Rejection of Jesus

Psalm 26, 28 • Psalm 36, 39
Ecclus. 6:5-17; Rev. 7:9-17; Luke 10:1-16

The story from the Gospel today is classically quoted in the context of witnessing. Jesus sends out the seventy-two to prepare the way for him, carrying nothing and judging the town based on how they are received. For many this is a call to action to spread the good news of Jesus and an acknowledgement that those who don’t receive Him to have a fate worse than Sodom. I recently read Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor and was challenged to approach this story differently. I highly encourage you to read this book if you haven’t. 

“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” - John 10:16 

Taylor’s book made me reconsider what it truly means to reject Jesus. Often we are taught this is synonymous with rejecting Christianity, however now I’m not so sure. Like Taylor, I have found people of other faiths that seem to follow the teachings of my own better than I can. Many acknowledge Jesus as an important teacher and unlike many Christians, acknowledgement of the validity of another’s faith does not diminish their own. Many embrace Jesus without embracing Christianity, whether explicitly or implicitly. Regardless of how you define rejection in this case, Jesus calls us to call out those who do not receive us, not those who reject Him. So often these lines are blurred, but we are not called to determine who rejects Jesus, but instead who treats us poorly. Throughout your conversations this week, I urge you to focus on how you are received and nothing more. It is not up to us to decide who is right in God’s eyes. 

Written by Hadley Thomas

Hadley is currently a biochemistry student at Colorado School of Mines and hopes to attend medical school to become a Navy physician. She is passionate about her faith and is excited to share her perspective and interpretations with the amazing congregation of Saint Paul’s.