachers of the law were the gatekeepers to the upper echelons of honor; Jesus repeatedly failed to pay them the respect that they felt they were due, and instead called their entire system into question as he proposed to open the access to God to the whole world through himself.
This was a blasphemy deserving of death in their opinion, not only on the basis of the role that Jesus was claiming for himself, but also because the kinds of people whom the life and teachings of Jesus implied that God himself would dwell among was absolutely… shameful. In a culture that, at its very core, assumed that value and honor were things that could be gained and lost on the basis of acquaintance, it would make sense that, subconsciously, people might assume this same dynamic applied even to God. The implicit thought would be that for God to allow himself to fellowship with the undeserving and the unclean would somehow make him less… God. This was serious blasphemy indeed.
When we turn to Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we find it ripe with these cultural undertones and implications. Paul is attempting to explain to a people who live in the midst of a totem pole society how to find honor in following a savior who, in the eyes of the world, chose the route of shame and invited us to walk in his footsteps; in both his life and death. When we realize this context, we can appreciate the pastoral challenge before Paul as he seeks to disciple and grow this church in
:: The Letter to the Philippians
+ Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel
This Honor and Shame dynamic is thrown into striking relief by the fact that this is a letter written to a church by an apostle who finds himself, at the time of his writing, in chains. For all intents and purposes, they are being asked to accept life instruction from a known convict. After his introductions, Paul wastes no time in naming the ‘elephant in the room’, per se. Starting in verse 12 of chapter 1, he writes this:
“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear to the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”
Given the context, it is fairly evident that the undertone that Paul is striking here is one of, ‘I know this looks like shame, but the purposes of God are actually being accomplished in it’. And this will carry throughout the entire letter, including the framework for his presentation of the gospel itself. It is interesting to note that Paul adopts the accepted language for honor/shame dynamics, all while arguing that this system of value is essentially no longer valid in Jesus. In verse 20, he writes; ‘I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage…’. It is fascinating to consider how this would have been read by those who first received it.
+ Life Worthy of the Gospel
“Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ... For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him… ” 1:27-29
Paul’s experience has been that the disciples of Christ in his day were often met with persecution and social disgrace by Jewish and Roman cultural contexts which either did not understand them or hated them for their allegiance to Jesus. He prepares this Church for what will be, inevitably, a very difficult struggle as they find themselves cut loose from the social standings that had long supported their sense of worth and dignity, and he does so by reminding them that their true source of value, and their true citizenship, lies in heaven. Because of this, no abuse or disgrace they receive for the gospel can take anything away from them. On the contrary, to be shamed for the sake of gospel may truly be considered the greatest honor. He challenges them with the question of what their lives will be considered ‘worthy’ in light of: the jury of their peers, or God himself?
+ Imitating the Humility of Christ
The crux of Paul’s argument for the reversal of the accepted paradigm of honor is found in chapter 2, verses 1-11, with his exposition of the life and ministry of Jesus himself through the lens of honor and shame. Paul here explores the paradox and encouragement of proclaiming a crucified savior. Despite what many may say, it is unlikely that crucifixion is the most painful way that the Romans knew to dispatch a person. I feel that that honor may be reserved for living torches or being cooked alive in boiling oil. No, crucifixion, while agonizing, was not the perfection of pain; it was the perfection of shame. To hang, naked and bleeding, perhaps for days, beside a busy interchange as a spectacle and example of what happens to those who oppose the empire; this was about more than destroying a body – it was about destroying a person; their name, their reputation, and their following. This is why Paul, speaking of the humility of Christ, exclaims that he subjected himself to death – ‘even death on a cross!’ v.8.
Kings were not expected to be known for their humility; they were known for their glory and power. Paul expounds on the idea that the glory of Jesus - one even with God himself – was made even more significant by the fact that he did not feel the need or entertain the temptation to hold that glory over his people, but rather took the place of a servant; faithful even unto death in shame and ignominy for the sake of those who he came to save. With this as our paradigm of faithfulness, our own self-aggrandizement seems nothing short of profane, and Paul uses this picture of Jesus to explain the new economy of value that God invites us into through the sacrifice of his son.
+ Do Everything Without Grumbling
In 2:12-18 Paul follows that which we have just discussed to its logical and practical conclusion in the context of Christian community. That is, we ought not be concerned about receiving our due, or complain that the tasks we are called into are not fitting our place in society, but rather, in response to the self-giving and humility of Jesus, to serve one-another without grumbling. In this, Paul implies, real value and real glory are found; as we reflect the character of God back to him.
+ No Confidence in the Flesh
Paul winds down his apologetic for shame in chapter 3 by turning the spotlight on his own experience; a man whose resume and associations demand an honor and place in society that would have been enviable. In light of this Jesus, he claims, ‘Whatever were gains for me I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…’ v.7-9
The word, translated here as ‘garbage’, could actually be read much more strongly. The Greek ‘skubalon’ could also be translated ‘filth, lumps of manure or human excrement; the portion of food rejected by the body as unnourishing…’ (Rogers & Rogers, 1998). Essentially, Paul resorts to profanity here to describe how he has come to feel about what could have been his substantial societal worth based on his own merits. In light of Jesus, all that he may come to suffer, whatever shame may be heaped upon him for the sake of the gospel; these things are worth more than any honor or value the world can offer him. To the Philippian church, this is placed before them as an exhortation and challenge to live the path of descent in the footsteps of Jesus in the face of a society that will undoubtedly look upon this as foolishness and disgrace; as, in fact, a fate worse than death. But this death, scripture claims, is in fact the path to real, abundant life.
:: My Experience
Thinking of my own church experience in light of these ideas, it becomes obvious to me that the ways we interact with each other in community are largely rooted in our sense of individual security, identity and worth. The legacy of the Fall is that of a people, disconnected from our source, who are dying to justify our own existence and value in the world. In this, we find ourselves working out of an economy of scarcity, where to ‘consider others better than ourselves’ is actually a threat to our very survival, and so avoided at all costs. If we fail to respond to Jesus’ call out of this state of being into the reconnection with God the father made possible by his journey into the depths of earthly shame on our account, real selflessness, service, and Christian unity is not possible.
We see it played out in the church in the same ways we see it played out all around us everyday. If I fail to name and surrender that piece of my own brokenness that compels me to respond profanely to being cut off in traffic, in the long run I will not coexist any more effectively within the confines of the sacred community. I may mask it for some time in the name of being peaceable, but eventually this root insecurity will make itself known. Power struggles, grudges, an inability to forgive, the inability to accept constructive criticism; all flowing from our unconscious feeling that we leak value and worth. The same dynamics that were explicitly in play in the honor and shame-based culture of the 1st century still effect us today, although in somewhat more subtle, and therefore less easily recognizable, ways.
In Jesus, we find ourselves called beyond this economy of scarcity. Jesus invites us to rediscover our identity and security as it flows from the God who created us as his image-bearers and pours out his sacrificial love for us. Freed, then, from the felt necessity of self-aggrandizement and fear of devaluation, we will finally be able to serve each other in the manner we are called to in Christ Jesus; for his glory, in his strength, and for his purposes in the world.
Don Miller, “Searching for God Knows What”, Nelson Books,
Rogers and Rogers, “The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament”, Zondervan,
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