Adam Didn’t Blow The Fuse
Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offences should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” (Luke 17:1-2 NKJV)
The New English Translation says “Jesus said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, ….3 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.”
Anger is expressed because of offence, and this stems from three separate emotions which are, frustration, fear and hurt. So, in itself, it is a secondary emotion that is always triggered by some external thing apart from itself. In other words it does not manifest until something gives it a push or sets it on fire. To offend is to do wrong, thus causing displeasure. In a simple way, an offence describes the state in which someone’s feeling is wounded.
Offense is one of the biggest tools in the hand of satan which he has perfectly employed to break the covenant relationship between husbands and wives; and between brothers and sisters. Offense is also the reason why many marriages split. Let’s not give room to it any longer.
The Greek word used in the text above as ‘offence’ is ‘Skándalon,’ and it’s deeper than just being offended. It’s compared to the trigger in the trap on which the bait is placed that springs the trap when it is touched by the prey. It goes beyond the injury lurked up within the ambush (Greek, pagis). Skándalon, in most cases, is something which gives occasion to conduct leading to ruin or to a fall. It refers to the enticement or occasion leading to the conduct which brings with it the ruin of the person in question. Is concerned with the fact that it incites certain behaviour which leads to ruin (Rom 14:13; 1 Cor 1;23: Gal 5:11; Rev. 2:14).
We see other translations throw more light to this:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, …”(NIV)
“And Jesus) said to His disciples, Temptations (snares, Draps set to entice to sin) are sure to come, …”(AMPL)
Skandalon, therefore, is the offence which is set as a ingger to stir up an ungodly conduct or action resulting to ruin. It’s a snare to make someone fall; and has also the word, ‘scandal’ in its meaning. I strongly believe, that it is actually the person for whom the bait is intended to lead to ruin, that made apostle Paul by the Spirit of God command, “Be angry, and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26).
Jesus warns, “Woe to him through whom they (the stumbling blocks) do come!”
The Offended Shall Also Be Punished If…
Both the person who causes the bait that leads to ruin, and the one who allows his negative conduct to violate God’s Word, must suffer the woes (inflicted punishment). A clear example is that of Moses and the ever disgruntled, lawless and indomitable congregation who made his leadership of them very tough. Neither Moses nor them entered the Promise land, except their children born in the wilderness, and the two outstanding men, Joshua and Caleb who had the right spirit.
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? (Hebrews 3:10, 17KJV)
Handling Offences
One of the biggest moments in your life to prove how far you’ve gone with Jesus and to show how matured you are, depends on how you are able to handle offense when it comes. Many people fail to utilize the several offense-tests that come their way as a transformation process to the next level of their spiritual growth and blessings, because of their inability to put their emotions under the control of the word of God.
Many times when offenses come we do not see them as temptations targeted to lure us away from God’s purpose; and in attempt to defend ourselves rather than to stand on the Word of God, we trigger the dynamite with the wrong foot, KAGBOOM!, and then go down with the devil who is already down himself. Most times we drag the offenders down with us. How? We talk bad about them and persuade others to see their bad pasts which they may have already settled with God.
Every offense must be handled with wisdom, love for God and fear of God. Beloved, please let agape be your raincoat and umbrella. (See 2 Peter 1:5-11)
The word of God further says,
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.
He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1.Jn.3:14)
May the demon of offense not succeed to make you flush your Christian profession down the drain. Someone said ‘May your physical enemy not succeed in killing you while in sin and then repent tomorrow, to make Heaven.’
Incident #27: Adam Didn’t Blow The Fuse
He did better than many men have done today, even with the bible in their hands and heaven’s tongues in their lips. He called his wife’s name “Eve” (Mother of all living) immediately God passed the judgment of disobedience to them. (Gen. 3:15-20)
Suppose your father, who is the greatest King of the greatest kingdom banishes you and your wife into a wild forest from your arena of bliss, because your wife struck a deal behind your back with the Marketing Director of a deadly terrorist group, What would you do?
- Blame yourself for having met such a woman?
- Exonerate yourself?
- Lash out in an outrageous anger against your wife?
- Blame her for the devastating deal?
- Wash her down in the public?
- Refuse to eat her food? Keep malice with her?
- Neglect her s$xu^lly, and get a concubine or girlfriend to cool off?
- Deny her of her upkeep?
- Put her aside and marry another woman?
Unlike many men, Adam truly showed the gentleman that he was when he found himself in a terrible situation after the fall. Although, he only did 0.5 per cent of the actions numerous husbands would have done, as enumerated in question format above; he passed the blame-game to God and to the woman at that day of reckoning; “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12).
But we read how he swung into action to rename his fallen wife, gave her a new identity and a hope for the future, just right immediately God had pronounced His Judgment on all of them including the serpent (satan)-vs20. Why did he do that? Because, he loved his wife so much that he wanted to save her from that tormenting and life-long emotional guilt and trauma capable of making her lose her self-esteem for life. But for Adam, he could sacrifice his own hurts/feelings to save his traumatized weaker-vessel wife, who would have faced a great crucifixion from the outside world. No doubts even the scripture reminds us; “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Tim. 2:14 KJV)
Hasn’t the world crucified uncountable number of women today over their weaknesses and their mistakes?
We (men) want their beauties, we want them enslaved to us s$xu^lly, but are not ready to be patient enough with them, contrary to the way God used great patience in fashioning them out of just ‘One rib’; we don’t seem to handle them the way God expects us, all because we (as men) do not understand how the girl child has been so packaged with enough grace to grow up in order to supply the ‘Favour’ God has promised to give us when we find them as wives (Pro. 18:22).
Jesus is constantly working on His bride, the church, so she could look glorious and stronger. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. (Ephesians 5:25-27)
