Christian Living

Offense 0r Defense

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
12/14/20
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It had been four hundred years since Israel’s last prophet. Then out of the wilderness came a Spirit-filled Prophet called John the Baptist. John was the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah. John was bold and courageous and delivered God’s Message to the Israelites clearly by “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3) Many came to John to repent for the forgiveness of sins; thus, he was known as John the Baptist. John knew that he was only the Messiah’s forerunner, and when He appeared, John’s ministry would decrease. As John worked at his ministry of repentance, he collected disciples that followed him and his teaching.

After the Messiah, Jesus came, John continued his work and bold it, pointing out people’s sins and even the King. For this, John was placed in prison, and a devious plot by the King’s daughter sealed John’s fate that he would be executed. As John sat in prison, he became a little doubtful and sent some of his disciples to Jesus to inquire if He was the promised Messiah. “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” (Luke 7:18)

Jesus began His ministry at the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the book of Isaiah the Prophet who had prophesied many years earlier of the coming Messiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) I have always looked at this as the prelude to the ministry of Jesus.

As Jesus went about Galilee teaching, he gathers many disciples who followed Him and His teaching. Jesus is the Word of God, and His Word is the truth. People cry for truth, but when the truth becomes difficult, they fall away. This was the case when Jesus was teaching that He was the Bread of Life. In the wilderness, the Israelites ate the manna that God sent from Heaven and Jesus taught that He was the true bread that has come from the Father in Heaven. Jesus taught them that they would have to consume Him, the bread of life, that they could live forever. This teaching caused many to stumble and take offense. As a result, many of His disciples fell away and followed Him no more. “Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 8:14)

Now John was in prison and knew that he was soon to be executed. I imagine he was somewhat discouraged, perhaps filled with some doubt. We all who are involved in ministry want to feel that our efforts produce some fruit for the Kingdom. John needed assurance that Jesus truly was the Messiah. I don’t believe that John ever believed that Jesus wasn’t but that he needed assurance. John sent some of his disciples to where Jesus was teaching to ask if He was the Messiah. “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” (Luke 7:18)

Jesus knew what John was experiencing and told John’s disciples of the work that He was doing. This was undoubtedly a comfort to John as now he knew that Jesus was the true Messiah, and the work of the Kingdom was expanding. “And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Luke 7:22)

Jesus had experienced many Jews taking offense to Him and His teaching and knew that John also had. John the Baptist had not fallen away and was bold and courageous in his ministry. But doubt had crept in now that he was in prison and knowing that his time was short. Because John had been faithful, Jesus added these words of comfort to the return message for John. John’s ministry was not in vain, and the Father would reward his efforts. “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” (Luke 7:23)

Today many take offense at Jesus. One can easily say, God, as it has become part of the slang in our language. I hear “oh my God” many times when in the public sector. That in itself is not that bad, as these people do not know who their god is. Anything can become a god if you worship it ahead of the true God, whose name is Jehovah. But when you start talking about Jesus, which is the Greek name of the Son of God Jehoshua. When you use His name, you begin to offend people.

Some are offended because they do not believe that he is the Son of God because they cannot see His mission’s Divine evidence. Despite all the testimony that He is the Messiah, they cannot accept Him and more than a blasphemer. They cannot see Jesus as part of the Divine Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Therefore they will not accept His dignity as in commune with the “I AM.” Neither can people accept that God would send Himself as a man to pay for the world’s sin debt. They cannot accept the virgin birth concept, and God became the Godman taking on man’s humanity.

Others take offense at Jesus because they see His teaching as a collation of dos and don’ts. They do not understand how the truth can make them free as they don’t believe they are in bondage because of their sin. Naturally, people can become comfortable in their situation and see the precepts of a holy life as too difficult to follow.

Many are offended by Jesus not on who He is but on the way His followers are. Those who profess to be His and then live their lives as the rest of the world. This destroys not only their testimony but the honor and glory that belongs to Jesus. It is not proper to impute their misconduct to Jesus, but they do. People cannot distinguish between the holiness of Jesus and the imperfection of people.

To them, Jesus has become a stumbling-block, and they believe they can find salvation in another. Many people believe that there are many religions in the world today. The truth is that any religion that does not profess Jesus as the Christ from God is a false religion and has no eternal value. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

Let us never fall to the offense that we will face when living by our faith in Jesus. Because Jesus is the truth as He came to testify of the truth. If Jesus, by His grace, called you to be His own, then live as a citizen of His Kingdom. We are to defend our faith with all your heart. Then you can receive the blessedness of being in His Kingdom. Then you can be a part of His ministry of love that you may in the power of His Spirit be a minister unto the searching souls. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, November 2, 2018