Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Walking With God

Are You Involved In A Scandal?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2022-07-05

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver examines the biblical concept of scandal (Greek skandalon), showing that it differs from modern notions of disgraceful actions. He demonstrates from Scripture that both the Word of God and Jesus Christ Himself can be a scandal—a stumbling block that ensnares—to those who reject truth. This applies not only to the unsaved but also to believers who prefer their own thoughts, desires, and traditions over God's authoritative Word. Using Matthew 13:57 and other passages, he warns that being scandalized by Christ or His Word leads to unbelief and spiritual destruction, and urges believers to bow to truth regardless of familiarity or personal understanding.

[John Weaver] Well, let's open our Bibles if you would please today to the book of Matthew chapter 13 and to begin with we're only going to read one verse verse 57 Matthew chapter 13 and verse 57 The title of the message is a question. Listen carefully. Are you involved in a scandal? Are you involved in a scandal? I'll explain. Notice verse 57. The Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, and they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house. Everyone knows about scandals. Soap operas, Hollywood movies, trashy magazines, and even newspapers thrive on scandals. And the truth is, the juicier the scandal, the more magazines and more papers they sell.

[John Weaver] And when we think of scandals, we normally think of prominent men and women, especially, violating their marriage vows, defrauding, stealing, plotting, scheming, even committing murder. Such thinking is basically supported by dictionary definitions of scandals. And let me give you one dictionary definition. Here it is, a scandal, a disgraceful or discreditable action, circumstance, an offense caused by a fault or misdeed, damaged reputation and a public disgrace. And of course, it goes on to say that it would also include defamatory talk and malicious gossip. So according to the dictionary, modern day dictionaries, to scandalize is basically to shock or to horrify someone because something is immoral or improper. And of course, We're all aware of all kinds of public scandals, not only from the Roman Catholic Church and the pedophilia involved there, but even in Hollywood.

[John Weaver] In fact, there is a famous divorce or an infamous divorce going on now at Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. And truth of the matter is, I know nothing about either one of them. I don't watch any of that stuff, but I just know every time you look at any news that's there. And of course, we hear about these all the time. But when you come to the word scandal in the Bible, it is a totally and different idea. So let me just point this out. It is possible to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is also possible to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And our text is going to demonstrate this. Our English word scandal comes from the Greek word skandalon.

[John Weaver] Sometimes it is closely connected with a stumbling block, but it is usually translated as offense or offended, and it means literally to ensnare or to entrap an animal or an enemy. In reality, the skandalon was the trapstick that held the trap in place, and when, of course, that stick was moved or bumped into, then the trap fell, and the enemy and or the animal was ensnared. So anytime you see the word usually in the New Testament, offend or offended, it is from the Greek word skandalon. And sometimes, occasionally, it is translated as a stumbling block, but there is another word that is used mainly for stumbling blocks, but it's always closely associated with a stumbling block.

[John Weaver] So if you'll hold Matthew chapter 13, look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14 and verse 13, and I'll show you a very close connection in Romans chapter 14 verse 13. Note if you would what the scripture says. Romans 14 and verse 13. Let us not therefore judge one another, the scripture says, anymore, but judge us rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Now, the Greek word for stumbling block is the word proskoma, and it indicates a stumbling stone or stumbling block. It is an obstacle that is placed in someone's way so that if his foot strikes against it, then he's simply going to stumble or fall. Now when you look in Romans 14 in verse 13, he says, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge us rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall. And the word occasion to fall is the word skandalon. So you see the stumbling block and the scandal go together.

[John Weaver] So he says, let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge us rather that no man put a stumbling block or a scandal in his brother's way. So clearly then you have the stumbling block and the scandal closely associated. So here's a truth that I want to share with you today. And I want you to understand this because it is very clearly taught in the scripture that the word of God itself can scandalize. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself can scandalize as well. So let me show you, first of all, how the Scriptures of God, or the Word of God, can scandalize. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Matthew chapter 15, since that's close to our text. Look in Matthew chapter 15, and notice, if you would please, verse 12.

[John Weaver] We're going to come back and get the context, but I want you to note what he said. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 12. Then came his disciples and said unto him, our Lord had been teaching, so they say to our Lord Jesus, knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying." So literally, knowest thou that the Pharisees were scandalized after they heard this saying. So they were scandalized by our Lord's teaching.

[John Weaver] He taught them that their traditions violated the word of God and that they consistently transgressed the law of God by their tradition and by their religion. So let's look at the context. Let's begin with verse 1 of Matthew 15. Then came to Jesus, scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"

[John Weaver] And by the way, I've pointed this before, and I will say it again. When they ask, why do the disciples not wash their hands before they eat bread, this had absolutely nothing to do with sanitation. This was a ritual. This was a ceremony that had been handed down by the elders, and it was their tradition that you do that. And so in verse 3, he said, but he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, here's the illustration, For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and thy mother, and he that curseth father and mother, let him die of the death. But you say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. You hypocrites!

[John Weaver] Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and on unto me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain, but in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." So our Lord very clearly states that their traditions were worthless, and their religion was useless. He said that they were hypocrites, And moreover, they did not worship God in truth. And so our Lord then spoke very plainly and very clearly against their traditions.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will look in verse 10, he continues, and he called the multitude and said to them, hear and understand not that which goes into the mouth defileth the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth the man. So our Lord then says, look, you might eat a little dirt if you don't wash your hands, but that's not the main contamination. The main contamination is that which comes forth out of the mouth. In other passages, He says it comes forth from the heart.

[John Weaver] And so He's teaching then very clearly that these Pharisees have everything upside down. Now, if you look back in verse 12, Then came his disciples and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended or scandalized after they heard this saying? So they were scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were scandalized by his word. And his answer to his disciples may surprise you. Verse 13, But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone.

[John Weaver] they be blind, leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." So basically, we have a truth here that our Lord is enunciating. If someone is scandalized by the Word of God, if they're scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ, they're not a plant of our Heavenly Father. He has not planted them. And He said they're blind, and if the blind lead the blind, they're both going to fall into the ditch. In other words, you are scandalized by the Word of God, if you reject the Word of God, then you're headed for destruction is what it amounts to. So our Lord then is showing us very clearly that it is possible and yea, it is truthful that all who reject the Word of God are scandalized by the Word of God and therefore they are blind and headed for destruction.

[John Weaver] Now here's an interesting thing. Truth does shock and horrify people who are consumed with error and heresy. Have you ever stopped to think about that? When you tell the absolute biblical truth to someone who's never heard the truth, they've been raised in some type of superstition, or they've been raised by tradition, and you begin to reclaim the truth, and all of a sudden it's like, what? That can't be right. I've never been taught that in my entire life. I've never heard that in my entire life. And they are in a very real state of shock. And so the truth does indeed shock them.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note something else. Look in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 57 again. Watch. Matthew 13 verse 57. He says this, And they were offended in him. and they were offended in Him." Note, they were not just offended by the Word of God, now they are offended in Him. That is, they were scandalized by Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to come back to this in the context in just a little bit, but I want you to turn over in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. And let me show you another passage that is very clear when it comes to being scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. So notice, if you would, in 1 Peter chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 1 Peter 2 and verse 3. The scripture says, If so be that you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as into a living stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious.

[John Weaver] You also as lively or living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone elect precious. And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. Now watch verse 8. A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient were unto also they were appointed. But you, that is, you who believe, you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have also obtained mercy."

[John Weaver] Now, if you go back to verse 4, he says,"...to whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men." The word disallowed, it occurs again in verse 7, the latter part, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same has become the head of the corner. The Greek word here literally means disallowed, rejected, disapproved, and repudiated. So Jesus Christ was repudiated. He was disallowed. He's rejected by these individuals who, of course, would not acknowledge Him as the Messiah. But look in verse 8. We're talking about Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] And what is He to some of these people? He's a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. That is, He is a scandal even to them which stumble at the Word. So it is possible then to be scandalized not only by the Word of God, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what I've been telling you so far is this, and I think you can see that, that the unsaved, the unregenerate, who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse His Word, are scandalized by His Word and by Himself.

[John Weaver] But let me make another statement. This may shock you. It is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is possible for real, genuine believers to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, since we're in Matthew, if you will turn back to Matthew chapter 11, and look if you would please at verse 6. Matthew 11 and verse 6. Look at what our Lord says. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. Literally, blessed is he whosoever shall not be scandalized in me. So we're talking about individuals being scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to give you a passage that should make it exceedingly clear that it is possible for Christians to be scandalized, not only by the Word of God, but by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So, if you will turn to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 31. Matthew 26 and verse 31. In this passage, our Lord is speaking to His disciples. So notice Matthew 26, verse 31, Then said Jesus unto them, All of you shall be offended because of me this night. All of you shall be scandalized because of me this night.

[John Weaver] For it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men should be offended or scandalized because of thee, yet I will never be scandalized. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Note this phrase.

[John Weaver] Likewise also said all of the disciples. Now, our Lord not only warns His disciples that they're going to be scandalized, He even quotes Scripture. When you look back in your Bibles at verse 31, when He said,"...for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." He's quoting from Zechariah chapter 13 and verse 7. So Peter now and the rest of the disciples were just absolutely adamant that they would never be scandalized. They would never, ever be offended. And Peter said, I will die with thee first. And then the Bible says, likewise said them all. So skip down to verse 55 and watch what happens.

[John Weaver] In the same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are you come out against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid no hold on me. But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. Well, they were scandalized. You know, this is an interesting thing. when you stop and think about this, Jesus Christ not only taught them and told them, he quoted the scripture. And so what Peter and the rest of the disciples are saying, I don't care what the scripture says, I'm not going to deny you. I don't care what you say. I'm not going to deny you. I'm not going to be scandalized. I'm not going to be offended." And Jesus said, let me tell you something, Peter. Before that cock crows twice, you're going to deny me thrice. Interestingly, here were believers who were refusing to accept Scripture. And were refusing to accept the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] So they actually were not believing the scriptures. They actually were not believing the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. So interestingly enough, we see whose word actually came to pass. How then do we as Christians scandalize or be involved in scandals or be scandalized? And that is when you and I simply prefer our thoughts, our desires, our will, our way, and our words above the Word of God and above the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We're involved in a scandal. We're being scandalized by the truth of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a good illustration. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 44. Jeremiah 44. This whole section is an absolutely wonderful section. In Jeremiah chapter 44, I would have to tell you that Nebuchadnezzar has come and killed an awful lot of Judeans. He's also taken a number into captivity. And so Nebuchadnezzar then nominates and names a man as governor of those few weak and poor Judahites that are left. And Ishmael comes up and murders the governor. And then, of course, he takes what is left of the king's household and some other people and leaves. And here are some that are left and they come to Jeremiah and they say, Please inquire of God for us, please. We want God's will we want to know his word. We are afraid of these Babylonians we know now that our governor's been killed nebuchadnezzar is going to come in and take revenge and Tell us what to do and we will obey and so Jeremiah prayed and God said I'll tell them what to do and I will tell them They need to stay

[John Weaver] in the land If they stay in the land, I will protect them. They need not be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. He will do absolutely nothing. Do not go down into Egypt. If they go down into Egypt, they're going to run into what they're fleeing from because said, God, I'm giving Egypt into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Well, the truth is then when Jeremiah told them this, they said, you're lying to us.

