happy offensive december

     why does everyone seem to be so easily offended? it seems like there's controversy over the smallest things everywhere i look. why can't people just get over their petty differences? but i guess there are big things that people get offended over -- you know, besides proper pronunciation of the word "tomato" or what holiday phrase the store clerk at walmart should say. some people are offended by truth, and that's a serious issue.
     jesus talked about being offended. specifically, he talked about people who were offended by truth -- by himself. in matthew 11:6 and luke 7:23, he says, "blessed is the one who is not offended by me." he also had strong words for those who were offended by himself. when the disciples informed him that he'd offended the pharisees, he said to, "let them alone; they are blind guides. and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." obviously, being offended by christ and falling into "the pit" are inseparable -- no one who rejects christ will enter heaven. what were these pharisees offended about? they were offended by jesus' defiance of their made-up doctrines and his declaration of truth.
     i offended someone once (well, maybe more than once, but a particular instance has come to mind). i was talking about whether or not women should be pastors and elders and such in the church. i cited several bible passages that said that women should not be teachers of men in the church, and should not have authority. a man whose wife happened to be a pastor was bitterly offended by my statements and by the verses i quoted. i tried to point out that he wasn't offended by just me, but by scripture. if he had a problem with something in the bible, i wasn't the person to talk to about it. being offended by truth is certainly a dangerous thing.
     what about the people who are offended by little, insignificant things? i was amused recently while listening to a local radio show. the host was talking about how stupid it was of people to be offended by the phrase "merry christmas." a caller asked if the host thought it was stupid to be offended by two little words like that, and when the host replied with affirmation, the caller asked, "then why are you so offended when people say 'happy holidays' instead of 'merry christmas?'" the point made was a good one. the radio host was being entirely arbitrary and arrogant by being so offended. usually, when people are offended, it's not because the offender is truly "wrong" but because the offendee is too stuck on their out-dated way of thinking. recall the pharisee's offense at jesus' words -- weren't they offended by his lack of convention and tradition?
     so i've taken to saying "happy december" because i think that some people need to be offended a bit. i think people have started to think of christmas the same way the pharisees thought of washing hands. they regard man-made doctrine and tradition more highly than they regard god's truth. think about it -- how many christians miss christmas? pretty close to none, i'm guessing. how many missed celebrating the sabbath last week? ouch. well, the oil did need to be changed, and there was a good show on tv that coincided with church, and it wasn't really a big deal to break sabbath once out of fifty-two times this year, right? but who would ever think of missing christmas for those reasons? i don't think anybody would. thus, i protest. happy december!
     is being offended a sin? well, it's a sin to be offended by truth -- but what about being offended by lies? i think this is a bit of a delicate point, since people can be offended in different ways. some people become angry and violent when they are offended, and that probably wouldn't be good. however, we shouldn't just accept lies and live with them. there come a time to be offended, and even to be angry. jesus was certainly offended a few times; for example, you probably remember when he turned over those tables in the temple. i'd say he was a bit offended by the things going on when he got there.
     then there's this question: is it a sin to offend someone? i think the answer has to be "no," because people are offended by truth, so being truthful could be offensive. if truth is offensive, and offense is a sin, then truth is sin -- this can't be. so no, offending people isn't a sin. i'd say that it's morally neutral. sure, we shouldn't try to provoke people to the point of making them sin. that'd be very unchristian of us. however, we shouldn't try to accommodate all of the narrow minded people we run across in life. i think it might even be a sin to not offend some people. perhaps offend is the wrong word here -- i think we are called, as the children of truth, to be challenging, and that is certainly offensive to some people.
     what, then, is the standard by which we should offend and appease? in thinking about this issue, i think that for the most part, offending people shouldn't be a factor in living. if we aren't offending god, we need not worry; and god went ahead and made it easy by telling us what he's offended by. he even made a few lists, which are found in the bible. if you stick with those (incidentally, you won't be able to if you try), you'll never have to worry about offending people. you will offend people, inevitably, but it's not your problem if you're truly living by god's expressed will.
     so should i or should i not say "happy december" to people? aren't i trying to offend them? sort of, yes. but am i not doing so for a reason -- that those who i offend might come to a better understanding of god's truth, and that they might let go of their so tightly held traditions? is that not the real reason jesus challenged the pharisees? he could've washed his hands like they did, and the issue would never have come up. he knew he would offend them by not washing his hands, and it would certainly have been permissible to do so. nowhere does god disallow the washing of hands. however, jesus abstained from washing his hands, to make a point. he did it to challenge and offend the pharisees. i think i'm following his example when i say "happy december" -- but you can go ahead and say "merry christmas" or "happy holidays" or "happy satanday" or whatever else you'd like to say this december season.