“And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11
“As the individual ideal of Truth, Christ Jesus came to rebuke rabbinical error and all sin, sickness, and death, — to point out the way of Truth and Life.” from Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy, page 30 (emphasis added)
According to one commentary I read about offended, “Jesus responds by doing many miracles in that hour and telling the messengers to report these things back to John, along with this message: “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (v. 6). Here, the word ‘offended’ is the same word translated ‘fall away’ in John 16:1 – loosely translated as abandoning the faith.(one who is offended by Jesus is at risk of falling away from Jesus.”
I was reading my daily pages when I came across the following account of Jesus with his disciples after he was risen right before his ascension. One of the very last things he does is give them a very stern rebuke. The human mind might feel it would have been “more pleasant” if he had spoke “soothing words” of comfort before he left them. What he did was the highest love, to rouse their thought before they were on their own facing strong opposition. In this chapter he also pointed the way.
from Mark 16
“14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”