Main news for 28 December 2020

King James Version (en)

Luke, Chapter 7, verse 23

¹⁹ answereth John's messengers with the declaration of his miracles

²³And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

NOTES

Why does John, who himself bore witness to Jesus and saw the Spirit descending upon Him, suddenly send his disciples to Him with such a question? Perhaps he wants...

Today's reading touches on a very important theme connected with the ministry and witness not only of John the Baptist, but also of Jesus Himself. For Jesus it is completely beyond doubt that what many of those who came to John did not see was true: he was the greatest of all the prophets who had ever preached to the people of God (v. 28). Meanwhile, the very people who do not accept John are those who considered themselves the messianic remnant of which the prophets had spoken: the Pharisees and the teachers of the Torah ("scribes") (v. 30). In today's passage we see how Jesus explains this rejection. He compares those who reject John to children offended by their peers who refuse to play according to the rules they have set (v. 32). That is why they are satisfied neither with John's strict asceticism nor with Jesus' accessibility and openness (vv. 33-34).

Jesus expresses the essence of the problem in one phrase: wisdom is justified by her children (v. 35). For a better understanding of this phrase, it is important to keep in mind that among the Jews the concept of wisdom had long been associated not so much with theory and abstract knowledge as with practice. At first it referred to the practical skills of one craft or another, later to the practice of human relationships so necessary for rulers, judges, and statesmen, and after the Babylonian exile wisdom also came to be connected with the practice of following the Torah, which likewise required a certain skill, one that in a sense could be called the skill of righteous living.

Jesus has in mind another skill and another practice: the practice of the theological disputes so beloved by learned rabbis and simply educated believers. In the Gospel era such disputes were a favorite occupation and pastime of many inhabitants of Jerusalem. And it happened that for many of them, as one can see, these disputes turned into an end in themselves. The question was no longer how, by reading Scripture, to understand God's will through it, but what other interpretations of what had been read could be invented.

Of course, such intellectual exercises are harmless enough in themselves, and at times they can even be useful. But if one becomes too absorbed in them, they sometimes lead away from reality. All such exercises are always conditional to some degree. And if a person trains himself to see the world exclusively through the prism of theological concepts, even ones based on Scripture, it is very easy not to see behind them God and the One whom He sends into the world. All the more so because accepting Christ will require giving up many concepts. Naturally, one would like the real Messiah to correspond to them, so that nothing would have to be given up. But there is no correspondence, and then a choice has to be made. For someone, his own wisdom may turn out to be more important than the Kingdom. And even God can do nothing about that: such is the price of human freedom.

Jesus' words, "Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me!" can be understood in different ways. The most widespread understanding, already generally accepted, is also the most straightforward: Jesus must be accepted as the Son of God and as the Messiah; those who accept Him in this capacity will fare very well...

Formally such an understanding can be considered absolutely correct, but it proceeds from the realities of later Christian ages, ages when everyone in the Christian world, of course, knows from childhood all the right words written and spoken about Jesus by those who experienced everything said in their own lives. In that case, "not being offended" means merely remaining faithful to the generally accepted truths of faith known from childhood.

Jesus Himself, however, was addressing an audience for which what it had to accept was not at all obvious. Judging by His words, there had to be something in the hearts of those who were to "not be offended" that would allow them to recognize Him precisely in the capacity in which He came into the world.

What, then, is at issue? If we look closely at the situations describing Jesus' acceptance by those seeking His help, and on the other hand look at those who reject Him, much becomes clear. It is no accident that those who accept Him most often are those who have found themselves in a hopeless situation.

The point is not that all these people were broken by the misfortune that befell them, but that a critical situation by itself quickly and easily washes from a person's heart and soul everything superficial and artificial, so that only the main thing remains. Therefore, in order "not to be offended," one must first of all leave behind all artificial intellectual constructions, all pre-invented concepts, all a priori notions of the Messiah and of the Kingdom, and indeed of spiritual life in general, leaving only the main thing: the Torah, the commandments, the path of righteousness.

If we look at those who do not accept Jesus, it becomes clear that they reject Him either for the same "ideological" reasons, preferring their own theological concepts, within which "such a thing is impossible," to obvious reality, or because of ordinary human fear, not so much fear of persecution as fear of losing what has become a familiar and integral part of life, whether property, social status, or simply the established and much-loved way of life. The fear of losing familiar religiosity belongs here too: the very appearance of Jesus as He came into the world destroyed many familiar religious notions.

Therefore, in order "not to be offended," one must decisively get rid of two things: familiar and beloved opinions and concepts, often turning into convenient cliches, and those fears of losing familiar forms of life with which fallen man is permeated from head to foot. This is not easy, but the reward will be the Kingdom and salvation.

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