What do you do with offenses?
Who among us can say we have never ever been offended? Yet 1 Corinthians 13:5 says love is not easily offended or "provoked" (KJV, NKJV). Other versions say "irritated" or "angered".
I hope this doesn’t hurt your feelings, but if you are thin-skinned, it may be a sign that you are not very loving.
Take a look at today’s readings and see how many times someone was offended by someone else. The scribes and Pharisees were offended by the adulterous woman (John 8:1), likely motivated because they were offended by Jesus. The religious were offended that Jesus did not give money for the temple (Luke 17:27). John was offended by people who were doing things in Jesus’ name but not a part of their "denomination" (Luke 9:49). The Samaritans were offended by Jesus going to Jerusalem (Luke 9:53) and James and John were offended by the Samaritans because were offended (the sons of thunder wanted to call down fire to consume the Samaritans see Luke 9:54…now that’s some pretty thin skin).
Jesus cast some woes on people who cause offenses (Matthew 18:7) and then starts talking about a foot that offends or a hand that offends or even an eye that offends. And don’t you dare offend or cause a little one to stumble! See Mark 9:42!
And you know that “seventy times seven” phrase? Yep, that too came because Peter wanted to know how many times he had to pretend he wasn’t offended (Matthew 18:22).
Would it surprise you to know that the word “offense” comes from a word that means to set a trap? To cause someone to stumble.
The word “scandal” and “scandalize” come from this word because offenses that cause someone to stumble can often result in a scandal. Who likes scandals?
We do!
Reporters love scandals because they know they sell newspapers (oops, sorry, I mean they cause a bump on the internet tics). Scandals get viewers to watch the broadcast and click on the video. Regardless of the media, scandals sell because, face it, we love scandals.
But you want to know something else about offenses? Come here, close, now I want to whisper to you a secret.
Shhh. Now come close and listen to me whisper this dirty little secret (are you listening?):
we like to be offended!
It’s true. We actually like having our feelings hurt. Now, don’t you drop your jaw like that!
Think about it: when someone hurts your feelings, when you get offended, guess what you do. You make a beeline to tell someone else how they hurt you. Why? Because that makes you better than they are or at least think you are better. “How dare they?” you ask yourself, but not just yourself, you ask as many other people as you can to get more sympathy.
How do I know? Because I too have been offended. Does it seem that people are always offending you? Do people say you are too sensitive? Are people rude to you and you would never be so rude to someone else the way they were rude to you? How dare they indeed!
Let me finish by saying absolutely there are true scandals, true offenses, and true stumble-makers. I’ve not only been offended, I’ve done my fair-share of offending, unfairly and unfortunately. But isn’t it true that we excuse our offending but we refuse to excuse those who offend us?
Ponder this today, and, no offense, please, but maybe you need to re-read this and pray the prayer below.
Pray: God, I am so sorry for all the offenses I have done. Please help those whom I have offended forgive me. And seriously, God, please very seriously, help me to forgive those who have offended me. Thank you for loving me, in Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.