[John Weaver] Baruch has set you against us. We don't believe you. God didn't say that. And we're going into Egypt, and they even kidnapped Jeremiah and Baruch and took them down into Egypt as well. But don't you see what God says? Look in Jeremiah 44, beginning there with verse 28, look what he says. Yet a small number that escaped the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt, not many, but just a small number, into the land of Judah, And all the remnant of Judah that are gone to the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs. And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil." God said, you want a contest to find out whose words are going to stand? You want to find out who's going to be scandalized? You want to find out whether or not I can bring to pass exactly what I say?

[John Weaver] Well, you shall find out. So it is possible then when you and I do not believe the word of God and do not bow to the word of God, that we're scandalized by it because we are trusting in what we think and what we want and what our desires are above what God says.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of John chapter 16, I will say this, it is the will of our Lord Jesus for each of us that we be not scandalized because he has warned us, he has foretold us. Look if you would please in John chapter 16 beginning there with verse 1. He says this, these things have I spoken to you that you should not be offended or that you should not be scandalized.

[John Weaver] They shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father or me. But these things have I told you, that when the time come, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

[John Weaver] But now I go my way to him that sent me. And none of you asketh me whither goest thou. Look what our Lord said. He said, I've spoken these things to you that you should not be offended. What's he mean? Don't be scandalized. You know, if they mistreated the master, they're going to mistreat the disciple. If they rejected me, they're going to reject you. If they've ridiculed me, they're going to ridicule you. If they've persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. If they kill me, they're going to kill some of you. What does he say? I'm telling you this, he said, so that you will not be offended, so that you will not be scandalized. You have to understand these things are coming down the pike.

[John Weaver] Now, not everybody suffers to the degree that the original disciples did. Not everybody suffers to the degree that some of those Christians in Russia suffered. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact it does tell us that we should not be offended because these things are coming down the pike.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back to Matthew chapter 13. With these things in mind, I want you to look at this. Matthew chapter 13, and again, look at verse 14, verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54. And when he was coming to his own country, that would be Nazarene, Nazareth. When he was coming to his own country, He taught them in their synagogues, insomuch that they were astonished and said, whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Notice, if you would, he came into his own country. He was raised in Nazareth.

[John Weaver] He was born in Bethlehem. But you remember, after he came out of Egypt, he went back to Nazareth. That's where he was raised. That's where he was brought up. So, undoubtedly, there were family and there were friends in Nazareth. But notice the Bible says He taught them in their synagogues. And when He taught, they were absolutely astounded, they were astonished, and they were amazed at what He said and what He did.

[John Weaver] Now, look at verse 54 again. And they said, the latter part, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Let me give you just a quick quote from Matthew Poole on this verse. He said, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? That is a power to do these mighty works. Mark saith, Whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this that is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

[John Weaver] Now listen, astonishment and admiration flow from ignorance and are no indications of any spiritual saving work upon men's hearts. And we shall see that these Jews, notwithstanding their astonishment, are by and by scandalized and offended at Christ. Wow. So look again at verse 54, they ask, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, just stop and think about this. They knew Jesus Christ. He was raised there. They knew of His education, or should I say, His lack of education, because He had never been to an approved rabbinical school. He had never learned from any of the learned doctors, and yet they were astounded, astonished, and amazed at what he taught and how he taught. Interestingly enough, instead of glorifying the fact that he was a man that had never been to a rabbinical school, and yet he knew all of the doctrine, he had all the answers, and he had the power to do mighty works. Instead of glorifying in that, no, no, no, no. wanted to be absolutely astonished and amazed and said, where did he get this? How's he doing this?

[John Weaver] Let me show you something. I'm going to show you two passages. You see, the teaching of Jesus Christ was totally different from the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees. If you look back in your Bibles to John chapter 7, John chapter 7, And look, if you would please, at verse 15. John 7 and verse 15. And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? What? How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

[John Weaver] Where did he get this education? How does he understand this doctrine? Who taught him theology? Why, he didn't go to one of our rabbinical schools. Look, our Lord answers that question when they want to know how he knew and never studied under them. Look, verse 16, Jesus said to them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will to do his will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.

[John Weaver] He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory. but he that seeketh the glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness in him." So, our Lord says, My doctrine is not Mine. My doctrine is from the Father who sent Me. Now, if you will go back to Matthew chapter 7, having understood that our Lord has gotten His doctrine from His Father, His revelation from His Father, Look if you would in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 29.

[John Weaver] Here's what said Jesus Christ apart from the scribes and the Pharisees. For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. If you turn right on over to the book of Mark chapter 1, and look at verse 27, you'll see this same principle enunciated again, only in a different way. But Mark chapter 1 in verse 27, And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this?

[John Weaver] What new doctrine is this? For with authority commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. So our Lord taught with absolute authority. Have you ever realized a simple truth, and that is this, that most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth. They do not want authoritative teaching. They do not want someone coming along saying you're wrong. They don't want someone coming along and saying, well, your traditions are unbiblical.

[John Weaver] The way you were raised is untruthful. What you think and what you believe and what your opinions are, are wicked and wrong. Most people would rather be left in their own lives, in their own opinions, in their own traditions, than have truth. You begin to authoritatively state truth to people, and here is the response that you normally get. But who do you think you are telling me what to do? Telling me what to believe? Telling me what to think?

[John Weaver] Who in the world are you? So this is what they're saying about Jesus Christ. He taught them as one having authority. Where did He get this knowledge? How did He learn this? Where did He get this power? Let me tell you something very quickly. The truth of the matter is this. The sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Provider, our Lord, and our King, has the absolute right to tell us what to do, when to do it, where to do it, and how to do it. We are the creatures. He is the Creator. We are the servants. He is the Lord. We are the children. He is the Father. He has every right to speak to us authoritatively. We may not like it, but He has every right to do so.

[John Weaver] Most of us have heard the word Torah. In the broadest sense, the word Torah refers to the substance of divine revelation. In the strictest sense of the word, the word Torah refers to the first five books of the Bible, and that those books contain the law of God as written by Moses. But what a lot of people do not know is this, that the word Torah actually means instruction, authoritative instruction. And maybe that's why most people do not like the law of God. Maybe that's why they do not like the Word of God, because it is absolutely authoritative. You've heard me say that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice, because it is the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Matthew 13. Again, look at verse 54. And now we're going to continue on down to verse 56. Watch it. And when he was coming to his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, inasmuch as they were astonished and said, whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Now watch, is not this the carpenter's son?

[John Weaver] Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man these things?" Wow. Are you listening? They stumbled over the truth of God. They were offended, scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ because they thought that He was not and could not be the Messiah because He was their hometown boy. They knew Him.

[John Weaver] They had seen Him since He was a child. And besides that, is not this the carpenter's son? Well, a carpenter doesn't know these things. And besides that, His brothers are here and His sisters are here. Who does he think he is? Where did he get all of this? Wow. You see, here's the problem. These people thought that they knew the Scriptures. They did not know the Scriptures.

[John Weaver] If you will look in your Bible, so John chapter 5, which is an absolutely wonderful passage, but when you look in John chapter 5, beginning there with verse 39, Look at what our Lord says. Here's what He tells these people. He says, search the Scriptures, for in them you think that you have eternal life. In other words, you think that you're right, but He says, they are they which testify of Me. If you don't see Me in the Scriptures, you're not reading them right. And then He says in verse 40, and you will not come unto Me that you might have life. So they're stumbling over the Scriptures. They're being scandalized by the Scripture.

[John Weaver] Do you realize the very fact that our Lord taught authoritatively, the very fact that our Lord knew doctrine, the very fact that our Lord could correct the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the scribes and the Pharisees, and the very fact that He worked all of these miracles should have proven to them that there was something absolutely different about Him. They may not have observed it physically. Let me make a statement.

[John Weaver] There was nothing extraordinary about the physical appearance of Jesus Christ. If you'll turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 53, you see, this is something else that threw them, because Jesus Christ looked like an ordinary everyday Israelite. That's all there is to it. Look in Isaiah 53 in verse one, the scripture says this, who has believed our report and to whom is the armor of the Lord revealed for he, the Messiah shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground.

[John Weaver] He hath no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. In other words, there's nothing special about His outward appearance. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from Him. He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Wow. So here, back in Matthew chapter 13, what these people are doing, they're judging by appearance.

[John Weaver] I mean, He's our hometown boy. We've known him all of his life. We know his father. We know his mother. We know his brothers. We know his sisters. We know he hasn't been away to college. So where do you get all this information? Where did he get this truth? And where did he get the power to do these works? The Bible says in John chapter 7, judge not by appearance, but judge righteous judgment. And consequently, they were judging by appearance.

[John Weaver] And look, if you would please, at verse 57. Here's the inevitable result of judging by appearance. And they were offended in him. They were scandalized in him. But Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house. Wow! His humility and his lack of an education as far as they were concerned and the familiarity they had with his family made them refuse the truth that he taught. Wow! They were offended at him. These things made them stumble.

[John Weaver] They concluded that He could not possibly be the Messiah because they knew Him. They knew everything about Him. And one would have thought just the opposite. If we don't know where He got all of this information from, obviously there's something special about Him. If we don't know where He got all the power to do these miracles, there's something special about Him. It should have led them to conclude that He is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.

[John Weaver] But our Lord made this statement, look at it again if you would please in verse 57. And they were offended in him, but Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor save in his own country and in his own house. So he was in his own country. He was in his own house. And by the way, I hope you know that his brothers did not even believe on him initially and originally. Thankfully, they were converted later, but initially they did not believe him because they encouraged him to go on up to the feast. And our Lord said, I go not up yet. And the Bible said that they did not yet believe in him. But notice he said, a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house.

[John Weaver] I've told you this before. I'm going to tell you again, and I hope it sinks into your heart very deeply. After 57 years of preaching, the two hardest lessons that I've learned are these. Number one, you can't help everybody. It's impossible. You just can't help everybody. Some people are not going to listen. Some do not want to listen. They do not want to be helped. You just can't help everybody. You might want to, but it's impossible.

[John Weaver] The second lesson is even harder. Sometimes those you can help are your own family and your own friends. It's very difficult when you know the truth and you have the answers. But they don't want the truth or the answers. And this is why he's saying, a prophet is not without honor in his own country, except in his own country and in his own house. Familiarity does indeed breed contempt, but familiarity does not cancel out truth. Familiarity does not cancel out the fact that God can use the weakest of men and God can use the least of men. Familiarity does not stop God from using anyone any time.

[John Weaver] Look if you would please at verse 58. Here's the result of being scandalized, and he did not many works there because of their unbelief. Do you realize our Lord could have healed a lot of sick folks? He could have cleansed a lot of lepers. He could have shared an awful lot of doctrine. He could have done wonderful things. But they did not believe. So let me put it to you very plainly. A rejection of truth is unbelief. A denial of truth is unbelief. A refusal to hear truth is unbelief. And if you refuse to hear the truth, if you refuse to heed the truth, if you refuse to obey the truth, you're being scandalized by the Word of God. You're involved in a scandal. And if you refuse to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, you're being scandalized in Christ. Because you're offended in him, you do not believe him.

[John Weaver] So let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. Consider if you would for a moment, the people here in Nazareth. Their consciences were not exercised. It was their curiosity that was aroused. They were astonished. They were amazed. Where did he get this knowledge? Where did he get this power? We would like to know. We know who he is. We know his family. What could be special about a carpenter's son? Curiosity will often lead you astray. The old adage, we have curiosity killed the cat. It's killed more than cats.

