"No Offense!"

February 1, 2004

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Lessons:  Jeremiah 1:4-10;  I Corinthians 13:1-13;  St. Luke 4:21-30

When I was a kid, we had two words that were expected to soften any unkind word, excuse occasional rudeness, and generally, heal any wound inflicted on friend or enemy, intended or not.  The two words were, "no offense!"  We would say, to our best friend maybe, "no offense, but your breath is really bad!"  We would say, "no offense, but you are the dumbest person on the face of the earth."  Because I was 5' tall in 5th grade and weighed almost 200 pounds, kids I didn't even know would come up to me and say, "no offense, but you're really fat."  And the funny thing was, when someone said, "no offense", you were usually expected to respond, "no offense taken".  Even if you were offended.  Even if what had been said was really, really, offensive. 

     At times, it might have been good if Jesus would have prefaced his remarks by saying, "Now, no offense, but…"  It might have been helpful for Jesus, at times, to have concluded what he was saying by adding, "no offense intended…", because at times, what Jesus had to say was offensive--or at least, people took offense at what he said, even when what he said wasn't offensive. 

     Take our Gospel lesson, for example, when we hear about the time when Jesus had been making the rounds of the synagogues in Galilee, teaching--and when he finally came to the synagogue in Nazareth, where he'd grown up, he stood up in the synagogue, and the leader of the synagogue, according to custom, gave Jesus the appropriate scroll from which to read, and this day, it happened to be the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.  And Jesus found the place in Isaiah, where it foretold the coming of one who would be anointed with God's Spirit, who would then bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.  Jesus read the passage, and said simply, "Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  And then, should he have added, "no offense"?  It would seem not, at first, because, what was there to offend in what Jesus had said.  He read a prophecy about the Lord's anointed one, and then he said, "Now, this prophecy has been fulfilled in your hearing."  And initially, St. Luke tells us, "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth."  The first reaction, it seems, is like the first reaction most have to the proclamation of scripture in church…"nice sermon, pastor".  Initially, folks in the synagogue in Nazareth that day spoke well of Jesus, and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  No offense intended, no offense taken, it appears--at first.  But then, it started to sink in.  After they chewed on Jesus words a bit;  after they swallowed a couple of times, they kind of got a bad taste in their mouths, that soured their stomachs.  What Jesus said began to raise some questions.  Those words were originally about the mission of the prophet, proclaiming the good news of the homecoming of Israel from exile.   Some had also begun to understand it, also, as a prophecy about the coming of Messiah, who would also be anointed with the Spirit of the Lord, who would also bring release, healing, freedom.  This was not a particularly new interpretation of Isaiah 61.  But this, Jesus, just said, He is the anointed one!  He said, "today, this scripture is fulfilled, in your hearing!"  In other words, Jesus was saying, "as you hear me, you are hearing the anointed one sent by God the Father--and as you hear me, as my words cross the space, and enter your ears, and touch your mind and heart and soul--you are being healed, and made whole, and set free--"Today, the Messiah is here", Jesus is saying, "and I am giving to you, life, and salvation!" 

     And yes, at first,  that sounded good.  At first, those words sounded like gracious words--the people were amazed, and spoke well of Jesus.  If only they could have received these gracious words--if only the people in the synagogue could have accepted his words, and believed what he was saying, and not gotten all--skeptical, and critical, and reasonable and logical!  The first response of those in the synagogue was their true response, it was the faithful response, as they spoke well of Jesus, the Messiah, and heard what he said as grace-filled, as indeed, it was.  No offense intended, no offense taken.  But the folks in the synagogue didn't end, with the faithful response.  They began to think, and to question, and to critique what Jesus had said, and who he was.  Oh no, they couldn't accept, by faith, that this Jesus was the Christ, God's anointed--because, once they thought about it, how could it be--this Jesus?  How could Jesus be the Christ?  This Jesus is the son of Joseph, the carpenter.  This Jesus was born and raised right here in Nazareth;  we've seen him grow up like any other child in the village.  Nice kids;  rambunctious kids;  normal kids, one and all--but not a one of them appeared "Messiah-material".  "No," the townspeople of Nazareth concluded, "especially not this Jesus, who would like to think of himself as "better", as "special", as "God's anointed one".  This Jesus,  Joseph's son, the Christ?  This, Jesus, thinks he can ascend to the throne of David--conquer the Romans--re-establish the divine monarchy in Jerusalem?  Hah!--they said.

