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Question 1

David Bercot opens with Jesus’ words, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me,” and then describes two common reactions: walking away from Jesus or “shopping” for a church that explains away His commands—where have you seen these two reactions play out around Jesus’ teachings on divorce, and how do you recognize them in your own instincts?

Another way to ask: Jesus said, “Blessed is the one who isn’t offended because of me.” Where have you seen people either walk away from Jesus or “shop” for a church that explains away his teaching on divorce, and where do you see those reactions in yourself?

Direct Answer Based on David Bercot’s teaching, the two reactions show up when people either abandon Jesus’ hard sayings altogether, or stay “religious” while finding a church that tells them Jesus “didn’t mean what he said.” The transcript pushes us to look honestly at whether our instincts are to submit to Jesus or to find a workaround.

Support from Transcript:

Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me,” because “the majority of people who heard his teachings would be offended by them.”
First reaction: “Some simply decide they don't want to have anything more to do with Jesus, and they disappear back into the world.”
Second reaction: others “join a church with worldly values… until they find a church that teaches that Jesus really didn't mean what he said.”
Bercot says it’s “quite difficult to find a church that doesn't negate Jesus' teachings.”
He identifies divorce (and wealth) as “among the two teachings of Christ that cause the most offense today.”

Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like in real life to be “offended” at Jesus rather than at the messenger? When you feel tension, do you move toward obedience or toward finding a softer interpretation?

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