[John Weaver] But it was not the claims of God that they were occupied with. It was the schools of men. Wow. He didn't go to the school of Hillel. He didn't go to the school of Shammai. What? What? Rabbi taught him. I mean, come on. Most people are willing to pay attention to anything and everything but truth. We'll spend our time, we'll waste our time on trivialist matters, but we'll not spend time seeking and praying and searching for truth. So it's possible that those who reject the Word of God and reject the Lord Jesus Christ are involved in scandals. They're being scandalized by the Word of God and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the second one. You have to remember that it's not just the unsaved that can be scandalized by the Word of God and by the Lord Jesus Christ, but Christians as well.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, please. to John chapter 6. Look in John chapter 6. And I want you to understand that when we resort to our own will, when we resort to our own knowledge and our own opinions and our own desires, we're being scandalized. You remember the Bible tells us. that we're to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not to our own understanding and all our ways acknowledge him and he shall direct our paths. But it is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the word of God and by Jesus Christ himself. In John chapter six, Jesus Christ has been teaching that he is the bread of life.

[John Weaver] He that eateth me shall live of me. That's not teaching cannibalism. That's not teaching transubstantiation. But what it is teaching is this. If we are real genuine Christians, we are nourished, we are sustained by the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when he's teaching that he is the bread of life, look, if you would please, at verse 60. Many, therefore, of his disciples, when they heard this said, this is a hard saying, who can hear it?

[John Weaver] I don't know if we can put up with this. We don't understand this. Now watch verse 61. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said to them, does this offend you? Does this scandalize you? Are you involved in a scandal just because you don't believe what I told you or you don't understand what I said? Are you going to reject Me? Are you going to reject My Word based upon your own thinking, based upon your own finite understanding? Wow. Look in verse 66. From that time, many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him. They were scandalized. They were offended. It was the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ that scandalized them. Verse 67 then said, Jesus unto the 12, will you go away also? Then Simon Peter answered and said, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. At least these were not scandalized.

[John Weaver] It is possible for a Christian to be involved in a scandal, and I'm not talking about adultery and fornication and theft and fraud. It's possible for Christians to fail to bow to the Word of God, believe the Word of God, and act upon the Word of God. And when they fail to do that, they're scandalized. They're involved in a scandal. And we shall see whose word shall stand, God's or theirs. So that means this, we may not understand the truth, but we must bow to the truth. And we must always bow to the Lord Jesus Christ so that we will never be involved in a scandal with Him. or with His Word.

[John Weaver] Do not be offended at what He has said and what He commands. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this night. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You, Father, for Your truth. And Lord, the truth is, we have been scandalized. We have been offended so many times because we did not believe. We did not bow. we did not hear and we did not heed we ask for thy divine forgiveness and give us lord hearing ears and seeing eyes and believing hearts that we would not be involved in a scandal give us lord the grace to always bow to thee and thy truth thou art our authority Thy Word is truth. Give us, we pray, Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask it. Amen.

[John Weaver] so so

Are You Involved In A Scandal?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	2ej5H0851ZM
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Walking With God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-07-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 132: Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit — Chapter 14
Source Timed Segments	67

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Biblical Meaning of Scandal

Weaver introduces the topic by contrasting modern dictionary definitions of scandal with the biblical Greek word skandalon, which refers to a trap or stumbling block that ensnares.

Well, let's open our Bibles if you would please today to the book of Matthew chapter 13, and to begin with we're only going to read one verse, verse 57. Matthew chapter 13 and verse 57. The title of the message is a question. Listen carefully. Are you involved in a scandal? Are you involved in a scandal? I'll explain. Notice verse 57. The Bible says concerning Jesus Christ,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:57

"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."

Everyone knows about scandals. Soap operas, Hollywood movies, trashy magazines, and even newspapers thrive on scandals. And the truth is, the juicier the scandal, the more magazines and more papers they sell.

And when we think of scandals, we normally think of prominent men and women, especially, violating their marriage vows, defrauding, stealing, plotting, scheming, even committing murder. Such thinking is basically supported by dictionary definitions of scandals. And let me give you one dictionary definition. Here it is: a scandal, a disgraceful or discreditable action, circumstance, an offense caused by a fault or misdeed, damaged reputation and a public disgrace. And of course, it goes on to say that it would also include defamatory talk and malicious gossip. So according to the dictionary, modern day dictionaries, to scandalize is basically to shock or to horrify someone because something is immoral or improper. And of course, we're all aware of all kinds of public scandals, not only from the Roman Catholic Church and the pedophilia involved there, but even in Hollywood.

In fact, there is a famous divorce or an infamous divorce going on now at Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. And truth of the matter is, I know nothing about either one of them. I don't watch any of that stuff, but I just know every time you look at any news that's there. And of course, we hear about these all the time. But when you come to the word scandal in the Bible, it is a totally and different idea. So let me just point this out. It is possible to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is also possible to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And our text is going to demonstrate this. Our English word scandal comes from the Greek word skandalon.

Sometimes it is closely connected with a stumbling block, but it is usually translated as offense or offended, and it means literally to ensnare or to entrap an animal or an enemy. In reality, the skandalon was the trapstick that held the trap in place, and when, of course, that stick was moved or bumped into, then the trap fell, and the enemy and or the animal was ensnared. So anytime you see the word usually in the New Testament, offend or offended, it is from the Greek word skandalon. And sometimes, occasionally, it is translated as a stumbling block, but there is another word that is used mainly for stumbling blocks, but it's always closely associated with a stumbling block.

The Word of God Can Scandalize

Using Matthew 15, Weaver shows that the Pharisees were scandalized by Jesus' teaching against their traditions, demonstrating that truth can shock those committed to error.

So he says, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or a scandal in his brother's way." So clearly then you have the stumbling block and the scandal closely associated. So here's a truth that I want to share with you today. And I want you to understand this because it is very clearly taught in the scripture that the word of God itself can scandalize. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself can scandalize as well. So let me show you, first of all, how the Scriptures of God, or the Word of God, can scandalize. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Matthew chapter 15, since that's close to our text. Look in Matthew chapter 15, and notice, if you would please, verse 12.

We're going to come back and get the context, but I want you to note what he said. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 12:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-14

"Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?"

So literally, knowest thou that the Pharisees were scandalized after they heard this saying. So they were scandalized by our Lord's teaching. He taught them that their traditions violated the word of God and that they consistently transgressed the law of God by their tradition and by their religion. So let's look at the context. Let's begin with verse 1 of Matthew 15:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-14

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"

And by the way, I've pointed this before, and I will say it again. When they ask, why do the disciples not wash their hands before they eat bread, this had absolutely nothing to do with sanitation. This was a ritual. This was a ceremony that had been handed down by the elders, and it was their tradition that you do that. And so in verse 3, he said, "But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites!"

"Well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." So our Lord very clearly states that their traditions were worthless, and their religion was useless. He said that they were hypocrites, and moreover, they did not worship God in truth. And so our Lord then spoke very plainly and very clearly against their traditions.

Now, if you will look in verse 10, he continues, "And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." So our Lord then says, look, you might eat a little dirt if you don't wash your hands, but that's not the main contamination. The main contamination is that which comes forth out of the mouth. In other passages, He says it comes forth from the heart. And so He's teaching then very clearly that these Pharisees have everything upside down. Now, if you look back in verse 12, "Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?" So they were scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were scandalized by his word. And his answer to his disciples may surprise you. Verse 13, "But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone:

they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." So basically, we have a truth here that our Lord is enunciating. If someone is scandalized by the Word of God, if they're scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ, they're not a plant of our Heavenly Father. He has not planted them. And He said they're blind, and if the blind lead the blind, they're both going to fall into the ditch. In other words, you are scandalized by the Word of God, if you reject the Word of God, then you're headed for destruction is what it amounts to. So our Lord then is showing us very clearly that it is possible and yea, it is truthful that all who reject the Word of God are scandalized by the Word of God and therefore they are blind and headed for destruction.

Now here's an interesting thing. Truth does shock and horrify people who are consumed with error and heresy. Have you ever stopped to think about that? When you tell the absolute biblical truth to someone who's never heard the truth, they've been raised in some type of superstition, or they've been raised by tradition, and you begin to reclaim the truth, and all of a sudden it's like, what? That can't be right. I've never been taught that in my entire life. I've never heard that in my entire life. And they are in a very real state of shock. And so the truth does indeed shock them.

Jesus Christ Himself Can Scandalize

Weaver cites Matthew 13:57 and 1 Peter 2 to show that people can be scandalized not only by God's Word but by Christ Himself, who is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to the disobedient.

Now, I want you to note something else. Look in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 57 again. Watch. Matthew 13 verse 57. He says this, "And they were offended in him." Note, they were not just offended by the Word of God, now they are offended in Him. That is, they were scandalized by Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to come back to this in the context in just a little bit, but I want you to turn over in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. And let me show you another passage that is very clear when it comes to being scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. So notice, if you would, in 1 Peter chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 1 Peter 2 and verse 3. The scripture says, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

Now, if you go back to verse 4, he says, "...to whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men." The word disallowed, it occurs again in verse 7, the latter part, "the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner." The Greek word here literally means disallowed, rejected, disapproved, and repudiated. So Jesus Christ was repudiated. He was disallowed. He's rejected by these individuals who, of course, would not acknowledge Him as the Messiah. But look in verse 8. We're talking about Jesus Christ. And what is He to some of these people? He's a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. That is, He is a scandal even to them which stumble at the Word. So it is possible then to be scandalized not only by the Word of God, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what I've been telling you so far is this, and I think you can see that, that the unsaved, the unregenerate, who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse His Word, are scandalized by His Word and by Himself.

Christians Can Be Scandalized

Weaver argues from Matthew 11:6 and Matthew 26 that even genuine believers, like the disciples, can be scandalized when they refuse to believe God's Word or Christ's warnings.

Now, since we're in Matthew, if you will turn back to Matthew chapter 11, and look if you would please at verse 6. Matthew 11 and verse 6. Look at what our Lord says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 11:6

"And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

Literally, blessed is he whosoever shall not be scandalized in me. So we're talking about individuals being scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to give you a passage that should make it exceedingly clear that it is possible for Christians to be scandalized, not only by the Word of God, but by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So, if you will turn to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 31. Matthew 26 and verse 31. In this passage, our Lord is speaking to His disciples. So notice Matthew 26, verse 31, "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." All of you shall be scandalized because of me this night.

"But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples." Note this phrase.

Now, our Lord not only warns His disciples that they're going to be scandalized, He even quotes Scripture. When you look back in your Bibles at verse 31, when He said, "...for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad," He's quoting from Zechariah chapter 13 and verse 7. So Peter now and the rest of the disciples were just absolutely adamant that they would never be scandalized. They would never, ever be offended. And Peter said, I will die with thee first. And then the Bible says, likewise said them all. So skip down to verse 55 and watch what happens.

