John 6:61

Noting his disciples were more than a bit put off by his words, Jesus asks them, “Well, do my words offend you?” John 6:61 EFP

Jesus is not blind to his disciples’ state of mind.  They are grumbling.  They are in an altered state.  John has not yet made it clear the identity of the group having this reaction.  He simply refers to them as “his disciples.”  And Jesus notes their reaction and point blank asks them, “Are you offended by this?”

He could have just as well said, “Do I offend you?”  After all, Jesus has made some extraordinary, if not outrageous, claims about himself and those who follow him—his disciples.  They are obviously counting the cost and wondering the effect these words will have on the masses.  Perhaps they are assessing the negative impact it will have on the following Jesus had begun to attract over the past few months.  Either way, there is an uneasy feeling spreading among his listeners that day.  It remains to this day.  I am reminded that the claims of Christ are as outrageous today, as they were in the first century…if not more.  They might even border on offensive.  The Gospel is a stumbling block.  It is offensive today to many who reject its claims or fail to see their significance.  But how does it become offensive to a disciple of Christ?  To me?  Perhaps it boils down to the question, “Are you ashamed of the Gospel?”  I would think this would be easy to answer, but then again…what does my life say?