Our devotional thought comes from John 6:61: “When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, he said to them, “Does this offend you?””
Offend. That’s a strong word, isn’t it? Yet, Jesus used it. He knew his words, especially those about being the bread of life, were rubbing against the grain of their expectations. They wanted a conquering king, a provider of earthly feasts, not a suffering savior who spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
And so, they grumbled. Just like us, when the message gets tough. When it speaks of repentance, of laying down our desires, of a life that looks less like the world’s party and more like a quiet walk with God. We bristle. We find offense in the very things meant to set us free.
As G.K. Chesterton so wisely noted, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” How often do we turn away, not because we’ve wrestled with faith and found it empty, but because the cost seems too high? We see the mountain, and without even attempting the climb, we declare it impossible.
Jesus’ question echoes through the ages: “Does this offend you?” He isn’t surprised by our resistance. He simply invites us to consider, is it the message, or is it our resistance to change that causes the offense? Perhaps, just perhaps, the path that feels hardest is the one that leads us home.
I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.