"In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." Well, they were scandalized. You know, this is an interesting thing. When you stop and think about this, Jesus Christ not only taught them and told them, he quoted the scripture. And so what Peter and the rest of the disciples are saying, "I don't care what the scripture says, I'm not going to deny you. I don't care what you say. I'm not going to deny you. I'm not going to be scandalized. I'm not going to be offended." And Jesus said, "Let me tell you something, Peter. Before that cock crows twice, you're going to deny me thrice." Interestingly, here were believers who were refusing to accept Scripture. And were refusing to accept the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So they actually were not believing the scriptures. They actually were not believing the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. So interestingly enough, we see whose word actually came to pass. How then do we as Christians scandalize or be involved in scandals or be scandalized? And that is when you and I simply prefer our thoughts, our desires, our will, our way, and our words above the Word of God and above the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We're involved in a scandal. We're being scandalized by the truth of God.

Illustration from Jeremiah 44

The story of the remnant in Judah who rejected God's word through Jeremiah and fled to Egypt illustrates how preferring one's own will over God's Word is being scandalized.

Now, let me give you a good illustration. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 44. Jeremiah 44. This whole section is an absolutely wonderful section. In Jeremiah chapter 44, I would have to tell you that Nebuchadnezzar has come and killed an awful lot of Judeans. He's also taken a number into captivity. And so Nebuchadnezzar then nominates and names a man as governor of those few weak and poor Judahites that are left. And Ishmael comes up and murders the governor. And then, of course, he takes what is left of the king's household and some other people and leaves. And here are some that are left and they come to Jeremiah and they say, "Please inquire of God for us, please. We want God's will, we want to know his word. We are afraid of these Babylonians. We know now that our governor's been killed, Nebuchadnezzar is going to come in and take revenge. And tell us what to do and we will obey." And so Jeremiah prayed and God said, "I'll tell them what to do and I will tell them they need to stay

in the land. If they stay in the land, I will protect them. They need not be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. He will do absolutely nothing. Do not go down into Egypt. If they go down into Egypt, they're going to run into what they're fleeing from because, said God, I'm giving Egypt into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar." Well, the truth is then when Jeremiah told them this, they said, "You're lying to us. Baruch has set you against us. We don't believe you. God didn't say that. And we're going into Egypt," and they even kidnapped Jeremiah and Baruch and took them down into Egypt as well. But don't you see what God says? Look in Jeremiah 44, beginning there with verse 28, look what he says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 44:28-29

"Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil."

God said, you want a contest to find out whose words are going to stand? You want to find out who's going to be scandalized? You want to find out whether or not I can bring to pass exactly what I say?

Well, you shall find out. So it is possible then when you and I do not believe the word of God and do not bow to the word of God, that we're scandalized by it because we are trusting in what we think and what we want and what our desires are above what God says.

Christ's Warning to Avoid Being Scandalized

In John 16, Jesus foretold persecution so that His disciples would not be scandalized, emphasizing that He has the right to speak authoritatively as Creator and Lord.

"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?" Look what our Lord said. He said, "I've spoken these things to you that you should not be offended." What's he mean? Don't be scandalized. You know, if they mistreated the master, they're going to mistreat the disciple. If they rejected me, they're going to reject you. If they've ridiculed me, they're going to ridicule you. If they've persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. If they kill me, they're going to kill some of you. What does he say? I'm telling you this, he said, so that you will not be offended, so that you will not be scandalized. You have to understand these things are coming down the pike.

Now, not everybody suffers to the degree that the original disciples did. Not everybody suffers to the degree that some of those Christians in Russia suffered. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact it does tell us that we should not be offended because these things are coming down the pike. Now, I want you to turn back to Matthew chapter 13. With these things in mind, I want you to look at this. Matthew chapter 13, and again, look at verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54. "And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Notice, if you would, he came into his own country. He was raised in Nazareth.

The Nazareth Rejection: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Weaver expounds Matthew 13:54-58, showing that the people of Nazareth were scandalized by Jesus because they knew His family and background, judging by appearance rather than truth.

He was born in Bethlehem. But you remember, after he came out of Egypt, he went back to Nazareth. That's where he was raised. That's where he was brought up. So, undoubtedly, there were family and there were friends in Nazareth. But notice the Bible says He taught them in their synagogues. And when He taught, they were absolutely astounded, they were astonished, and they were amazed at what He said and what He did.

Now, look at verse 54 again. And they said, the latter part,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

"Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?"

Let me give you just a quick quote from Matthew Poole on this verse. He said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

"And said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? that is, a power to do these mighty works. Mark saith, Whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?"

Now listen, astonishment and admiration flow from ignorance and are no indications of any spiritual saving work upon men's hearts. And we shall see that these Jews, notwithstanding their astonishment, are by and by scandalized and offended at Christ. Wow. So look again at verse 54, they ask, "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Wow.

Now, just stop and think about this. They knew Jesus Christ. He was raised there. They knew of His education, or should I say, His lack of education, because He had never been to an approved rabbinical school. He had never learned from any of the learned doctors, and yet they were astounded, astonished, and amazed at what he taught and how he taught. Interestingly enough, instead of glorifying the fact that he was a man that had never been to a rabbinical school, and yet he knew all of the doctrine, he had all the answers, and he had the power to do mighty works. Instead of glorifying in that, no, no, no, no. They wanted to be absolutely astonished and amazed and said, "Where did he get this? How's he doing this?"

Let me show you something. I'm going to show you two passages. You see, the teaching of Jesus Christ was totally different from the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees. If you look back in your Bibles to John chapter 7, John chapter 7, and look, if you would please, at verse 15. John 7 and verse 15. "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" What? How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?

Where did he get this education? How does he understand this doctrine? Who taught him theology? Why, he didn't go to one of our rabbinical schools. Look, our Lord answers that question when they want to know how he knew and never studied under them. Look, verse 16, "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." So, our Lord says, My doctrine is not Mine. My doctrine is from the Father who sent Me. Now, if you will go back to Matthew chapter 7, having understood that our Lord has gotten His doctrine from His Father, His revelation from His Father, look if you would in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 29. Here's what said Jesus Christ apart from the scribes and the Pharisees. "For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. If you turn right on over to the book of Mark chapter 1, and look at verse 27, you'll see this same principle enunciated again, only in a different way. But Mark chapter 1 in verse 27, "And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this?

what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him." So our Lord taught with absolute authority. Have you ever realized a simple truth, and that is this, that most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth. They do not want authoritative teaching. They do not want someone coming along saying you're wrong. They don't want someone coming along and saying, well, your traditions are unbiblical. The way you were raised is untruthful. What you think and what you believe and what your opinions are, are wicked and wrong. Most people would rather be left in their own lives, in their own opinions, in their own traditions, than have truth. You begin to authoritatively state truth to people, and here is the response that you normally get. "But who do you think you are telling me what to do? Telling me what to believe? Telling me what to think?

Who in the world are you?" So this is what they're saying about Jesus Christ. He taught them as one having authority. Where did He get this knowledge? How did He learn this? Where did He get this power? Let me tell you something very quickly. The truth of the matter is this. The sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Provider, our Lord, and our King, has the absolute right to tell us what to do, when to do it, where to do it, and how to do it. We are the creatures. He is the Creator. We are the servants. He is the Lord. We are the children. He is the Father. He has every right to speak to us authoritatively. We may not like it, but He has every right to do so.

Most of us have heard the word Torah. In the broadest sense, the word Torah refers to the substance of divine revelation. In the strictest sense of the word, the word Torah refers to the first five books of the Bible, and that those books contain the law of God as written by Moses. But what a lot of people do not know is this, that the word Torah actually means instruction, authoritative instruction. And maybe that's why most people do not like the law of God. Maybe that's why they do not like the Word of God, because it is absolutely authoritative. You've heard me say that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice, because it is the Word of God.

Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Matthew 13. Again, look at verse 54. And now we're going to continue on down to verse 56. Watch it.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

"And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"

Wow. Are you listening? They stumbled over the truth of God. They were offended, scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ because they thought that He was not and could not be the Messiah because He was their hometown boy. They knew Him.

They had seen Him since He was a child. And besides that, is not this the carpenter's son? Well, a carpenter doesn't know these things. And besides that, His brothers are here and His sisters are here. Who does he think he is? Where did he get all of this? Wow. You see, here's the problem. These people thought that they knew the Scriptures. They did not know the Scriptures.

If you will look in your Bible, so John chapter 5, which is an absolutely wonderful passage, but when you look in John chapter 5, beginning there with verse 39, look at what our Lord says. Here's what He tells these people. He says,

Scripture Reading — John 5:39-40

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

In other words, you think that you're right, but He says, they are they which testify of Me. If you don't see Me in the Scriptures, you're not reading them right. And then He says in verse 40,

Scripture Reading — John 5:39-40

"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

So they're stumbling over the Scriptures. They're being scandalized by the Scripture. Do you realize the very fact that our Lord taught authoritatively, the very fact that our Lord knew doctrine, the very fact that our Lord could correct the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the scribes and the Pharisees, and the very fact that He worked all of these miracles should have proven to them that there was something absolutely different about Him. They may not have observed it physically. Let me make a statement.

There was nothing extraordinary about the physical appearance of Jesus Christ. If you'll turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 53, you see, this is something else that threw them, because Jesus Christ looked like an ordinary everyday Israelite. That's all there is to it. Look in Isaiah 53 in verse one, the scripture says this,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:1-3

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

In other words, there's nothing special about His outward appearance.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:1-3

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Wow. So here, back in Matthew chapter 13, what these people are doing, they're judging by appearance.

I mean, He's our hometown boy. We've known him all of his life. We know his father. We know his mother. We know his brothers. We know his sisters. We know he hasn't been away to college. So where do you get all this information? Where did he get this truth? And where did he get the power to do these works? The Bible says in John chapter 7, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." And consequently, they were judging by appearance.

And look, if you would please, at verse 57. Here's the inevitable result of judging by appearance. "And they were offended in him." They were scandalized in him. "But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Wow! His humility and his lack of an education as far as they were concerned and the familiarity they had with his family made them refuse the truth that he taught. Wow! They were offended at him. These things made them stumble.

The Result of Being Scandalized: Unbelief

Because of their unbelief, Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazareth. Weaver concludes that rejecting truth is unbelief and being scandalized by Christ.

They concluded that He could not possibly be the Messiah because they knew Him. They knew everything about Him. And one would have thought just the opposite. If we don't know where He got all of this information from, obviously there's something special about Him. If we don't know where He got all the power to do these miracles, there's something special about Him. It should have led them to conclude that He is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.

But our Lord made this statement, look at it again if you would please in verse 57. "And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." So he was in his own country. He was in his own house. And by the way, I hope you know that his brothers did not even believe on him initially and originally. Thankfully, they were converted later, but initially they did not believe him because they encouraged him to go on up to the feast. And our Lord said, "I go not up yet." And the Bible said that they did not yet believe in him. But notice he said, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."

I've told you this before. I'm going to tell you again, and I hope it sinks into your heart very deeply. After 57 years of preaching, the two hardest lessons that I've learned are these. Number one, you can't help everybody. It's impossible. You just can't help everybody. Some people are not going to listen. Some do not want to listen. They do not want to be helped. You just can't help everybody. You might want to, but it's impossible.

The second lesson is even harder. Sometimes those you can help are your own family and your own friends. It's very difficult when you know the truth and you have the answers. But they don't want the truth or the answers. And this is why he's saying, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Familiarity does indeed breed contempt, but familiarity does not cancel out truth. Familiarity does not cancel out the fact that God can use the weakest of men and God can use the least of men. Familiarity does not stop God from using anyone any time.

