And he answered them,
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind
receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to
them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
Luke
7:22,23 ESV
John
the baptist had sent some men to see Jesus to find out if He was the
one that was expected. John himself wanted to know for sure that
Jesus was the messiah. Jesus didn't disappoint him in his response.
Jesus
told them to let John know about everything they had seen themselves.
He listed all the miracles they had witnessed. Jesus had healed many
diseases, birth defects and even raised the dead. On top of all the
miracles attesting to who Jesus was, He also preached to them about
the coming kingdom and His role in establishing it.
Jesus
ends His interaction with John's disciples with this statement; “And
blessed is the one who is not offended by me”. In this
statement Jesus is saying, that those that believe in Him and are not
offended by Him and His message will be happy.
When
we think about what Jesus is saying in this brief exchange it is
quite profound. He wants John and everyone else to know that the
miracles He performs are proof of who He is and the authority He has.
As well as letting everyone know that God was fulfilling prophecy in
their midst. If anyone is offended by Jesus, they are offending the
one that sent Him.
We
must look at it in the same way when we share the good news. If
someone is offended by what we are saying concerning the good news
about Jesus, we shouldn't be offended. Because it is not us that
offends them, it is the truth of God's word that offends them. The
choice is theirs, they can accept Jesus and be happy or be offended
by Him and live a less than happy existence.
©
2012 Leo J. Woodman
