Taking Offense at Jesus?

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

2 Sam 24:2, 9-17; Mk 6:1-6

In today’s Gospel, Jesus struggles with the lack of faith of his own villagers. 

Referring to Jesus’ friends and relatives, the Gospel reads that ‘they took offense at Jesus.’ Hence, the word ‘offense’ calls for our reflection.

1. Offense as Disparaging Jesus’ Origins: Jesus encounters resistance from his own people, not his enemies. Wonder, which is often the gateway to spiritual experience, turns into suspicion and derision when it comes to the greatness of Jesus. As a result, Jesus’ own friends and relatives reduce him to his background. They talk of his family, profession, and ordinary background as if saying, ‘How could someone like him teach with such authority?’ For them, wisdom depends on who speaks it. In their prejudice, they hesitate to accept Jesus’ wisdom. 

2. Offense in the Form of Negative Energy: It is very insightful to read that when Jesus witnessed resistance and saw his people taking offense at him, ‘he was not able to perform any mighty deed there.’ Can anyone or anything limit Jesus? Yes, it appears that negativity and prejudice can even block Jesus, out of whom grace and compassion flowed spontaneously. As a result, the Lord, who was often ‘moved with compassion’ (Mk 1:41), is unable to do anything. By taking offense at Jesus, his villagers build walls that even Jesus finds it difficult to tear down. 

3. Offense as Lack of Faith: The text clearly points to the inability or jealousy of Jesus’ villagers to celebrate him. They feel embarrassed to elevate Jesus into their model, though all of them witness his greatness. Thus, their offense can be seen as their lack of faith too. The way Jesus’ villagers close themselves to divine visitation and become spiritually unavailable is shocking to Jesus, so that ‘he was amazed at their lack of faith.’ Jesus confines himself to a few healings when he discovers the absence of faith in his own villagers.

God often visits us through ordinary people and unfamiliar faces. Do we take offense at divine visitation just as Jesus’ villagers did or recognize God’s presence in them?

Let us pray that we may recognize God’s visitation through simple and unfamiliar faces. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar