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Be Unoffendable

In Luke 5:20, Jesus said: “Your sins are forgiven.” These powerful words of Jesus were quite provocative but incredibly intentional. Along with the neighbors and friends in the house listening to Jesus were religious leaders called Pharisees. They were devoted to a very rigorous set of rules that were to be followed perfectly. They separated themselves from everything and everyone they thought was unholy, believing that God’s love was reserved for those who behaved the way they did. They listened to Jesus with critical ears, ready to pounce on any words or behavior that offended their understanding of Scripture.

When the Pharisees hear Jesus say to the paralytic man, “Your sins are forgiven,” they consider Jesus to be blasphemous; only God can forgive sins. Yet Jesus intentionally reveals that he is the Messiah, on equal footing with God, with the power to forgive and heal. The religious leaders used logic and correctly believed that only God could forgive sins, and they were wise to be cautious of a new teacher. Their error was in refusing to see who Jesus was: God the Son, who has the authority to forgive sins.

Another important thing about this story is that when Jesus forgives the man’s sin, he isn’t pointing out that the paralyzed man is especially sinful or that his paralysis had been caused by sin. Instead, he’s addressing the man’s greatest need and the common root of all pain and suffering — our separation from God. Jesus heals the man’s soul, and then he heals his body.

All of this happens because of the borrowed faith of his friends. May we have faith for ourselves but also know that Jesus can and will meet the needs of others we bring to him. May we resist the urge to decide who is in and who is out, and may we carry people to Jesus, no matter the weight, even when it’s heavy or awkward or doesn’t fit into our timeline. May we carry people to Jesus who sin differently than we do, people who vote or live or parent differently. Most of all, may we live unoffended to see the truth of who Jesus is and what he wants to do in the life of every person we meet.

Over the past few years, too many relationships have ended due to division and different viewpoints. Now is the time to fix what’s broken. Refuse to spend any extra time on petty arguments or trivial disagreements. We won’t let differences divide us; we don’t have time for this kind of no-win wandering. The people around Jesus were always trying to bait him into black/white, right/wrong, and he always found the third way. He wasn’t offended, wasn’t defensive. Instead, he was the one turning water into wine, eating with his enemies, providing stimulating conversation, and healing people.

Consider This…

Have you recently judged or offered criticism too quickly?

Is there something for which you need to ask forgiveness?

Do you assume the best about others? If not, how can you begin?

Together…

We will be people who do things, not people who talk about how others are doing things. We’ll offer help more readily than we offer criticism. When we feel judged or criticized, we’ll assume the best. If we mess up, we’ll ask for forgiveness. We’ll learn from each other and surround ourselves with people who are different from us. Instead of dwelling on the insecurities that cause us to huddle together, we’ll dismantle the cliques that make us feel safe and look for ways to make others feel included. Everyone is in. Everyone is welcome. We’ll be teachable—uniters instead of dividers.