As we look back on the year of 2020, it’s hard not to think about the panic and desperation. Perhaps you recall the scenes of makeshift hospitals in New York’s Central Park and morgues overflowing to trucks in hospital parking lots. Perhaps it’s rioting in the streets, protests for black lives, or the hype, debates, and backstabbing of an election year. These events and scenes will not soon fade from my mind and yet these are not the only serious concerns that will remind me of this tumultuous year. I will also remember 2020 as the year I was surprised at the fickleness of Christians greatly offended over the subjects of masks, government reach, meeting strategies, differing ideologies, election perspectives and more. I am thankful to have a church family who for the most part have displayed exceptional character through this time. It’s on social media, however, where Christian offense has been most evident. It’s the reason I have, for the most part, resigned much of my interaction. Too often I had seen my laptop screen as a picture of public Christian grievance aired to the world. Too often the angry tones of dogma have done disservice to the name of Christ.

What is it that brings out this offense in those who are supposed to be God’s people? Why do we let anger rage so publicly? I would propose one BIG reason – SELF. We hold self in greater magnitude than we do God. We also miscalculate our real problem and divert our eyes away from what is massive to that which is menial. We are Pharisees in disguise.

In Matthew 15, The Pharisees and Scribes came to assess Jesus. It seems that reports about Jesus’ popularity had made it to Jerusalem and what else could a Jewish leadership do but go and assess the threat to their leadership. If this Jesus was saying anything contrary to their teaching, what would happen to the people’s respect for their Rabbis? What would happen to the position of the Pharisees and the Scribes? When the Pharisees confronted Jesus, he promptly reminded them that their laws, their very way of life, was contrary to word of God. He called them ‘hypocrites.’ Jesus was basically telling them that his (and his disciple’s) disregard of their laws were not their problem. Their sinful hearts were their problem. The next thing we see is the disciples coming to Jesus to tell him that these men were greatly offended. They were offended because they were unwilling to see their biggest problem and unwilling to accept that their own agendas were not the most highly rated importance in the world. Jesus’ response to the arrogant offense of the Pharisees was to teach his disciples about the sinfulness of the human heart and withdraw to the region of the Gentiles.

Consider the difference between the offense of the Jewish Pharisees in Matthew 15:1-20 and the gentile woman in Matthew 15:21-28. A gentile woman stands before Jesus and in what can only be described as Jesus’ perfectly righteous and divine sovereign reason, he refers to her as a ‘dog.’ The Pharisees rightly hear the word, ‘hypocrite’ and are offended. This woman rightly hears the word, ‘dog’ and asks for whatever crumb Jesus might allow to drop from the table. Jesus withdraws from Jews to tell a gentile she has great faith.

Why do Christians so easily get offended? I put it to you that it happens when we forget what it is to be like this gentile woman. We forget that we truly are dogs. We truly do deserve hell and our sin is an immense problem that none of us can solve in this world. We truly do need a Savior and that Savior is God himself. When we allow our own agendas to control our thoughts, the reality of our sin dissipates in the clouds of our own egos. Our selfish desire to be respected and right overrides the One who is always standing before us. It becomes too easy to ignore the glory of Christ and how he has commanded us to treat each other in pleasing Him.