Look if you would please at verse 58. Here's the result of being scandalized, "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Do you realize our Lord could have healed a lot of sick folks? He could have cleansed a lot of lepers. He could have shared an awful lot of doctrine. He could have done wonderful things. But they did not believe. So let me put it to you very plainly. A rejection of truth is unbelief. A denial of truth is unbelief. A refusal to hear truth is unbelief. And if you refuse to hear the truth, if you refuse to heed the truth, if you refuse to obey the truth, you're being scandalized by the Word of God. You're involved in a scandal. And if you refuse to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, you're being scandalized in Christ. Because you're offended in him, you do not believe him.

Applications and Warnings for Believers

Weaver applies the message by warning that curiosity without conscience, and trusting one's own understanding over God's Word, leads to scandal. He cites John 6 where many disciples left Jesus because of hard sayings.

So let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. Consider if you would for a moment, the people here in Nazareth. Their consciences were not exercised. It was their curiosity that was aroused. They were astonished. They were amazed. Where did he get this knowledge? Where did he get this power? We would like to know. We know who he is. We know his family. What could be special about a carpenter's son? Curiosity will often lead you astray. The old adage, we have curiosity killed the cat. It's killed more than cats.

But it was not the claims of God that they were occupied with. It was the schools of men. Wow. He didn't go to the school of Hillel. He didn't go to the school of Shammai. What? What? Rabbi taught him. I mean, come on. Most people are willing to pay attention to anything and everything but truth. We'll spend our time, we'll waste our time on trivialist matters, but we'll not spend time seeking and praying and searching for truth. So it's possible that those who reject the Word of God and reject the Lord Jesus Christ are involved in scandals. They're being scandalized by the Word of God and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the second one. You have to remember that it's not just the unsaved that can be scandalized by the Word of God and by the Lord Jesus Christ, but Christians as well.

I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, please, to John chapter 6. Look in John chapter 6. And I want you to understand that when we resort to our own will, when we resort to our own knowledge and our own opinions and our own desires, we're being scandalized. You remember the Bible tells us that we're to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not to our own understanding and all our ways acknowledge him and he shall direct our paths. But it is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the word of God and by Jesus Christ himself. In John chapter six, Jesus Christ has been teaching that he is the bread of life. "He that eateth me, even he shall live by me." That's not teaching cannibalism. That's not teaching transubstantiation. But what it is teaching is this. If we are real genuine Christians, we are nourished, we are sustained by the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when he's teaching that he is the bread of life, look, if you would please, at verse 60.

Scripture Reading — John 6:60-68

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?"

I don't know if we can put up with this. We don't understand this. Now watch verse 61. "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?" Does this scandalize you? Are you involved in a scandal just because you don't believe what I told you or you don't understand what I said? Are you going to reject Me? Are you going to reject My Word based upon your own thinking, based upon your own finite understanding? Wow. Look in verse 66. "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." They were scandalized. They were offended. It was the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ that scandalized them. Verse 67 then said, "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." At least these were not scandalized.

Conclusion: Bow to Truth to Avoid Scandal

Weaver urges believers to bow to God's Word and Christ even when they do not fully understand, so they will not be involved in a scandal. He closes in prayer for grace to believe and obey.

It is possible for a Christian to be involved in a scandal, and I'm not talking about adultery and fornication and theft and fraud. It's possible for Christians to fail to bow to the Word of God, believe the Word of God, and act upon the Word of God. And when they fail to do that, they're scandalized. They're involved in a scandal. And we shall see whose word shall stand, God's or theirs. So that means this, we may not understand the truth, but we must bow to the truth. And we must always bow to the Lord Jesus Christ so that we will never be involved in a scandal with Him or with His Word.

Do not be offended at what He has said and what He commands. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this night. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You, Father, for Your truth. And Lord, the truth is, we have been scandalized. We have been offended so many times because we did not believe. We did not bow. We did not hear and we did not heed. We ask for Thy divine forgiveness and give us, Lord, hearing ears and seeing eyes and believing hearts that we would not be involved in a scandal. Give us, Lord, the grace to always bow to Thee and Thy truth. Thou art our authority. Thy Word is truth. Give us, we pray, Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask it. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Definition of Scandal

Summary: Scandal in the Bible (skandalon) means a trap or stumbling block that ensnares, not merely a disgraceful act as in modern usage.

Evidence: Weaver explains: 'Our English word scandal comes from the Greek word skandalon... it means literally to ensnare or to entrap an animal or an enemy.'

The Word of God as a Scandal

Summary: The truth of God's Word can shock and scandalize those committed to error, tradition, or self-will.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'Truth does shock and horrify people who are consumed with error and heresy.'

Christ as a Stumbling Block

Summary: Jesus Christ Himself is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to those who disobey the Word.

Evidence: Citing 1 Peter 2:8: 'And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient.'

Believers Can Be Scandalized

Summary: Even genuine Christians can be scandalized when they prefer their own thoughts and desires over God's revealed Word.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'It is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is possible for real, genuine believers to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Familiarity Breeds Contempt for Truth

Summary: Knowing Jesus' human background caused the Nazarenes to reject His authoritative teaching and miracles.

Evidence: Weaver notes: 'They stumbled over the truth of God. They were offended, scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ because they thought that He was not and could not be the Messiah because He was their hometown boy.'

Rejection of Truth is Unbelief

Summary: To refuse, deny, or not heed God's truth is unbelief and results in being scandalized.

Evidence: Weaver declares: 'A rejection of truth is unbelief. A denial of truth is unbelief. A refusal to hear truth is unbelief.'

Key Arguments

Scandal is not primarily moral failure but rejection of divine truth

Summary: The biblical concept of scandal centers on being ensnared by stumbling over God's Word or Christ, not on public disgrace.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts dictionary definitions with the Greek skandalon, emphasizing it is a trapstick that ensnares.

Authoritative truth provokes scandal

Summary: Jesus taught with divine authority, which offended those who clung to human traditions and self-rule.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'Most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth... You begin to authoritatively state truth to people, and here is the response that you normally get: But who do you think you are telling me what to do?'

The disciples' denial was a scandal

Summary: Peter and the disciples were scandalized when they refused to believe Jesus' prediction of their desertion, demonstrating that even believers can stumble.

Evidence: Weaver points out: 'Here were believers who were refusing to accept Scripture. And were refusing to accept the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Judging by appearance leads to scandal

Summary: The Nazarenes judged Jesus by His humble origins and family, missing His true identity and being offended.

Evidence: Weaver explains: 'They concluded that He could not possibly be the Messiah because they knew Him. They knew everything about Him.'

Unbelief limits God's work

Summary: Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief, showing that scandalizing at Christ hinders His power.

Evidence: Weaver cites Matthew 13:58: 'And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.'

Scripture References

Matthew 13:57

Context: The key verse: the people of Nazareth were offended (scandalized) in Jesus, and He said a prophet is without honor in his own country.

Romans 14:13

Context: Shows the close connection between a stumbling block (proskomma) and an occasion to fall (skandalon).

Matthew 15:1-14

Context: The Pharisees were scandalized by Jesus' teaching against their traditions; Jesus calls them blind leaders of the blind.

1 Peter 2:3-10

Context: Christ is a living stone, disallowed by men but chosen by God; to the disobedient He is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense.

Matthew 11:6

Context: Blessed is he who is not offended (scandalized) in Christ.

Matthew 26:31-35, 55-56

Context: Jesus predicts all disciples will be scandalized because of Him; they all forsook Him and fled.

Jeremiah 44:28-29

Context: God declares a contest to see whose words will stand—His or the rebellious remnant's—when they refuse to stay in the land.

John 16:1-5

Context: Jesus spoke of coming persecution so that His disciples would not be scandalized.

Matthew 13:54-58

Context: The full account of Jesus' rejection in Nazareth; they were offended because they knew His family.

John 7:15-16

Context: The Jews marveled that Jesus knew letters having never learned; He said His doctrine is from the Father.

Matthew 7:29

Context: Jesus taught as one having authority, not as the scribes.

Mark 1:27

Context: The people were amazed at Jesus' new doctrine with authority, commanding even unclean spirits.

John 5:39-40

Context: Jesus tells the Jews to search the Scriptures because they testify of Him, yet they refuse to come to Him for life.

Isaiah 53:1-3

Context: Prophecy that the Messiah would have no form or comeliness, nothing in His appearance to attract people.

John 6:60-68

Context: Many disciples were scandalized by Jesus' hard saying about being the bread of life and walked away; Peter confessed Him as the Christ.

Historical References

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp divorce

Context: Mentioned as an example of a modern public scandal in the news, though Weaver knows nothing about them.

Roman Catholic Church pedophilia scandals

Context: Cited as an example of public scandals involving immoral actions.

Nebuchadnezzar's conquest and the remnant in Judah

Context: Historical background for Jeremiah 44: Nebuchadnezzar killed many Judeans, took captives, and appointed a governor who was murdered, leading the remnant to flee to Egypt against God's command.

Schools of Hillel and Shammai

Context: Weaver mentions these rabbinical schools to highlight that Jesus did not attend any approved rabbinical school, which astonished the Jews.

Important Quotes

It is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is possible for real, genuine believers to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Significance: A shocking but key thesis: even believers can stumble over truth.

How then do we as Christians scandalize or be involved in scandals or be scandalized? And that is when you and I simply prefer our thoughts, our desires, our will, our way, and our words above the Word of God and above the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Significance: Practical definition of how Christians become scandalized.

Most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth. They do not want authoritative teaching. They do not want someone coming along saying you're wrong.

Significance: Explains why the authoritative Word of God provokes offense.

A rejection of truth is unbelief. A denial of truth is unbelief. A refusal to hear truth is unbelief. And if you refuse to hear the truth, if you refuse to heed the truth, if you refuse to obey the truth, you're being scandalized by the Word of God.

Significance: Directly equates rejecting truth with being scandalized and in unbelief.

A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Significance: Jesus' own words explaining why familiarity leads to rejection of truth.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical definition of scandal (skandalon) differ from the modern understanding, and why is that distinction important?

Context: Weaver contrasts dictionary definitions with the Greek meaning of a trap or stumbling block.

In what ways can Christians today be scandalized by the Word of God or by Christ Himself?

Context: Weaver argues that believers can stumble when they prefer their own thoughts over God's Word.

Why did the people of Nazareth reject Jesus despite being astonished at His wisdom and miracles?

Context: They knew His family and background, leading them to judge by appearance rather than truth.

How does familiarity with a person or message sometimes hinder us from receiving truth?

Context: Weaver notes that a prophet is without honor in his own country; familiarity can breed contempt.

What does it mean to 'bow to the truth' even when we do not fully understand it?

Context: Weaver concludes that we must bow to God's authoritative Word regardless of our finite understanding.

Applications

Examine your response to authoritative truth

Summary: When confronted with biblical truth that challenges your traditions or opinions, do you react with offense or humble submission?

Evidence: Weaver warns: 'Most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth... You begin to authoritatively state truth to people, and here is the response that you normally get: But who do you think you are telling me what to do?'

Guard against familiarity breeding contempt

Summary: Do not let familiarity with Jesus, the Bible, or spiritual leaders cause you to despise or ignore truth.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'Familiarity does indeed breed contempt, but familiarity does not cancel out truth.'

