Matthew 11:6
"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
John the Baptist was in prison while Jesus taught and preached in the cities. This made no sense to John. Hadn't he been called to preach the Word of God? "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand," (Matt. 3:2) he preached to all who came near. He had been obedient to his calling, yet, while he was in prison the very One to whom he had given his life was free to journey from city to city. I wonder if John felt forgotten by his Lord.
With confusion and disappointment John sent two disciples to Christ,
"And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Matthew 11:2-3
Have you ever come to the place in your life when even what you know to be Truth begins to confuse you? You know Jesus has the answer and His promises are true, yet, when life doesn't make sense you begin to question the very basis for your faith. "Is Christ really the One? Does He really have all the answers to my questions, my heartache, my confusion?"
Let's see what Christ sent back to John, and what He tells us when we find ourselves in this place,
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
" The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Matthew 11:5-6
Blessed are we when we are not offended by what Christ allows to come into our lives. Blessed are we when our heartache is more than we think we can bare, our confusion beyond comprehension, and we have more questions than answers, we are not offended, but stay strong in our faith, in our trust in Christ. John the Baptist had been obedient to Christ in every way, yet in his confusion he began to doubt. Jesus assured him he would be blessed if he would not become offended because of the ways of Christ, but instead trust Him. He tells us the same.
"Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Let's trust Him and be blessed.
