They Were Offended by Him

“We knew this man when He was a kid. We watched Him grow up. No big deal. What makes Him think He can teach us now? Heck, He’s a carpenter, not a school-trained rabbi. It’s insulting. Does He think He’s better than us? And how the heck is He making people better? I’m telling you, I don’t like Him telling us what we can or can’t do, should or shouldn't do. I’m not buying His act, and I’m certainly not going to follow after Him like these lunatics who sit at His feet all day. It’s offensive.” ​

​Meditation
Mark 6:2-4--When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom given to Him, and how are these miracles performed by His hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t His sisters here with us?” So they were offended by Him. Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.”
 
Do you ever get discouraged because you are trying to do the right thing and yet are criticized? You follow Jesus the best you know how, love people, and pray for them, and yet it feels like you are constantly chided for something, labeled, or somehow inadequate? You compliment someone only to be met with, “What are you trying to get from me?” You teach a message God put on your heart, and someone corrects your grammar. You share a word meant to help a family member, and they tell you to mind your own business. Ouch!
            
Jesus was PERFECT. How did that work in His hometown? He did not retaliate or call down fire from heaven on them. He did not defend Himself. He did not throw a pity party, give up, or ask His Father to bring Him home because ministry was too hard. But He was amazed by their unbelief. Their skepticism stymied His ability to do much for them. So He gave them the truth and moved on. Most of His ministry was not conducted in Nazareth. We can benefit from His example.
            
Wayne Dyer noted, “That which offends you only weakens you. Being offended creates the same destructive energy that offended you in the first place—so transcend your ego and stay in peace.” We, humans, are all flawed. We all get offended—sometimes rightly so, sometimes not. The people you love the most may hurt you severely. Move on. Don’t stop loving them. Don’t let the fact that your best intentions or sincere actions caused offense rob your joy. We can’t make people like or accept us. We don’t always get what we want. Sincere words or actions may be questioned, analyzed, falsely judged, and belittled. Welcome to life on earth. Things will get better—heaven awaits. Meanwhile, we have a responsibility to remain faithful to what God calls us. So cheer up and keep walking. Something to think about . . . in reveration.
 
Inspiration
“To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.”—David A. Bednar
 
©2026 Daniel York.  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10—"The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.”  (Holman CSB)