Trust God's Word over your own understanding

Summary: When God's Word contradicts your reasoning or desires, choose to believe and obey God rather than being scandalized.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'We may not understand the truth, but we must bow to the truth.'

Avoid judging by appearance

Summary: Do not evaluate spiritual truth or God's work based on outward appearances or human credentials.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 7:24: 'Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T23:17:41Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T23:18:21Z

Clean Transcript

Are You Involved In A Scandal?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Well, let's open our Bibles if you would please today to the book of Matthew chapter 13, and to begin with we're only going to read one verse, verse 57. Matthew chapter 13 and verse 57. The title of the message is a question. Listen carefully. Are you involved in a scandal? Are you involved in a scandal? I'll explain. Notice verse 57. The Bible says concerning Jesus Christ, "And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Everyone knows about scandals. Soap operas, Hollywood movies, trashy magazines, and even newspapers thrive on scandals. And the truth is, the juicier the scandal, the more magazines and more papers they sell.
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And when we think of scandals, we normally think of prominent men and women, especially, violating their marriage vows, defrauding, stealing, plotting, scheming, even committing murder. Such thinking is basically supported by dictionary definitions of scandals. And let me give you one dictionary definition. Here it is: a scandal, a disgraceful or discreditable action, circumstance, an offense caused by a fault or misdeed, damaged reputation and a public disgrace. And of course, it goes on to say that it would also include defamatory talk and malicious gossip. So according to the dictionary, modern day dictionaries, to scandalize is basically to shock or to horrify someone because something is immoral or improper. And of course, we're all aware of all kinds of public scandals, not only from the Roman Catholic Church and the pedophilia involved there, but even in Hollywood.
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In fact, there is a famous divorce or an infamous divorce going on now at Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. And truth of the matter is, I know nothing about either one of them. I don't watch any of that stuff, but I just know every time you look at any news that's there. And of course, we hear about these all the time. But when you come to the word scandal in the Bible, it is a totally and different idea. So let me just point this out. It is possible to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is also possible to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And our text is going to demonstrate this. Our English word scandal comes from the Greek word skandalon.
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Sometimes it is closely connected with a stumbling block, but it is usually translated as offense or offended, and it means literally to ensnare or to entrap an animal or an enemy. In reality, the skandalon was the trapstick that held the trap in place, and when, of course, that stick was moved or bumped into, then the trap fell, and the enemy and or the animal was ensnared. So anytime you see the word usually in the New Testament, offend or offended, it is from the Greek word skandalon. And sometimes, occasionally, it is translated as a stumbling block, but there is another word that is used mainly for stumbling blocks, but it's always closely associated with a stumbling block.
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So if you'll hold Matthew chapter 13, look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14 and verse 13, and I'll show you a very close connection in Romans chapter 14 verse 13. Note if you would what the scripture says. Romans 14 and verse 13: "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." Now, the Greek word for stumbling block is the word proskomma, and it indicates a stumbling stone or stumbling block. It is an obstacle that is placed in someone's way so that if his foot strikes against it, then he's simply going to stumble or fall. Now when you look in Romans 14 in verse 13, he says, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall." And the word occasion to fall is the word skandalon. So you see the stumbling block and the scandal go together.
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So he says, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or a scandal in his brother's way." So clearly then you have the stumbling block and the scandal closely associated. So here's a truth that I want to share with you today. And I want you to understand this because it is very clearly taught in the scripture that the word of God itself can scandalize. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself can scandalize as well. So let me show you, first of all, how the Scriptures of God, or the Word of God, can scandalize. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Matthew chapter 15, since that's close to our text. Look in Matthew chapter 15, and notice, if you would please, verse 12.
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We're going to come back and get the context, but I want you to note what he said. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 12: "Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?" So literally, knowest thou that the Pharisees were scandalized after they heard this saying. So they were scandalized by our Lord's teaching.
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He taught them that their traditions violated the word of God and that they consistently transgressed the law of God by their tradition and by their religion. So let's look at the context. Let's begin with verse 1 of Matthew 15: "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
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And by the way, I've pointed this before, and I will say it again. When they ask, why do the disciples not wash their hands before they eat bread, this had absolutely nothing to do with sanitation. This was a ritual. This was a ceremony that had been handed down by the elders, and it was their tradition that you do that. And so in verse 3, he said, "But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites!"
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"Well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." So our Lord very clearly states that their traditions were worthless, and their religion was useless. He said that they were hypocrites, and moreover, they did not worship God in truth. And so our Lord then spoke very plainly and very clearly against their traditions.
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Now, if you will look in verse 10, he continues, "And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." So our Lord then says, look, you might eat a little dirt if you don't wash your hands, but that's not the main contamination. The main contamination is that which comes forth out of the mouth. In other passages, He says it comes forth from the heart.
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And so He's teaching then very clearly that these Pharisees have everything upside down. Now, if you look back in verse 12, "Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?" So they were scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were scandalized by his word. And his answer to his disciples may surprise you. Verse 13, "But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone:
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they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." So basically, we have a truth here that our Lord is enunciating. If someone is scandalized by the Word of God, if they're scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ, they're not a plant of our Heavenly Father. He has not planted them. And He said they're blind, and if the blind lead the blind, they're both going to fall into the ditch. In other words, you are scandalized by the Word of God, if you reject the Word of God, then you're headed for destruction is what it amounts to. So our Lord then is showing us very clearly that it is possible and yea, it is truthful that all who reject the Word of God are scandalized by the Word of God and therefore they are blind and headed for destruction.
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Now here's an interesting thing. Truth does shock and horrify people who are consumed with error and heresy. Have you ever stopped to think about that? When you tell the absolute biblical truth to someone who's never heard the truth, they've been raised in some type of superstition, or they've been raised by tradition, and you begin to reclaim the truth, and all of a sudden it's like, what? That can't be right. I've never been taught that in my entire life. I've never heard that in my entire life. And they are in a very real state of shock. And so the truth does indeed shock them.
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Now, I want you to note something else. Look in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 57 again. Watch. Matthew 13 verse 57. He says this, "And they were offended in him." Note, they were not just offended by the Word of God, now they are offended in Him. That is, they were scandalized by Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to come back to this in the context in just a little bit, but I want you to turn over in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. And let me show you another passage that is very clear when it comes to being scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. So notice, if you would, in 1 Peter chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 1 Peter 2 and verse 3. The scripture says, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
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Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."
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Now, if you go back to verse 4, he says, "...to whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men." The word disallowed, it occurs again in verse 7, the latter part, "the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner." The Greek word here literally means disallowed, rejected, disapproved, and repudiated. So Jesus Christ was repudiated. He was disallowed. He's rejected by these individuals who, of course, would not acknowledge Him as the Messiah. But look in verse 8. We're talking about Jesus Christ.
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And what is He to some of these people? He's a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. That is, He is a scandal even to them which stumble at the Word. So it is possible then to be scandalized not only by the Word of God, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what I've been telling you so far is this, and I think you can see that, that the unsaved, the unregenerate, who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse His Word, are scandalized by His Word and by Himself.
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But let me make another statement. This may shock you. It is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is possible for real, genuine believers to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Now, since we're in Matthew, if you will turn back to Matthew chapter 11, and look if you would please at verse 6. Matthew 11 and verse 6. Look at what our Lord says. "And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." Literally, blessed is he whosoever shall not be scandalized in me. So we're talking about individuals being scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to give you a passage that should make it exceedingly clear that it is possible for Christians to be scandalized, not only by the Word of God, but by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So, if you will turn to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 31. Matthew 26 and verse 31. In this passage, our Lord is speaking to His disciples. So notice Matthew 26, verse 31, "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." All of you shall be scandalized because of me this night.
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"But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples." Note this phrase.
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Now, our Lord not only warns His disciples that they're going to be scandalized, He even quotes Scripture. When you look back in your Bibles at verse 31, when He said, "...for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad," He's quoting from Zechariah chapter 13 and verse 7. So Peter now and the rest of the disciples were just absolutely adamant that they would never be scandalized. They would never, ever be offended. And Peter said, I will die with thee first. And then the Bible says, likewise said them all. So skip down to verse 55 and watch what happens.
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"In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." Well, they were scandalized. You know, this is an interesting thing. When you stop and think about this, Jesus Christ not only taught them and told them, he quoted the scripture. And so what Peter and the rest of the disciples are saying, "I don't care what the scripture says, I'm not going to deny you. I don't care what you say. I'm not going to deny you. I'm not going to be scandalized. I'm not going to be offended." And Jesus said, "Let me tell you something, Peter. Before that cock crows twice, you're going to deny me thrice." Interestingly, here were believers who were refusing to accept Scripture. And were refusing to accept the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So they actually were not believing the scriptures. They actually were not believing the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. So interestingly enough, we see whose word actually came to pass. How then do we as Christians scandalize or be involved in scandals or be scandalized? And that is when you and I simply prefer our thoughts, our desires, our will, our way, and our words above the Word of God and above the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We're involved in a scandal. We're being scandalized by the truth of God.
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Now, let me give you a good illustration. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Jeremiah chapter 44. Jeremiah 44. This whole section is an absolutely wonderful section. In Jeremiah chapter 44, I would have to tell you that Nebuchadnezzar has come and killed an awful lot of Judeans. He's also taken a number into captivity. And so Nebuchadnezzar then nominates and names a man as governor of those few weak and poor Judahites that are left. And Ishmael comes up and murders the governor. And then, of course, he takes what is left of the king's household and some other people and leaves. And here are some that are left and they come to Jeremiah and they say, "Please inquire of God for us, please. We want God's will, we want to know his word. We are afraid of these Babylonians. We know now that our governor's been killed, Nebuchadnezzar is going to come in and take revenge. And tell us what to do and we will obey." And so Jeremiah prayed and God said, "I'll tell them what to do and I will tell them they need to stay
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in the land. If they stay in the land, I will protect them. They need not be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. He will do absolutely nothing. Do not go down into Egypt. If they go down into Egypt, they're going to run into what they're fleeing from because, said God, I'm giving Egypt into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar." Well, the truth is then when Jeremiah told them this, they said, "You're lying to us.
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Baruch has set you against us. We don't believe you. God didn't say that. And we're going into Egypt," and they even kidnapped Jeremiah and Baruch and took them down into Egypt as well. But don't you see what God says? Look in Jeremiah 44, beginning there with verse 28, look what he says. "Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil." God said, you want a contest to find out whose words are going to stand? You want to find out who's going to be scandalized? You want to find out whether or not I can bring to pass exactly what I say?
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Well, you shall find out. So it is possible then when you and I do not believe the word of God and do not bow to the word of God, that we're scandalized by it because we are trusting in what we think and what we want and what our desires are above what God says.
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Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of John chapter 16, I will say this, it is the will of our Lord Jesus for each of us that we be not scandalized because he has warned us, he has foretold us. Look if you would please in John chapter 16 beginning there with verse 1. He says this, "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended." That is, that you should not be scandalized.
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"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
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But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?" Look what our Lord said. He said, "I've spoken these things to you that you should not be offended." What's he mean? Don't be scandalized. You know, if they mistreated the master, they're going to mistreat the disciple. If they rejected me, they're going to reject you. If they've ridiculed me, they're going to ridicule you. If they've persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. If they kill me, they're going to kill some of you. What does he say? I'm telling you this, he said, so that you will not be offended, so that you will not be scandalized. You have to understand these things are coming down the pike.
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Now, not everybody suffers to the degree that the original disciples did. Not everybody suffers to the degree that some of those Christians in Russia suffered. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact it does tell us that we should not be offended because these things are coming down the pike.
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Now, I want you to turn back to Matthew chapter 13. With these things in mind, I want you to look at this. Matthew chapter 13, and again, look at verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54. "And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Notice, if you would, he came into his own country. He was raised in Nazareth.
