Monday, July 19, 2010

Offended at Christ

When John the Baptist struggled with doubt while waiting for his execution, Jesus reminded him of all the miracles Jesus had done. Then he adds this sentence. “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Does that sentence puzzle you, as it did me? I had to be careful not to skim over it but to meditate on its meaning.

Jesus is telling us when we suffer that we are suffering for his sake. When we see miracles all around us yet we are left with no apparent miracle, our thoughts tend toward bitterness. We are offended.

That is why Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me. When he chooses not to give us the miracle but has called us to suffer, we are blessed if we continue to trust him (Mathew 11:4-6).