The Offense, the Offender and the Offended

“I try hard not to offend. I try harder not to be offended.”

- Dan Crenshaw, Former Navy Seal and US Congressman-elect

The offense, the offender and the offended. In today’s world, offense comes in the form of racism, sexism, Islamophobia, political correctness, and a host of other offenses that end with an, “ism”, “ia”, “ist” and “ics”.

But the focal point in all of this is not on the offense. It isn’t even on the offender. You would think that the crime (offense) and the criminal (offender) would be of upmost concern and interest. But it isn’t. In today’s world, the power, control, strength and focus rests with the offended. Not the offender. Not the offense, but the offended. In fact, being offended is the hope, desire and goal.

Offense today is created when someone from outside of a defined group, freely mingles and interacts within the domain of that group. The offense occurs when the outsider acts in a way traditionally reserved for and associated with the other group.

For instance, a black person can crack black racial jokes and use horrible, racially charged black epithets with no offense within the black community. But, if a white person did and said the exact same thing as the black person, then the black community would get offended. It’s not the offense nor the offender, for both the black and white person did the same thing. What changed was the offended.

The bottom line is this. It has nothing to do with the definable group nor does it have anything to do with the actual offense itself. The emphasis is placed on being offended. Being offended is the goal. 

But why?

Being offended makes you the victim. A victim is afforded special rights, powers and dispensations. Being a victim becomes leverage and a springboard to power. Being offended, whether real or perceived, has been the primary tool and weapon of choice with politicians, social justice warriors, sexual revolution advocates and world affairs.

The offense is just the avenue in which to launch the rights and privileges of the offended and to exploit any advantages that may be available to them. And if benefits do not exist, then the offended will demand that they be created and given to them!

The end game of the offended is not resolution. The goal of the offended is not to correct the offender and eliminate the offense. The goal is compensation and restitution for the offended. The goal is power for the offended. The offended have no desire to stop the offender or stop the offense, oh no, quite the opposite. The offended wants to encourage and perpetuate the offense and the offender, for that’s the only way for them to gain and maintain power and revenue.

NOTE: Above and below could be, should be (?) two separate messages. They came to me at the same time while writing. I decided to leave the two together.

Jesus and Offense.

Jesus warned His disciples about offences. Jesus said, “It is impossible but that offences will come” (Luke 17:1). Heads up everyone! It is simply impossible to avoid offences!

But pay attention to what Jesus teaches on how to handle the offence. Does He tell them to strike back? Does Jesus tell them it is their right to be offended? Does Jesus show them how to leverage the offense into profit and power? No, none of that.

Jesus tells his disciples, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).

The first thing Jesus tells his disciples is to, “Take heed to yourselves”, or in other words, get a grip! Stay calm. Keep yourself under control and don’t let the offense rile your spirit! Most of our grief in life would have never happened if we had just taken heed to ourselves!

Jesus proceeds to tell His disciples to correct the offender of his offense, to bring to their attention that their actions are wrong. This requires the Bible and knowledge thereof, for it is not our will that needs to be done, but God’s will. How are we going to know God’s will if we are not completely invested in the Holy Trinity and His word?

Sin is a direct offense to God. It is our responsibility to repent of sin. We must repent of our own sin first, before we can we help another. We can’t help someone if we ourselves are laden with the same sin. So, we must, “first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye”. Read Matthew Chapter 7:1-5.

Problem resolution lies with the offended. The offended shows the offender their sin (the offense). The offended shows the offender how to repent of that sin and shows them the righteous path. Most importantly, if the offender asks for forgiveness then the offended is to accept it. No grudges or ill will. If the offender continues to offend “seven times in a day” but still asks for forgiveness then then we, “shalt forgive him”.

The power of offense lies in the hands of the offended. With the world, that offense is perpetuated and inflamed. Power is used for personal power and profit.

With Jesus the offense is immediately squelched. The offended seizes the opportunity to save the offender from their sin of offence.

Jesus gives fair warning to anyone that brings offense: “but woe unto him, through whom they come!  It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones” (Luke 17:1-2).

So do you see what the offended is actually doing to the offender in getting them to repent of their offense? The offended is saving their life! We are trying to prevent the “woe”, the great calamity that Jesus warned about from happening to the offender.

But what happens if the offender does not heed the warning? What if they ignore your attempts to save them?

Jesus told His disciples, “whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet” (Matthew 10:7).

Shake off the dust of apostasy and sin from where you’ve been treading and move forward. It is not our job or responsibility to convert someone. It is our job to be obedient to Christ and to spread His word.

The word of Jesus Christ is spirit and life. That spirit will quicken (waken and excite) the spirit within God’s elect. Those who are not God’s chosen, with that person the word will fall flat unto deaf ears. There’s nothing you and I can do about it.

Keep in mind that for whatever reason, the word may not take hold immediately with someone. Sometimes it takes years for the planted seed of truth to germinate, sprout, and grow. So never give up. Sometimes it just takes time. Sometimes it just takes some extra watering for that seed to start growing.

Bill Hitchcock