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He was born in Bethlehem. But you remember, after he came out of Egypt, he went back to Nazareth. That's where he was raised. That's where he was brought up. So, undoubtedly, there were family and there were friends in Nazareth. But notice the Bible says He taught them in their synagogues. And when He taught, they were absolutely astounded, they were astonished, and they were amazed at what He said and what He did.
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Now, look at verse 54 again. And they said, the latter part, "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Let me give you just a quick quote from Matthew Poole on this verse. He said, "And said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? that is, a power to do these mighty works. Mark saith, Whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?"
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Now listen, astonishment and admiration flow from ignorance and are no indications of any spiritual saving work upon men's hearts. And we shall see that these Jews, notwithstanding their astonishment, are by and by scandalized and offended at Christ. Wow. So look again at verse 54, they ask, "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" Wow.
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Now, just stop and think about this. They knew Jesus Christ. He was raised there. They knew of His education, or should I say, His lack of education, because He had never been to an approved rabbinical school. He had never learned from any of the learned doctors, and yet they were astounded, astonished, and amazed at what he taught and how he taught. Interestingly enough, instead of glorifying the fact that he was a man that had never been to a rabbinical school, and yet he knew all of the doctrine, he had all the answers, and he had the power to do mighty works. Instead of glorifying in that, no, no, no, no. They wanted to be absolutely astonished and amazed and said, "Where did he get this? How's he doing this?"
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Let me show you something. I'm going to show you two passages. You see, the teaching of Jesus Christ was totally different from the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees. If you look back in your Bibles to John chapter 7, John chapter 7, and look, if you would please, at verse 15. John 7 and verse 15. "And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" What? How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
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Where did he get this education? How does he understand this doctrine? Who taught him theology? Why, he didn't go to one of our rabbinical schools. Look, our Lord answers that question when they want to know how he knew and never studied under them. Look, verse 16, "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
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He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." So, our Lord says, My doctrine is not Mine. My doctrine is from the Father who sent Me. Now, if you will go back to Matthew chapter 7, having understood that our Lord has gotten His doctrine from His Father, His revelation from His Father, look if you would in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 29.
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Here's what said Jesus Christ apart from the scribes and the Pharisees. "For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. If you turn right on over to the book of Mark chapter 1, and look at verse 27, you'll see this same principle enunciated again, only in a different way. But Mark chapter 1 in verse 27, "And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this?
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what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him." So our Lord taught with absolute authority. Have you ever realized a simple truth, and that is this, that most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth. They do not want authoritative teaching. They do not want someone coming along saying you're wrong. They don't want someone coming along and saying, well, your traditions are unbiblical.
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The way you were raised is untruthful. What you think and what you believe and what your opinions are, are wicked and wrong. Most people would rather be left in their own lives, in their own opinions, in their own traditions, than have truth. You begin to authoritatively state truth to people, and here is the response that you normally get. "But who do you think you are telling me what to do? Telling me what to believe? Telling me what to think?
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Who in the world are you?" So this is what they're saying about Jesus Christ. He taught them as one having authority. Where did He get this knowledge? How did He learn this? Where did He get this power? Let me tell you something very quickly. The truth of the matter is this. The sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Provider, our Lord, and our King, has the absolute right to tell us what to do, when to do it, where to do it, and how to do it. We are the creatures. He is the Creator. We are the servants. He is the Lord. We are the children. He is the Father. He has every right to speak to us authoritatively. We may not like it, but He has every right to do so.
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Most of us have heard the word Torah. In the broadest sense, the word Torah refers to the substance of divine revelation. In the strictest sense of the word, the word Torah refers to the first five books of the Bible, and that those books contain the law of God as written by Moses. But what a lot of people do not know is this, that the word Torah actually means instruction, authoritative instruction. And maybe that's why most people do not like the law of God. Maybe that's why they do not like the Word of God, because it is absolutely authoritative. You've heard me say that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice, because it is the Word of God.
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Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Matthew 13. Again, look at verse 54. And now we're going to continue on down to verse 56. Watch it. "And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son?
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is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" Wow. Are you listening? They stumbled over the truth of God. They were offended, scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ because they thought that He was not and could not be the Messiah because He was their hometown boy. They knew Him.
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They had seen Him since He was a child. And besides that, is not this the carpenter's son? Well, a carpenter doesn't know these things. And besides that, His brothers are here and His sisters are here. Who does he think he is? Where did he get all of this? Wow. You see, here's the problem. These people thought that they knew the Scriptures. They did not know the Scriptures.
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If you will look in your Bible, so John chapter 5, which is an absolutely wonderful passage, but when you look in John chapter 5, beginning there with verse 39, look at what our Lord says. Here's what He tells these people. He says, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." In other words, you think that you're right, but He says, they are they which testify of Me. If you don't see Me in the Scriptures, you're not reading them right. And then He says in verse 40, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." So they're stumbling over the Scriptures. They're being scandalized by the Scripture.
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Do you realize the very fact that our Lord taught authoritatively, the very fact that our Lord knew doctrine, the very fact that our Lord could correct the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the scribes and the Pharisees, and the very fact that He worked all of these miracles should have proven to them that there was something absolutely different about Him. They may not have observed it physically. Let me make a statement.
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There was nothing extraordinary about the physical appearance of Jesus Christ. If you'll turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 53, you see, this is something else that threw them, because Jesus Christ looked like an ordinary everyday Israelite. That's all there is to it. Look in Isaiah 53 in verse one, the scripture says this, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground:
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he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." In other words, there's nothing special about His outward appearance. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Wow. So here, back in Matthew chapter 13, what these people are doing, they're judging by appearance.
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I mean, He's our hometown boy. We've known him all of his life. We know his father. We know his mother. We know his brothers. We know his sisters. We know he hasn't been away to college. So where do you get all this information? Where did he get this truth? And where did he get the power to do these works? The Bible says in John chapter 7, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." And consequently, they were judging by appearance.
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And look, if you would please, at verse 57. Here's the inevitable result of judging by appearance. "And they were offended in him." They were scandalized in him. "But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Wow! His humility and his lack of an education as far as they were concerned and the familiarity they had with his family made them refuse the truth that he taught. Wow! They were offended at him. These things made them stumble.
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They concluded that He could not possibly be the Messiah because they knew Him. They knew everything about Him. And one would have thought just the opposite. If we don't know where He got all of this information from, obviously there's something special about Him. If we don't know where He got all the power to do these miracles, there's something special about Him. It should have led them to conclude that He is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.
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But our Lord made this statement, look at it again if you would please in verse 57. "And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." So he was in his own country. He was in his own house. And by the way, I hope you know that his brothers did not even believe on him initially and originally. Thankfully, they were converted later, but initially they did not believe him because they encouraged him to go on up to the feast. And our Lord said, "I go not up yet." And the Bible said that they did not yet believe in him. But notice he said, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."
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I've told you this before. I'm going to tell you again, and I hope it sinks into your heart very deeply. After 57 years of preaching, the two hardest lessons that I've learned are these. Number one, you can't help everybody. It's impossible. You just can't help everybody. Some people are not going to listen. Some do not want to listen. They do not want to be helped. You just can't help everybody. You might want to, but it's impossible.
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The second lesson is even harder. Sometimes those you can help are your own family and your own friends. It's very difficult when you know the truth and you have the answers. But they don't want the truth or the answers. And this is why he's saying, "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Familiarity does indeed breed contempt, but familiarity does not cancel out truth. Familiarity does not cancel out the fact that God can use the weakest of men and God can use the least of men. Familiarity does not stop God from using anyone any time.
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Look if you would please at verse 58. Here's the result of being scandalized, "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Do you realize our Lord could have healed a lot of sick folks? He could have cleansed a lot of lepers. He could have shared an awful lot of doctrine. He could have done wonderful things. But they did not believe. So let me put it to you very plainly. A rejection of truth is unbelief. A denial of truth is unbelief. A refusal to hear truth is unbelief. And if you refuse to hear the truth, if you refuse to heed the truth, if you refuse to obey the truth, you're being scandalized by the Word of God. You're involved in a scandal. And if you refuse to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, you're being scandalized in Christ. Because you're offended in him, you do not believe him.
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So let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. Consider if you would for a moment, the people here in Nazareth. Their consciences were not exercised. It was their curiosity that was aroused. They were astonished. They were amazed. Where did he get this knowledge? Where did he get this power? We would like to know. We know who he is. We know his family. What could be special about a carpenter's son? Curiosity will often lead you astray. The old adage, we have curiosity killed the cat. It's killed more than cats.
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But it was not the claims of God that they were occupied with. It was the schools of men. Wow. He didn't go to the school of Hillel. He didn't go to the school of Shammai. What? What? Rabbi taught him. I mean, come on. Most people are willing to pay attention to anything and everything but truth. We'll spend our time, we'll waste our time on trivialist matters, but we'll not spend time seeking and praying and searching for truth. So it's possible that those who reject the Word of God and reject the Lord Jesus Christ are involved in scandals. They're being scandalized by the Word of God and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the second one. You have to remember that it's not just the unsaved that can be scandalized by the Word of God and by the Lord Jesus Christ, but Christians as well.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, please, to John chapter 6. Look in John chapter 6. And I want you to understand that when we resort to our own will, when we resort to our own knowledge and our own opinions and our own desires, we're being scandalized. You remember the Bible tells us that we're to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not to our own understanding and all our ways acknowledge him and he shall direct our paths. But it is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the word of God and by Jesus Christ himself. In John chapter six, Jesus Christ has been teaching that he is the bread of life.
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"He that eateth me, even he shall live by me." That's not teaching cannibalism. That's not teaching transubstantiation. But what it is teaching is this. If we are real genuine Christians, we are nourished, we are sustained by the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when he's teaching that he is the bread of life, look, if you would please, at verse 60. "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?"
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I don't know if we can put up with this. We don't understand this. Now watch verse 61. "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?" Does this scandalize you? Are you involved in a scandal just because you don't believe what I told you or you don't understand what I said? Are you going to reject Me? Are you going to reject My Word based upon your own thinking, based upon your own finite understanding? Wow. Look in verse 66. "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." They were scandalized. They were offended. It was the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ that scandalized them. Verse 67 then said, "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." At least these were not scandalized.
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It is possible for a Christian to be involved in a scandal, and I'm not talking about adultery and fornication and theft and fraud. It's possible for Christians to fail to bow to the Word of God, believe the Word of God, and act upon the Word of God. And when they fail to do that, they're scandalized. They're involved in a scandal. And we shall see whose word shall stand, God's or theirs. So that means this, we may not understand the truth, but we must bow to the truth. And we must always bow to the Lord Jesus Christ so that we will never be involved in a scandal with Him or with His Word.
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Do not be offended at what He has said and what He commands. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this night. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You, Father, for Your truth. And Lord, the truth is, we have been scandalized. We have been offended so many times because we did not believe. We did not bow. We did not hear and we did not heed. We ask for Thy divine forgiveness and give us, Lord, hearing ears and seeing eyes and believing hearts that we would not be involved in a scandal. Give us, Lord, the grace to always bow to Thee and Thy truth. Thou art our authority. Thy Word is truth. Give us, we pray, Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask it. Amen.
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so so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T23:17:41Z

Are You Involved In A Scandal?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver examines the biblical concept of scandal (Greek skandalon), showing that it differs from modern notions of disgraceful actions. He demonstrates from Scripture that both the Word of God and Jesus Christ Himself can be a scandal—a stumbling block that ensnares—to those who reject truth. This applies not only to the unsaved but also to believers who prefer their own thoughts, desires, and traditions over God's authoritative Word. Using Matthew 13:57 and other passages, he warns that being scandalized by Christ or His Word leads to unbelief and spiritual destruction, and urges believers to bow to truth regardless of familiarity or personal understanding.

