Offence

It seems to me that I have watched the Son of Man walk before me with blind eyes my entire life, because instead of filling my eyes with His Truth, I am busy watching for possible offence…

Nazareth, Synagogue Church (Berthold Werner)

I think people can quite easily take offence to different things.  Sometimes they are offended because someone did something intentional.  Sometimes they are offended because they did something that was not intentional.  And sometimes they are offended because they simply misunderstood something.

When we misunderstand things, we can build up offences in our mind.  And I have been thinking about this today as I have been reflecting on the rejection of Christ in Nazareth...

“Jesus left there and went to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples.  When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were amazed.  ‘Where did this man get these things?’ they asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.  He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:1-6).

And those people there were so offended.  Here He was -the son of the carpenter.  He was supposed to be one of them and somehow He was preaching in a way that was so radical and so holy that they really could not understand.

And as they listened to Him they great more and more confused and bewildered – not because Christ was difficult to understand – but rather because He was speaking TRUTH and truth confounds souls who are too proud to see.

And I have been reflecting on this today as I have been reflecting on my own life.  You see, it was not just the people of Nazareth who took offence at wisdom that they could not understand.  It is me too.  How many times do I misunderstand someone’s intention and use their words or actions as a way to justify my own anger or irritation?  How many times do I question their motives while excusing my own?

I spend my lifetime justifying myself – just as those people in Nazareth did that day.  And do you know what happens when we place our energy into justification?  Well, it is really quite simple…  We forget to listen to the One speaking to us, and we accidentally reject the Son of Man…

And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about how much wasted time I have spent in offence.  And it seems to me that I have watched the Son of Man walk before me with blind eyes my entire life, because instead of filling my eyes with His Truth, I am busy watching for possible offence…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.