Linkage: The Forgotten Beatitude

As we follow Jesus we will be tempted to turn our back on him, to doubt his promises, and to disown him. This is the result of the difficult nature of life.  When life doesn't turn out like we planned and hope we tend to think that we are messing up or that God doesn't necessarily care for us, if he even exists.

Frank Viola points out that Jesus promised that those people who are not offended by him will be blessed.  When we cling to the promises of Jesus we will experience the blessing of life that Jesus desires to give us. In this post Frank Viola identifies three reasons why we would be offended by Jesus, and thus miss out on his blessing.

 “Blessed is the person who is not offended by me.”
~Matthew 11:6 

To be offended means to stumble or trip. The Scripture tells us that Jesus is a rock of offense . . . or a rock of stumbling . . . to the disobedient (1 Peter 2:8). In His earthly days, the Lord Jesus was constantly offending the religious establishment. 

But in the above text, Jesus has someone else in mind. He’s speaking to His followers: “Blessed are you, my followers, when you are not offended by me.” The context bears this out. 

John the Baptist was utterly loyal to Jesus. He walked a life of total self-denial. He gave everything up for his God. And now he is in prison.

Continue reading The Forgotten Beatitude.