As with chapter 8, this chapter is difficult to understand without understanding the culture. In their society, a woman who appeared in public without her head covered was considered promiscuous. Paul makes the point about the husband being the head of his wife in order to say that if a woman looks promiscuous, she is shaming herself and her husband. In the same way, if a man shames himself, he is also shaming Jesus. That鈥檚 not to say the woman doesn鈥檛 also shame Jesus. If she is shamed, her husband is shamed, so Jesus is shamed as well. In our culture, we don鈥檛 view uncovered women鈥檚 heads in the same way, so it鈥檚 not an issue for us.
Although we view head coverings differently, the idea of our actions shaming those around us still holds. If I behave badly, I鈥檓 not just damaging my reputation, but the reputations of those around me. I could be damaging the reputation of my family, the company I work for, the church I attend, and, worst of all, Jesus.