     And Jesus knew, at that moment, where this was headed.  Once he saw that the people in the synagogue were responding to him, not by faith, but by taking offense at him, the handwriting was on the wall.  He knew that the next thing they would say to him was, "You think you can save us?  Well, physician, heal thyself!" And then they would say, "If you are the supposed Messiah, let's see you do here, the miracles and signs you've been, supposedly, doing in Capernaum!"  But Jesus knew, Jesus could see, that whereas in Capernaum and elsewhere, where people received him by faith--he worked great signs and miracles, now, in Nazareth, no such things would be done--because, there was no faith…only offense.  And the proverbial handwriting on the wall said, "Get rid of this blasphemer!  Put an end to his pretension!" 

     I suppose if they'd had a cross, they'd have crucified him--but instead, they drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill, on which the town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff!  So that they might put an end to this "false prophet", and prove once and for all, how they dealt with such offensive-- behavior, and talk, and persons.  Yet, his time had not yet come.  It was not time for Jesus to die--and he knew it.  In fact, he had only just begun his ministry;  and though it would last but three short years, it needed to last beyond this day, and the angry reaction, the offense taken by those in the synagogue at Nazareth.  So…Jesus passed through the midst of them, and went on his way.  Isn't that odd, but powerful--that with this mob all around him, angry and ready to hurl him off the cliff and be done with him--Jesus, without a fight, without a word, without raising a hand in his own defense, simply passes through the midst of them, and goes on his way.

     And what way was that?  Well, ultimately, his way was the path that would end up, willingly, voluntarily, at Golgotha, and the cross.  Jesus lived that day, to die another day…because the bottom line was, Jesus couldn't keep offending--people in the synagogues, people crowded onto hillsides, the Jewish leaders themselves, without a harsh reaction.  The bottom line was, no matter what Jesus said, no matter how he taught love, and exemplified love, and loved--the poor, the outcast, the lost, the ill, the grieving--no matter how he embodied, in himself, the very presence and power of God the Father;  no matter how close the kingdom of God came to people, through Jesus the Christ, Son of the Living God-- the Word, incarnate, in the flesh--some reacted in faith, and responded amazed at his gracious words, while others reacted angrily, and tried to trap and trick him--others set schemes in motion that would see Jesus, finally, nailed to a cross;  finally, nailed to a tool of torture and execution that, still, some see as a wonderful, gracious word of love from God, while others see it, as offensive to human sensibilities.  As Jesus was being crucified, as the cross was being lifted up, there for Jesus to die as a sacrifice for sin, maybe a voice from heaven should have rung out, "no offense intended".  But--it would've made no difference.  As then, there is still now, even today, offense taken, at the words of Jesus, at the teachings of Jesus, at the love of Jesus, at the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

     If you think about it, Jesus is still in the synagogue, on the Sabbath, and we today, are the people, hearing Jesus speaking God's Word, bringing God's incarnate presence, saying, to us, "Today, the scriptures are being fulfilled, in your hearing." And, will we receive them, and respond to them, as amazing, gracious words?  Will we speak well of Jesus, and tell others how our hearts burn within us, as Jesus unfolds the scriptures to us? Or, will we begin to question and critique Jesus?  Will our reasonable, rational, logical minds begin to try to trap and trick Jesus, into doing, not what he wants, but what we want?  Will we hear Jesus, indeed, as Son of the Living God, come down from heaven to give life to the world?  Or will we hear him merely as Joseph's son--a mere mortal--come to offend us, come to make us feel guilty, with his moral teachings, and his commandment to love, and his death on the cross? 

     Certainly, there was no offense intended--but, the question remains--will offense be taken?

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.