For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. | Romans 5:6–11
On Sunday, I preached on the Woman at the Well. I made the comment that in this story Jesus shifts from respect to dignity; from people looking for honor from the world, to a person just trying to find a place in the world. Jesus gives a sense of dignity to the Samaritan woman, by talking to her, but much more, by inviting her into a loving relationship with Himself. Her value is rooted in His choosing her, not in her being worthy of choosing.
I think an understanding of the difference between these two is important, because we often demand respect, when I think what we are actually looking for is dignity. All of the things that we put our energy into, so that others will look on us favorably is actually a struggle to understand ourselves. Its why people resonate with the quote:
We buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.
While it is easy to point this out, we still do it. The reason we continue to do it is because we don’t know how else to find dignity. We can say that we have an inherent dignity, but without anyone to verify that, it is hard to trust it. So we work to prove it to ourselves; we think that respect will help us to feel our dignity. It doesn’t work. We can hold the fear and shame back for a time, but eventually we will be controlled by our perception of respect. We will feel as valuable as we can prove that we are.
Jesus is offering us a way out of this trap. By bringing the conversation back to dignity, Jesus is revealing clearly that the only way of finding our place in this world is to root our value in Him. To do this allows for our inconsistencies and failures and sin to lose their power over us. They still affect our daily lives, but they don’t define who we are. Our dignity is rooted in who He says we are, it can not be taken away based on our failing (lack of respect). It is secure in Him.
This also plays into how we treat others. Our understanding of others also has to shift from respect to dignity. This allows us to acknowledge dignity in those we do not respect. To honor bosses and parents and spouses and political figures based on who God says they are more than how they handle every situation. To see value in every person as a reflection of the Imago Dei, even if they happen to be a poor or dishonest reflection. We do this, not because we want to or because they deserve it, but because God has called us to value people based on His order. We do this as an act of hopeful faith, believing that God will use us to bring dignity into a world that has forgotten what that means.
We can do this because the source of our value is unchanging. You don’t lose something when you choose to love someone who doesn’t deserve it. God’s grace is not less because you lose respect in the eyes of the world (an argument could be made that it increases our understanding if His grace!). Pressing into to Jesus as the source of dignity and value works against that feeling that we are missing something; that we must prove something to others or ourselves to be enough. Like the Samaritan woman, Jesus knows exactly who you are and He was fully aware of all of the reasons why you should not be respected when He went to the cross to secure your place in the Kingdom of God. In this, He has given us the ability to embrace our dignity and to live in a dignified with everyone we meet.