14 Dec 2016
With Christmas just around the corner, a lot of people have
gift-given on their minds. And with
that, the big question: What to get? I
imagine we’ve had the experience of getting a gift for someone, but not being
sure if they’d like it, or not being sure if it’s something they’d want. But, you give the gift anyway, and hope they
like it.
Well, that’s how Jesus sounds when he says, “Blessed are
those who don’t take offense at me.” God’s
gift to us—to the whole world, is, of course, himself. And it’s as if Jesus is saying, “I hope they
like what they get for Christmas, because they’re getting me.”
And Jesus would have good reason to think people might take
offense at who he is, and what he’s about.
He knows—as do we—that people have expectations. And sometimes those expectations are good;
they keep us looking forward to what’s coming.
But expectations become a problem when all we want is what we want, and
that’s what we expect, and that’s all we’ll accept.
Jesus says: “Blessed are those who don’t take offense at me.” And with that, perhaps he’s saying: “Expect
me to do good things for you . . . but let me decide what is good. In other words, let me be God.” Jesus gives us the gift of himself. And so let’s give him the gift of an open
mind, and simple faith in him—as he is.
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