Not to offend

Matthew 17 : 24 - 27

Then the sons are exempt, Jesus said....But so that we may not offend them....

I have usually not paid much attention to this passage but today the words "so that we may not offend them" stood out for me. The institution of temple tax went back to the Old Testament collection of a half shekel offering (from each person over twenty years of age) for the support of the tabernacle (Exod. 30 : 11- 16).

Jesus pays the tax but uses this as an opportunity to make a profound statement about who he is: sons are exempt from taxes, and as the Son of God, he is exempt from the temple tax. By extension, his disciples would also be exempt.

Jesus agrees to pay the tax so as not to offend the consciences of those Jews who do not yet understand that Jesus supersedes the temple. The apostle Paul is also guided by the same principle (Rom. 14: 13 - 23) as he seeks to resolve problems of community life. As Christians we are indeed free from being enslaved to traditions that have no true significance in God's kingdom that was inaugurated by our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, even in a Christian community, there are as Paul reminds us....the weak and the strong.

I have had to think through this issue lately. I was not comfortable with certain changes made in my church with regards to worship. I have always believed that the administration of the Lord's supper should be done by the church elders. Similarly with the prayer of benediction. In fact, I felt quite disturbed when such duties were rostered to young ministry leaders. Am I just being fussy because of tradition? Am I getting old fashioned in my thinking? I did respectfully express my objections. Others did too and the matter has been resolved amicably......that is, to retain the 'traditions'. I wonder how we can work through such issues without stumbling others and also without suppressing the creativity of those who are less ready to stay with traditions. There are no easy answers. I would like to believe that first and foremost we should "not offend" others. Any changes made should be discussed at length and explained before they are instituted. Very often the issues are not of major theological significance, but much misunderstanding can and does arise when we are not sensitive to others. I can imagine the many challenges Paul faced when trying to instruct his flock over the issues of his day. Thankfully we can be guided by the godly wisdom he has left us.

Let us not pass judgment on disputable matters.....Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (Romans 14: 1, 19).