Offense

Then one of the twelve- the man called Judas Iscariot-went to the chief priests and said, '' What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? So they weighed 30 pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him. Matthew 26:14-16

What possessed a man who had walked with Jesus for 3 years, performed some miracles himself, seen the deaf hear, the lame walk, the blind see, the dead raised to betray?

If we re-read the previous verses we see the story of Mary breaking the alabaster box of perfumed oils on Jesus and Judas being offended, it was all about money, success, glory to him and this Jesus was a sad disappointment.

Offense and disappointment can sour the best of relationships and it is a tool our enemy delights in using. You can smell it. 

On Sunday I had a woman tell me how she had met with family for a weekend and because she was single the others took the best rooms containing spas, leaving her the smallest. She said to me, 'I really lost it when they did that.'

A family gathering was soured by thoughtlessness and compounded by offense. It would not have been a nice place to be.

People will always be thoughtless and selfish but if we know better we can refrain from offense, it may take effort but then we have Christ.

Jesus knew who would betray him and that did not stop him from sharing the last supper with him. We don't see Him 'losing it' at Judas. He did say, 'One of you will betray me', and when Judas asked "surely not I"? Jesus replied, "You have said it."

If we have warped ideas or unclean attitudes offense will find a home. If we expect others to behave in a certain way towards us or feel sorry for ourselves offense will find a landing ground.

Every time I am bitten I have to look at why, what is in me that welcomes this nasty spirit? Then it is time to repent. Repentance is the only thing that will rid us of this pest and the sooner the better because it feeds on us, like a tick and poisons us to death.

Find repentance and be free!