Mark 10:48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Shame leaves us psychologically shattered and physiologically paralyzed. Shoulders drop, eyes lower in order to avoid any eye contact with people who stigmatize and confidence level plummets to rock bottom. For many, childhood trauma, comparison with siblings or friends or public naming would have left them with a broken spirit. Shame screams into their ears 24/7 that they are damaged, dented, unlovable and unworthy. Discrimination based on colour, class, caste or status also leave us scarred and scathed. Hence psychologists reiterate that shame is not an abstract concept or idea, it is an embodied emotional experience.
Jesus was leaving Jericho. Normally the blind and the beggars are found at the city gate. A blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46b-47). Those around him silenced and rebuked him but he shouted even more. The normal reaction when stigmatized is to cower, cringe or cave-in, but Bartimaeus shouted louder. Jesus stopped, stripped his shame away and healed him.
In the Jewish culture, beggars, lepers and the blind are given a “cloak of identity”. The cloak is a visual cue of their deformity. They were not addressed by their names but only with the titles that these shrouds gave them. When Jesus called Bartimaeus he threw his cloak of shame away and ran to Him. Jesus died on the cross to remove the reek of rejection, guilt, shame and stigma. Throw the stinking shroud of shame that was given by society, siblings, family or friends and run to Jesus.
Three cues to strip the shroud of shame:
1. Shun: The parasympathetic nervous system of the body helps it to relax slowly and unwind but shame brings the brain and the body to a sudden screeching stop. Shame shuts down enthusiasm. However, the rebuke of the crowd, to silence Bartimaeus, did not shut him down but made him shout even louder. Shun shame.
2. Shred: Shame steals our creativity, curiosity and coverts authenticity. As long as we accept the cloak of shame, society will stigmatize us. The blind beggar was given the shroud to identify that he was blind, broken and banned. The blind and the diseased were considered as sinners in Jesus times. Jesus was able to heal the blind man only when he tossed away the cloak of deformity and disgrace. Shred the shroud of shame.
- Secure: The cloak was the security and the shelter of the blind man. It was his covering from the sun or the rain. He spread it on the ground to collect the coins that were flung at him. When he threw the cloak, the money collected from the morning would have scattered but only when Bartimaeus was willing to let go of his worldly security could Jesus give him divine healing. Hiding behind the covering of perfection, profession or pills will keep us imprisoned for life. Scatter the worldly securities.
Shun, shred and scatter the shroud of shame that restricts you.
Mark 10:52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”
Prayer: Jesus my Saviour, help me tear the shroud of shame that has incarcerated me. Amen.
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