Blessed in the Scandal
Scripture: “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11.6)
MAIN POINT: Jesus acknowledges that His way of working in the world is scandalous to our expectations, yet He calls blessed those who trust Him anyway.
After recounting His miracles to John’s disciples, Jesus adds this crucial postscript: “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” The Greek word is μακάριος (makarios)—the same word from the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek.” These blessings declare people fortunate not because things are going well now, but because their reward is great in Heaven. It’s a blessing that must be taken on faith.
The word “offended” is σκανδαλισθῇ (skandalisthē)—literally “scandalized” or “caused to stumble.” Jesus admits His ways offend our expectations. We expect the Messiah to rescue His prophet from prison. He doesn’t. We expect God to heal our loved ones. Sometimes He doesn’t. We expect prayers answered our way. Often they’re not. We expect following Jesus to make life easier. It frequently doesn’t. This is the scandal—and Jesus doesn’t explain it away. He simply says: “Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” in the midst of this scandal. He calls us to trust Him even when His ways make no sense to us.
Reflection: True faith means continuing to trust Jesus even when His ways scandalize us and contradict our expectations of how God should work. In what ways have Jesus’ actions (or apparent inactions) scandalized or offended your expectations? What would it look like to be “blessed” in the midst of confusion about God’s ways?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant me faith to trust You even when Your ways scandalize my expectations. Your wisdom far exceeds my understanding. In Your Name, Amen.
Responses