Introduction: The Biblical Meaning of Scandal

Weaver introduces the topic by contrasting modern dictionary definitions of scandal with the biblical Greek word skandalon, which refers to a trap or stumbling block that ensnares.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:57

"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."

The Word of God Can Scandalize

Using Matthew 15, Weaver shows that the Pharisees were scandalized by Jesus' teaching against their traditions, demonstrating that truth can shock those committed to error.

We're going to come back and get the context, but I want you to note what he said. Matthew chapter 15 and verse 12:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-14

"Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?"

Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:1-14

"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"

Jesus Christ Himself Can Scandalize

Weaver cites Matthew 13:57 and 1 Peter 2 to show that people can be scandalized not only by God's Word but by Christ Himself, who is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to the disobedient.

Christians Can Be Scandalized

Weaver argues from Matthew 11:6 and Matthew 26 that even genuine believers, like the disciples, can be scandalized when they refuse to believe God's Word or Christ's warnings.

Now, since we're in Matthew, if you will turn back to Matthew chapter 11, and look if you would please at verse 6. Matthew 11 and verse 6. Look at what our Lord says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 11:6

"And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

Illustration from Jeremiah 44

The story of the remnant in Judah who rejected God's word through Jeremiah and fled to Egypt illustrates how preferring one's own will over God's Word is being scandalized.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 44:28-29

"Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil."

Christ's Warning to Avoid Being Scandalized

In John 16, Jesus foretold persecution so that His disciples would not be scandalized, emphasizing that He has the right to speak authoritatively as Creator and Lord.

The Nazareth Rejection: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Weaver expounds Matthew 13:54-58, showing that the people of Nazareth were scandalized by Jesus because they knew His family and background, judging by appearance rather than truth.

Now, look at verse 54 again. And they said, the latter part,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

"Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?"

Let me give you just a quick quote from Matthew Poole on this verse. He said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

"And said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? that is, a power to do these mighty works. Mark saith, Whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?"

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." So, our Lord says, My doctrine is not Mine. My doctrine is from the Father who sent Me. Now, if you will go back to Matthew chapter 7, having understood that our Lord has gotten His doctrine from His Father, His revelation from His Father, look if you would in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 29. Here's what said Jesus Christ apart from the scribes and the Pharisees. "For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. If you turn right on over to the book of Mark chapter 1, and look at verse 27, you'll see this same principle enunciated again, only in a different way. But Mark chapter 1 in verse 27, "And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this?

Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Matthew 13. Again, look at verse 54. And now we're going to continue on down to verse 56. Watch it.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-58

"And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"

Scripture Reading — John 5:39-40

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

In other words, you think that you're right, but He says, they are they which testify of Me. If you don't see Me in the Scriptures, you're not reading them right. And then He says in verse 40,

Scripture Reading — John 5:39-40

"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:1-3

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

In other words, there's nothing special about His outward appearance.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:1-3

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Wow. So here, back in Matthew chapter 13, what these people are doing, they're judging by appearance.

The Result of Being Scandalized: Unbelief

Because of their unbelief, Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazareth. Weaver concludes that rejecting truth is unbelief and being scandalized by Christ.

Applications and Warnings for Believers

Scripture Reading — John 6:60-68

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?"

Conclusion: Bow to Truth to Avoid Scandal

Weaver urges believers to bow to God's Word and Christ even when they do not fully understand, so they will not be involved in a scandal. He closes in prayer for grace to believe and obey.

Are You Involved In A Scandal?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	2ej5H0851ZM
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Walking With God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-07-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 132: Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit — Chapter 14
Source Timed Segments	67

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Biblical Meaning of Scandal: Weaver introduces the topic by contrasting modern dictionary definitions of scandal with the biblical Greek word skandalon, which refers to a trap or stumbling block that ensnares.
The Word of God Can Scandalize: Using Matthew 15, Weaver shows that the Pharisees were scandalized by Jesus' teaching against their traditions, demonstrating that truth can shock those committed to error.
Jesus Christ Himself Can Scandalize: Weaver cites Matthew 13:57 and 1 Peter 2 to show that people can be scandalized not only by God's Word but by Christ Himself, who is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to the disobedient.
Christians Can Be Scandalized: Weaver argues from Matthew 11:6 and Matthew 26 that even genuine believers, like the disciples, can be scandalized when they refuse to believe God's Word or Christ's warnings.
Illustration from Jeremiah 44: The story of the remnant in Judah who rejected God's word through Jeremiah and fled to Egypt illustrates how preferring one's own will over God's Word is being scandalized.
Christ's Warning to Avoid Being Scandalized: In John 16, Jesus foretold persecution so that His disciples would not be scandalized, emphasizing that He has the right to speak authoritatively as Creator and Lord.
The Nazareth Rejection: Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Weaver expounds Matthew 13:54-58, showing that the people of Nazareth were scandalized by Jesus because they knew His family and background, judging by appearance rather than truth.
The Result of Being Scandalized: Unbelief: Because of their unbelief, Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazareth. Weaver concludes that rejecting truth is unbelief and being scandalized by Christ.
Applications and Warnings for Believers: Weaver applies the message by warning that curiosity without conscience, and trusting one's own understanding over God's Word, leads to scandal. He cites John 6 where many disciples left Jesus because of hard sayings.
Conclusion: Bow to Truth to Avoid Scandal: Weaver urges believers to bow to God's Word and Christ even when they do not fully understand, so they will not be involved in a scandal. He closes in prayer for grace to believe and obey.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Scandal is not primarily moral failure but rejection of divine truth

The biblical concept of scandal centers on being ensnared by stumbling over God's Word or Christ, not on public disgrace.

Weaver contrasts dictionary definitions with the Greek skandalon, emphasizing it is a trapstick that ensnares.

Authoritative truth provokes scandal

Jesus taught with divine authority, which offended those who clung to human traditions and self-rule.

Weaver says: 'Most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth... You begin to authoritatively state truth to people, and here is the response that you normally get: But who do you think you are telling me what to do?'

The disciples' denial was a scandal

Peter and the disciples were scandalized when they refused to believe Jesus' prediction of their desertion, demonstrating that even believers can stumble.

Weaver points out: 'Here were believers who were refusing to accept Scripture. And were refusing to accept the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Judging by appearance leads to scandal

The Nazarenes judged Jesus by His humble origins and family, missing His true identity and being offended.

Weaver explains: 'They concluded that He could not possibly be the Messiah because they knew Him. They knew everything about Him.'

Unbelief limits God's work

Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief, showing that scandalizing at Christ hinders His power.

Weaver cites Matthew 13:58: 'And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.'

Scripture References

Matthew 13:57: The key verse: the people of Nazareth were offended (scandalized) in Jesus, and He said a prophet is without honor in his own country.
Romans 14:13: Shows the close connection between a stumbling block (proskomma) and an occasion to fall (skandalon).
Matthew 15:1-14: The Pharisees were scandalized by Jesus' teaching against their traditions; Jesus calls them blind leaders of the blind.
1 Peter 2:3-10: Christ is a living stone, disallowed by men but chosen by God; to the disobedient He is a stone of stumbling and rock of offense.
Matthew 11:6: Blessed is he who is not offended (scandalized) in Christ.
Matthew 26:31-35, 55-56: Jesus predicts all disciples will be scandalized because of Him; they all forsook Him and fled.
Jeremiah 44:28-29: God declares a contest to see whose words will stand—His or the rebellious remnant's—when they refuse to stay in the land.
John 16:1-5: Jesus spoke of coming persecution so that His disciples would not be scandalized.
Matthew 13:54-58: The full account of Jesus' rejection in Nazareth; they were offended because they knew His family.
John 7:15-16: The Jews marveled that Jesus knew letters having never learned; He said His doctrine is from the Father.
Matthew 7:29: Jesus taught as one having authority, not as the scribes.
Mark 1:27: The people were amazed at Jesus' new doctrine with authority, commanding even unclean spirits.
John 5:39-40: Jesus tells the Jews to search the Scriptures because they testify of Him, yet they refuse to come to Him for life.
Isaiah 53:1-3: Prophecy that the Messiah would have no form or comeliness, nothing in His appearance to attract people.
John 6:60-68: Many disciples were scandalized by Jesus' hard saying about being the bread of life and walked away; Peter confessed Him as the Christ.

Historical References

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp divorce: Mentioned as an example of a modern public scandal in the news, though Weaver knows nothing about them.
Roman Catholic Church pedophilia scandals: Cited as an example of public scandals involving immoral actions.
Nebuchadnezzar's conquest and the remnant in Judah: Historical background for Jeremiah 44: Nebuchadnezzar killed many Judeans, took captives, and appointed a governor who was murdered, leading the remnant to flee to Egypt against God's command.
Schools of Hillel and Shammai: Weaver mentions these rabbinical schools to highlight that Jesus did not attend any approved rabbinical school, which astonished the Jews.

Important Quotes

It is possible for Christians to be scandalized by the Word of God. It is possible for real, genuine believers to be scandalized by the Lord Jesus Christ.

A shocking but key thesis: even believers can stumble over truth.

How then do we as Christians scandalize or be involved in scandals or be scandalized? And that is when you and I simply prefer our thoughts, our desires, our will, our way, and our words above the Word of God and above the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Practical definition of how Christians become scandalized.

Most people really and truly do not want authoritative truth. They do not want authoritative teaching. They do not want someone coming along saying you're wrong.

Explains why the authoritative Word of God provokes offense.

A rejection of truth is unbelief. A denial of truth is unbelief. A refusal to hear truth is unbelief. And if you refuse to hear the truth, if you refuse to heed the truth, if you refuse to obey the truth, you're being scandalized by the Word of God.

Directly equates rejecting truth with being scandalized and in unbelief.

A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Jesus' own words explaining why familiarity leads to rejection of truth.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical definition of scandal (skandalon) differ from the modern understanding, and why is that distinction important?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts dictionary definitions with the Greek meaning of a trap or stumbling block.

[Question]

In what ways can Christians today be scandalized by the Word of God or by Christ Himself?

[Context]

Weaver argues that believers can stumble when they prefer their own thoughts over God's Word.

[Question]

Why did the people of Nazareth reject Jesus despite being astonished at His wisdom and miracles?

[Context]

They knew His family and background, leading them to judge by appearance rather than truth.

[Question]

How does familiarity with a person or message sometimes hinder us from receiving truth?

[Context]

Weaver notes that a prophet is without honor in his own country; familiarity can breed contempt.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'bow to the truth' even when we do not fully understand it?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that we must bow to God's authoritative Word regardless of our finite understanding.

Applications

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