ONE-SIDED OFFENSE

 John 6:35, 61

    Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?

                One of the most heinous crimes a person can commit today is to offend someone. “I am offended” has become the watch word of activism. All a person or group has to do is claim offense and people scramble to accommodate them. Sports teams change their names. Personal pronouns are redefined and imposed on all.

                But “I am offended” is very one-sided. In an age that demands tolerance, there is no tolerance for those who hold conservative views or who are “offended” by some of the behavior of others. People are offended by the claim that Jesus is the only way to God. Yet they see no offense when they use the name of Jesus as a swear word. It is seen as offensive to believe that homosexuality is wrong, yet it is okay to label someone homophobic. Minority groups routinely claim offense, yet when a white person is offended by the actions of some minority group they are shouted down as racist.

                As a follower of Christ, we should not be surprised by our culture of offense. Jesus warned us that if we followed Him, we would be on the wrong end of this debate. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an offense to those who do not want to acknowledge who Jesus is. Jesus said, All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22) Routinely the Pharisees were offended by Jesus because He challenged their traditions and customs. Ultimately their offense led to Jesus’ crucifixion.

                In a culture of offense, how do we respond? We can get mad and fight back. We can call for our rights to be honored. Or we can take a completely different approach. We can accept the insults of others while continuing to live godly lives.

                In Romans 12, Paul gives us a strategy for disarming our culture of offense.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:

 

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21)

                There are three things that we can focus on from what Paul tells us. First, we need to resist giving in to the culture of offense. It is far too easy for us to stomp our feet and demand to be respected for what we believe. All that that will accomplish is more ridicule and abuse.

                The second thing is to genuinely live out our faith toward one another. What set the early church apart from the rest of their society was how they loved one another. They didn’t set out to change their culture. They embraced their new life in Christ and shared it freely with other believers.

                The third thing is to intentionally go beyond tolerance to genuine respect. To put it in Jesus’ terms, we need to go the extra mile. Paul says that we are to pray for those who disrespect us and then actively serve them in tangible ways. We can never argue someone into the Kingdom of God, but we can love them into the Kingdom.

                In a culture of offense, we have choices. We can choose to not be offended in life. We can choose to treat others with respect even when we disagree with them. We can choose to love others as Christ has loved us.

1 Peter 2:11-12

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.