I love the fact that Jesus, while He lived on earth, was never offended. He avoided so much inner conflict by remaining unoffendable. He always took the high road. We, on the other hand, struggle to live out of the confines of offense daily. What people say or do have an influence on us. If we feel slighted or wronged, we’re quick to jump to negative conclusions. It may be that people aren’t thinking or doing right by us, but why does what people do affect us so deeply?
No one likes to take the high road
I’ve had opportunity to be offended more than once in my life. Everyone has. It’s more than easy to say or think, “They should have known better.” Or, “How could they do such a thing?” And “Don’t they know me?” If given the chance, it’s easier to be offended than not. No one likes to take the high road.
God is the only One who should hold our hearts to the extent of complete trust. Yet even then, we often feel offended by His way of doing things. John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin who had baptized Him and announced that Jesus was the One who “takes away the sin of the world” and that Jesus was the “Son of God.” He struggled with Jesus’ mission. At the end of his life, while in prison, he sent word to Jesus:
“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’”
Matthew 11:2-6 ESV
Never offended and wobbling
John was facing a brutal end to his life and even he, being the one called to prepare Jesus’ way, had a moment of wobbling. He questioned how things were unfolding. There was no way around how God was going to get the world saved, and John was going to lose his life in the process.
There’s no other record in Scripture about how John faced his end. We could read between the lines and wonder more about what he felt at the time. But, there’s no record of anything more. I think this is because everything that we need to understand is written in those final words of Matthew 11:6, “blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
How to live as one who is never offended?
Not difficult to offend
We’re funny creatures by nature. It’s not difficult to offend us, but it should be. First of all, understanding that we don’t understand God’s ways is a good place to start. Isaiah 55:8 tells us that God’s thoughts and ways are far beyond ours. This means, he understands the beginning and the end of things. Plus, He understands everything in between. Our finite nature cannot grasp the why and how of God’s will. The best option for us is to trust the process.
Jesus never questioned His Father. He knew God’s plans were founded in love and had the redemption of the world at heart. But how did He manage to stay so peaceful, He was never offended, even when people looked to kill Him?
Jesus’ strategy
I have wondered about Jesus’ strategy to avoid being offended. He managed to receive His disciples again (even Peter who denied Him) after His resurrection (see John 21). I don’t think many of us would have been so gracious. But, Jesus’ method to avoid offense was, and is, simple. He understood what was in the hearts of people.
“But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.”
John 2:24,25 ESV
Taking the high road
People will fail. Understanding their frailties, and our own, is the key to avoiding falling into the pit of offense. When we understand that the world is fallen, and people remain imperfect as long as they live in the world, we’ll live above offense. Yes, we can, and should, hope for the best. However, understanding our surroundings and taking our expectations off people helps us ride the waves of live above offense.
If we want to live as Jesus did, never offended, then it’s all about taking the high road, even when we don’t want to.
