Jesus said “And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.” Matthew 11:6

I love Jesus’ unwavering heart… His confidence and resilience. His unchanging essence as God.

Jesus came and many were offended by His words… His ways… His different-than-expected dawning. But even so, many were wooed close to Him. Captivated by Him. It’s always both when God shows up. It provokes the hearts yearning for Him in love and it triggers the ones who despise His every word.

Truth does that.

It offends the natural order of man, because our natural order has been tainted from the beginning.

Truth offends.

Until the spirit is awakened…

…and then truth resurrects us… liberates… revives… awakens us to life on the inside.

Truth is the remedy we need.

And it only comes from the words of Jesus Christ.

“Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” Jesus says…

Blessings follow you when you carry a heart that’s not easily offended.

It opens your heart to hearing God when He speaks.

You can experience the fullness of Jesus in your life & through the eyes of those around you when let go of being offended by them.

In Matthew chapter 11, Jesus reminds John this Baptist not to be offended by Him when being sold out to Him leads to what he doesn’t anticipate.

In this passage, Jesus is teaching and preaching in the cities of his disciples… the crowds surround as they listen… all eyes are on Him as John’s disciples come up to Jesus to ask him if He really is the Messiah. John sent them. Because John is confused. Torn. Unsure of why his proclamation of Jesus Christ’s coming has brought persecution.

Out of the wilderness John the Baptist preached the coming of the Messiah… and now he’s in another wilderness.

A jail cell.

John’s own statement, “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30) is playing out now.

What I know about John the Baptist from what I read in totality is that he knew that it was time for Jesus to reign. He wanted to give that reverence and leadership to Jesus. He was willing and yielded to that. He just didn’t know this is what it would look like.

What do you do when God’s ways conflict with what you expected?

John envisioned a Messiah who would come and make all things right.

Bring deliverance from Roman occupation. Elevate Israel over oppressors. Restore and take over. But Jesus did not come to bring perfection just to the broken earth. He came to save souls from death and into a eternal kingdom, to return again a second time after his resurrection and ascension, creating a New Heaven and New Earth. Jesus won’t bring full deliverance and reign as King until that future time.

It’s tempting to get offended by something that doesn’t align with what we envision or think.

But when Jesus shows up, He does things His way.

He carries His authority.

His Kingdom.

Jesus does not acquiesce to the version we want Him to be.

I love that God is God and He will no be limited or confined. 🥰♥️

You reign unmatched

and dwell unabashed

in royalty glowing in  the Heavens

dispatch

Your spirit

all around me

let Your love

touch every part of me

Your voice breathe on every

word I speak

be King

my Lord

You’re my everything

In verse 5, Jesus tells the men awaiting Jesus’ response to go back and tell John this:

“Go tell John the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news preached to them… blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.”

Jesus is doing what He came to do.

Jesus’ mission is the mission that takes priority.

We often have our own mission in mind but we will only be blessed when we jump on board with Jesus’ mission and let Him steer the way.

We follow Jesus, not the other way around. And we find such satisfaction from this allegiance.

Jesus reminds John to not be offended by this. To not be offended by the way He reigns and rules.

What I love about Jesus is that even when he has to speak truth to us, he always shows honor and sees the best in us.

He sees our hearts. He does not reprimand or disrespect. He sees the passion and the heart behind every yes we give him even when we don’t fully understand.

He acknowledges what we give and do for His namesake.

“Among men born of women, none is greater than John…” Jesus says in verse 11.

Jesus loves to affirm us and speak highly of us… we are His own after all. 😊 He notices the sacrifices we make and the zeal we carry even when we can’t understand all God is doing.

Despite John’s doubt in Jesus, Jesus still honors John in front of everybody.

That is unconditional love.

That is the epitome of honor.

Jesus will honor you for how you give everything for him, even when it costs you.

Others may look at your situation and wonder why your faith led you into that trial… I can only imagine how John the Baptist felt after He gave his whole life to preach of the coming of the Messiah and now everyone sees him in jail… but Jesus knows why, and He esteems you and illuminates His approval on your life for others to see. He anoints you. Seek after Him. And He will take care of you.

Ultimately, John will see in eternity to come that Jesus is unleashing a greater glory of salvation for all people that transcends John’s life & reverberates into the heavens.

John is not in jail because He did anything wrong.

He’s in jail because He did everything right.

He’s in jail for the sake of Jesus.

And that is a high calling worthy of honor that Jesus bestows upon Him… echoing the path Jesus Himself is about to take… unto death. For the sake of salvation to all people.

Although John doubted him, Jesus does not get offended.

That’s why Jesus can tell us to not be offended, because that is the kind of heart He possesses.

There is no room for offense in love.
Offense contaminates the heart.

My puppy reminded me of this when I gave him some medicine recently. I have a 5 month old golden retriever named Emmie  & every month he takes a dewormer. It prevents worms from eating all the nutrients he digests when he eats. So that he can stay healthy and well.

Worms are like what offense does to the soul.

If we live offended at others, the offense eats up the spiritual nutrients we could glean from each other. And we miss out on what God is saying through one another because we’re too busy being offended by them. We cannot let the devil plant offense between us or it ruins community and depletes the body of Christ of its spiritual nutrients that God puts in each person. We are meant to complement each other and we need each other’s strengths.

We thrive in spiritual and relational healthiness when we choose to live unoffended.

Proverbs 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger and it is glory to overlook an offense.”

Assume the best.

Be kind.

Look to show honor.

Seek to understand.

Aspire to reconcile and heal.

Never stop encouraging.

We grow in spiritual maturity when we let go of offenses.

We cannot always control other people or other scenarios but we can control our own. And if we seek to honor the Lord, the Lord will honor us. Just like he did John the Baptist.

Let Jesus be God and let Him speak His truth… and you will find His affirmation and anointing on your life.

In a world that’s easily offended by God & truth, we see and benefit from all God is doing when we are receptive to Him at all times.

We need God’s Word.

It’s enriching and life-giving. It helps me to know what to do and how to think. It increases wisdom. Generates goodness. I love the Bible… because I get to know my Love, Jesus, in it. And I hear what is true so that I won’t be deceived by all the lies and false words around me in society. I want to grow and hear what God says. I’m all ears to You, Jesus, and every word You speak.

It is the only truth that exists.

Your words, O Lord

they cut me

heal me

purge me

of thoughts and opinions

contaminating

thank You

for speaking

to my heart

for whispering

Your light

in the dark

may my soul

drink of the truth

Your spirit

imparts

Your Word

It shines like

the stars

We will be called blessed when we live unoffended by the truth and ever in love with our God.

Do and say what You want to, Lord… our hearts are Yours.♥️

“Jesus said, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6