Why are people offended by the news about Jesus?

Christians are people who love and honour Jesus. We think that Jesus is the greatest gift and most important person ever. Jesus taught people to love God and one another; so why then are people so offended by us speaking about Jesus?

Galatians 6 can help us understand this. In v12, Paul returns to the considering why the false teachers taught the Galatians what they did:

It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

(Gal. 6:12 ESV)

The false teachers told them they needed to trust in Jesus and keep the law. This led to much confusion and a loss of the gospel of grace. So why would the false teachers do this? There are two reasons given in v12. One is that they want to “make a good showing in the flesh”. This means that they would like to have a good reputation among people. But it is the second motivation Paul mentions that we will focus on here. They do it “only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ”. What does this mean? It means that the things they teach are less controversial, they would be more acceptable to the Jews. Jewish people who don’t trust in Jesus would be happier because these false teachers are telling these Christians to keep the law. They are teaching something more socially acceptable in their context. And this will avoid others persecuting them.

The implication here is that true Christianity, trusting in Jesus alone to be saved, will lead to persecution for the cross of Christ. Why? Why is the cross offensive? We who are Christians see the death and resurrection of Jesus as such good news. We are sinners who need a Saviour, and Jesus died in our place to save us.  How is that offensive? How does it make others angry at us?

There are a few reasons why:

1. The cross offends people because it means that we are limited people who cannot save ourselves; we need Jesus. This is a hard idea for people to grasp. Everyone naturally wants to think they can do something to make their lives better and fix things. The cross says that only Jesus can do that. You need a lesser view of yourself and your own abilities to trust in Jesus, and that is offensive to many.
2. The cross is also offensive because it puts all people on the same level. All people are sinners who need Jesus. This means that those who are respected or wealthy or impressive in this world have no advantage over anyone else. In a world that is so often based on comparison, this is hard for more successful people to accept. It is no accident that the gospel has always spread more quickly among the poor than the wealthy.

3. And finally, the cross is offensive because it is exclusive. Our modern culture says we need to be tolerant of all beliefs, and it is wrong to say one is better than another. The cross says that Jesus is the only way to be saved, and the others are not real and do not work. That’s offensive to many. It will lead to persecution.

Being religious and good is something the world is happy with. People are OK with you being a Christian if that means you try to be nicer. They will not be happy if you talk about sin and try to convince them that Jesus’ death is important. That is what Paul is speaking about in v12. The false gospel of trying to be good enough for God is OK with other people. The true gospel that says we are sinners who need Jesus so desperately is not OK with other people.

This does not mean that we just try to be good and not speak about Jesus. We need to tell others, even if they might find it offensive. Unlike the false teachers, our main goal is not to have a good reputation or to be respected. It is to glorify God. Speak about Jesus and be prepared for people to be uncomfortable and disagree with you. We need to tell others the only message that brings life, even if it is socially unacceptable.