“Jesus said to John’s messengers,
‘Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.'”Matthew 11:4-6

God could have become man as a very politically powerful ruler who set up society to function properly. He didn’t.  He came as one of us, giving everything He had in love, acceptance and healing. His message is that we, as individuals and as a community, living and acting as He did, are the ones with the ability to establish God’s Kingdom in our midst.

By adding the last line to the Gospel passage, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”, Jesus seems to be implying that some people, then and now, will be against his Gospel message of healing extended to the people on the fringes, the poor, the immigrants, those who are not like “us.”

Let us this week, as we listen to the news or read the latest news items, examine our thoughts to see if they indicate that we are “taking offense at Jesus.”  Recognition of guilt and asking God’s forgiveness are steps toward transformation.