Handling Rejection (Matt 10:11-16)

Matthew 10:11-16  Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.  As you enter the house, greet it.  If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.  Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.  


Why did Jesus need to tell the disciples to leave and take their blessings of peace from people who reject them?  It seems logical not to waste your time where you aren't wanted.  It seems logical that it would even be freeing to be able to give up and walk away.  So why does Jesus have to say anything?  I think it is because the opposite is  actually true.

When I have encountered people who reject the way of Christ, I have wanted to keep trying to convince them to embrace Jesus.  Their rejection grieved me, not on a personal "I don't want to be rejected" level, but on an "I love you and don't want to walk away" level - on an "I am broken too, but Jesus is the way to our wholeness... let's seek him together" level.  My heart went out to them in a way that made me understand a little of what makes Christ's heart break for humanity.  I can't help but believe that it wasn't the same for the disciples too.

I think Jesus needed to tell his disciples to leave, because leaving wouldn't be what they wanted to do.  He knew they would fall in love with those who had not found the bread of life and want to feed them - so much so - that his disciples, if not instructed otherwise, would continue to beat their heads against a wall.   So Jesus had to instruct his disciples to leave and go find others to invite into his community.

Some interesting points about these verses...

When you enter into a relationship with those you find, you were to offer them your peace - your shalom or wholeness.  In other words, you tied your well being to their well being.  You entered into a relationship that was meant to become a holy one - one that was to become part of Jesus' community.  When they rejected you, you were to break that tie... no longer would your wholeness be dependent on them.  No longer would your wholeness be extend to them.

Another thing that seems so odd to me is that Christ has tied the acceptance of his disciples to the acceptance of him.  They go hand in hand.  When his disciples are rejected, he is rejected.  You can't accept him - come into his community and at the same time reject others.  It doesn't work that way.  His community is not only about entering into a relationship with God, but also about accepting and loving others - warts and all.

Worst of all, Jesus predicts that these people you leave behind will self-destruct - like Sodom and Gomorrah.  At first I thought Jesus was trying to comfort the disciples by telling them that God would seek revenge on people who treat them poorly.  But I seriously doubt that.  I think Jesus is telling the disciples that the self-destruction of those left behind is a natural result of their rejecting you (and hence, Christ). It is going to happen and it isn't because his disciples didn't stay long enough or try hard enough.  Unfortunately, watching people reject Jesus is a part of the burden Jesus' followers bear.  And their hearts will break just like Jesus' heart breaks.  

Jesus may have had another reason for bringing the story of Sodom and Gomorrah into the conversation.  Remember when Lot left Sodom and Gomorrah?  He and his family were just outside of town when the town exploded into fire.  Remember how Lot's wife looked back at the town and she was turned into a pillar of salt?  I guess we could surmise, that it is ill advised to even look back towards the people you have left - the message being... keep moving forward to the place where God is leading you and start inviting the people who live there into the kingdom.

For me, it is comforting to know that God is a God of second, third, and many other chances.  And that he loves those who reject him even more than I do.  We can always pray that God will send others and that they will not be rejected.

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The other gospels weigh in...

Mark 6:10-11   He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.  If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 

Luke 9:4-5  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.  Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."