The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. —Isaiah 8:13-14
The Pharisees and the disciples both misunderstood Jesus, and consequently, they were both offended. Those who were offended and who turned away from Jesus when He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:51, NKJV), were not Pharisees but His disciples (followers other than the Twelve). Though He taught with great wisdom and did a few mighty works in His hometown, His friends “were offended at Him” (Matt. 13:57, NKJV). The most commonly used Greek word in the New Testament for offend is also translated “to stumble.” The Greek word is skandalizo, from which our English word scandal is derived. By offending people’s minds, God reveals the things in their hearts that cause them to stumble. Jesus is revealed in the Bible as the way, the truth, the Bread of Life, and the door. He is also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Isa. 8:14, NKJV). What is most revealed in the offended heart is a lack of hunger for God and a lack of humility. In God’s eyes, these are two important characteristics of the heart.
{ PRAYER STARTER }
Father, if there are hidden things within my heart that could cause me to stumble, then reveal them to me by Your spirit that I may lay them at the altar and find Your perfect will.
God even scandalizes or offends
His own people’s minds.
