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Blind Rejection
Paul's
conversion from Saul to Paul is astounding and at times undervalued for what it
really meant.
Being
a man in good standing in society and flipping his thoughts and opinions to
something so foreign to popular thought of the times is something we really
just cannot imagine, though we may think we can.
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And
immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of
God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made
havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here
for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” Acts
9:20-21
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Message Rejection
One
particular instance of Paul's desire to change the minds of others to what was
now undeviating truth to himself can actually give us some insight to dealing
with rejection.
Paul
travels to Antioch with Barnabas and preaches to Jew and Gentile alike. They
want to hear more, but the crowds are so filled with Gentiles that the Jews
loose it . One would think they would rejoice and accept the completion of the
law which held them in place for so many long years, but what was their
response?
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On the next Sabbath
almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When
the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to
contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered
them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it
and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the
Gentiles. 47 For this is what
the Lord has commanded us:
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Dust off Rejection
Being rejected is a hard thing to move past
When
we are rejected for something as important as salvation it can be even harder.
We, who are giving our testimony may pour out our hearts and souls in love for
others to just begin to see and accept the Savior, yet we can be
"contradicted and abused".
How
do Paul and Barnabas deal with this ?
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50 But the Jewish leaders incited the
God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They
stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their
region. 51 So they shook the
dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with
joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:50-52
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It's truly comforting to see Paul using
tactics similar to what Jesus dictated to those he personally sent out when
placed in a situation like this.
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But
whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and
say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against
you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ Luke
10:10-11
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We
are called to do as Paul did, claiming Jesus as our Savior, but at times the
crowd we are bringing this message to will be like that of these Jews in
Antioch. We have an interesting choice to make.
We
can let the rejection of others cause us to quit all together, we can
constantly beat our words upon stone hearts, or we can accept that we have no
power to change others and move on to a different crowd, just as Paul did.
Invitation Rejection
The message Christ
gave about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a wedding feast really showed how
this hardship would happen.
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Jesus spoke to them
again in parables, saying: 2 “The
kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who
had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Matthew 22:1-3
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Those
who were set to be invited refused to come, even after a second personal
invitation. Those invited to the feast explained that they had more important
things to do.
If
we understand the importance of a wedding and see the enormous disrespect given
by those invited, then we can be even more shocked to realize this is a
spiritual example of how the Kingdom of Heaven is rejected. Paul's rejection of
his message by the Jews really begins to come clear understanding it through
this parable, especially when we see the depth some of those invited to the
wedding feast treated the servants of the one throwing the feast.
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4 “Then he sent some more servants and
said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen
and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the
wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went
off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his
servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those
murderers and burned their city.
Matthew 22:4-7
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God Encourages Thru Rejection
Paul
was often sought after by those who were Jewish, claiming Paul was breaking
laws and deserving of death, but the message of Jesus being Christ was never
quenched from his lips!
God
is an encourager, He will always desire us to continue in His work no matter
the opposition.
God
encourages Paul in Corinth:
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And
the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do
not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and
no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my
people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God
among them. Acts
18:9-11 (emphasis mine)
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Paul
clearly went from those who were properly invited to those in the streets, just
as was talked about in Jesus' parable. Is there some other group we should turn
to when we have been rejected?
Should we be turning to others?
The answer has a yes and a no.
The No?
The
kingdom of heaven is here now, as well as to be later. We are to a point where
every person is eligible for acceptance. It may have been Paul and Peter, as
well as a few others, who opened the door to move from the chosen of God, but
the banquet is ready and set for all those willing to accept it now.
The Yes?
We
can move from those who, right now, do not wish to accept the message and turn
to others, but no longer letting classifications keep us in bounds for who can
know and accept this wonderful news!
We
should be prepared for acceptance or rejection, but fear neither. We should be
ready to shake the dust from us and let the message sink in or wash off those
we have provided it to.
Are you wearing the right thing?
The
final thing we must all be certain to do is be dressed for the occasion:
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“But
when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no
wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a
wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants,
‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are
chosen.” Matthew
22:11-14
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Could
it be called unfair to do this to someone who was only pulled from the street
to attend a wedding?
Certainly
they just did not have the time to get ready, or maybe they just lacked the
resources? Can we not give the benefit to those in this case?
No.
It seems not.
When
Paul diligently began to seek and teach the gentiles, they took to the message
and changed themselves according to the truth being given to them. Obviously
not all of them, but they were grateful for the chance to be accepted.
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46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered
them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it
and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the
Gentiles. 47 For this is what
the Lord has commanded us:
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for
eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through
the whole region.
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As
we personally accept this wonderful gift we need to do the same.
Preaching it is one thing, living it is another
Be
certain to be dressed for the part in speech and in behavior. It IS important.
Standing
by this integrity will help you when things are tough, and always know there
are people willing to hear the message of Christ.
Have you ever been rejected for your message of Christ? What did you do in response?
Derek
is a Children's Pastor and
Men's Leader in his home
church, Mechanical Designer @ T-tek, Book
Reviewer, and Prestidigitator.
He is a Fantasy reader, Whovian, and Funko
Pop and Toy Collector. Derek
lives in Alabama with his wife and four children.
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