Daily devotion – Are you easily offended?
The word ‘tolerance is bandied around greatly in our modern society. Everyone is being told… “Be tolerant or else!” Which I find amusing! But we find ourselves living in the most “I am offended generation”. People are offended if you don’t agree with them and people are offended by anyone who voices ‘their’ opinion – same deal!
It seems you are ‘allowed’ to have an opinion as long as its the same opinion as others. If you disagree or are vocal about having a differing point of view you are then labelled as being intolerant! Even if you are speaking the truth! For you have offended people!
But as a believer and student of the Bible, you will find on reading it, that Jesus offended people wherever He went.
The disciples at one time came to Jesus in Matthew’s gospel saying, Matthew 15: 12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
In other words, Jesus was saying that only those who are open to the TRUTH will receive it! Our feelings are NOT facts.
Another time in John’s gospel chapter 6, Jesus offended a crowd of people. Jesus disciples were grumbling themselves at this time so Jesus challenged them directly – Jhn 6:61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?
But Jesus did not stop there, He continued on with more hard sayings – Jhn 6:65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
What happened after this time of offending by Jesus? John 6: 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Yes Jesus was loving, but He did not bend the truth to make it less offensive. People who encountered Jesus were changed, either for better or worse, but Jesus remained the same. Why, because He is the TRUTH and truth never changes!