Matthew 11:6-And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” NKJV
Several years ago, I wrote a blog, “Are You Offended with Jesus.” In it, I discussed the problem John the Baptist had with Jesus, how he asked if he was the One or should they look for another? I thought it was a very good post. Today, I would like to elaborate on the offense we have with Jesus!
When I think about “offense”, I’m reminded of the very first place in scripture where offense took place. In Genesis 4:4-5, we see
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Genesis 4:4-5 NKJV
Abel and Cain had offerings to the Lord. Abel’s offering required blood to be shed, and Cain’s didn’t. God respected Abel’s offering, but Cain’s offering didn’t make God happy. Cain got so angry with God, so offended by what God did, that his countenance fell.
So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Genesis 4:6-7 NKJV
This is the very first time someone became offended with God. It was here that the precedent was set. God told Cain, “If you do well, you will be accepted. But if you don’t do well, you won’t, and sin lies at your door. ” If what you do pleases Me, you will be blessed. If what you do doesn’t please me, you will not be blessed, and sin is waiting for you.
Well, we know Cain failed the test. Instead of trying to please God, he killed his brother and gave over to sin. Sin doesn’t have to conquer us; God said we can rule over it.
John was obviously offended with Jesus when he sent his disciples to Him. Jesus was smarter than John, just as He’s smarter than us, so He saw immediately what the problem was. John was offended.
“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
John 4:4-6 NKJV
Jesus told John’s disciples to say to him all the things that He was doing. The blind were receiving their sight, the lame were walking, the deaf were hearing, and the dead were being raised, just like he prophesied about. And blessed was the one who wasn’t offended because of Him.
Just as Cain blocked the blessing of God in his life, John was about to do the same thing, and Jesus warned him, ‘You don’t want to end this way.’
Let’s look at another blessing blocker. The older brother of the prodigal son. He was at home taking care of business, honoring his father. But his younger brother went to his father and asked for his inheritance so he could live it up. When he lost all of his money, he came back home, and his father threw him a party. But the older brother was not happy.
“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
Luke 15: 28-30 NKJV
A person in my church told me that they had a problem with this story. It looked like the bad son was blessed, and the good son was considered bad. Here’s the problem. The bad son was bad, but he repented and therefore was made right in the sight of the father. The good son, on the other hand, was offended, harboring that offense and anger at the son and at the father, and he was blocked from all his father had for him. We don’t know if he ever got it right again.
But we know Joseph got it right. His brothers hated him and sold him into slavery. They didn’t want any parts with Joseph and his dreams. But Joseph did well in Egypt because God was with him, and instead of becoming offended at all that happened to him, he kept his eyes on God. When God elevated him and made him governor of Egypt, his brothers truly did bow at his feet. But Joseph said,
“Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Genesis 50: 19-20 NKJV
He recognized that God was in the plan, even though from the outside it didn’t look like it. Because he yielded to what God was doing, he received the blessings of God. I believe John the Baptist got it right. I believe he listened to what they said to him about Jesus, and he got it right before God.
Jesus was another person who got it right. He went through all the hell at Calvary for us, so that He could receive the blessing of being the captain of our salvation. He allowed all of the discomfort of the cross so that He could bring many sons to glory. He took all the stripes in His body so that we could be healed. Jesus got it right!
And I believe today that we can get it right! We can look at the disappointments in life and choose to stay focused on God. We can look despair in the face and say to it that it will not overcome us. We can say to sin, “We will rule over you,” and instead of blocking the blessings of God, we can receive the blessings of God. Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 