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Sep 28, 2022 18:30pm

Are You Offended?

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We jumped in the car and rolled down the windows. The air felt great, blowing our hair, cooling our hot faces from ball practice. The store was just up the road from the school. I was driving my friend Danae’s car. Our other friend, Kitt, was in the passenger seat and Danae was in the middle. Gatorade never sounded so good!

A gravel truck was in front of us going slower than time on a Friday afternoon. I sped up to get around it, thinking in my mind that I did not want to get a ding in her window from the gravel. Then, we saw it. Blue lights. At first, we didn’t think it was even us. But sure enough, he was right on our tail.

We pulled over. I rolled down the window. The officer approached. In my mind, I hadn’t done a thing wrong. I was justified in all of it. So, I wasn’t a bit worried.

“Do you know why I pulled you over? You were speeding.”

Proud I had a reason, I stated, “well, that gravel truck could have thrown a rock out and hit our windshield so I was just getting around it.”

“License and registration.”

I dug for my license. Danae looked for her registration.

“Who’s the owner of this car?”

Confused, I said, “well, she is. I was just driving us to the store. See, she isn’t wearing her contacts and we just finished ball practice and we were going to get some gatorade…”

“Ma’am. Did you know your license is expired?”

And, of course, I had a good reason for that too.

“Oh, well, yes. See, we go to school at CRC and we had a ski trip last week and my birthday was during that trip. But it’s okay because I asked my dad and he said that I had a 10 day grace period to get it renewed and since I’m at college and not back home I haven’t had a chance to get it done yet. But like my dad said, I have 10 days.”

“Well, your daddy is wrong.”

Those words will forever be etched in my mind.

Completely. Utterly. Offended.

But you know what?

It was true.

My dad was wrong.

The law stated one thing, but he saw fit to add to it. But it did not make it right.

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:7-14)

The Pharisees and Scribes have pulled Jesus away from the crowds and tried to corner Him once again. They constantly were trying to find inconsistencies with His teaching and what the law stated… or what the law stated according to them and their tradition.

The law stated one thing, but they added to it. And Christ corrected them. His truth spilled out from scripture itself as He quoted Isaiah.

Shocked, the disciples questioned him. Do you realize you offended them?

And Jesus’ reply showed He wasn’t there to be popular and worry about offending.

“But if we please men with the concealment of truth, and the indulgence of their errors and corruptions, we are not the servants of Christ.” – Matthew Henry.

The truth is, the Word of God is offensive. It cuts deep to the core. The very innermost parts of our souls. Exposing our sin, shining light on the darkness we want to stay hidden.

Are you offended? Perhaps the Word of God is doing exactly what is intended. Let the truth be known.