When Man's Rejection is God's Redirection

Jesus began his earthly ministry calling humanity to repent and believe so that they could both see and enter the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). He declared himself to be the rightful King and then explained the dynamics of his upside-down Kingdom, which is diametrically opposed to the kingdom of this world. Central to his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus’ emphasis on the reality of persecution for those who would follow him. He assured them -- and us -- that man's rejection is not an accident or something to fear but often the natural result of darkness encountering light and seeking to extinguish it (John 15:18; 16:3). Jesus then demonstrated from his own life how we should respond when this happens.

God’s preparation

God prepared humanity for Jesus’s coming with hundreds of Old Testament prophecies, so that when he arrived they would recognize him. One of the clearest and most detailed accounts of his character and work was given in the book of Isaiah. Here we see a poignant description of the suffering-servant King who the prophet shows will be “despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces” (Isaiah 53:4). 

When we fast forward about 700 years from this prophecy to Jesus’ life and ministry, we see how it was perfectly fulfilled. To begin with, Christ’s family rejected and persecuted him, refusing to believe his testimony that he was the Messiah (John 7:4-6). In addition to this, the religious leaders mocked, slandered and sought to kill him (Matthew 12:24; John 11:53). The masses tried to manipulate him to get miracles and bread and then many of the disciples deserted him (Luke 6:60-66). On the cross, his enemies heaped insults on him (Matthew 27:38-44). He was hated in his hometown Nazareth and rejected in many cities like Samaria, Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum (Luke 4:14-30; 9:51-56; Matthew 11:21). 

How did Jesus respond?

Regardless of what the rejection and persecution looked like, Jesus responded in a consistent way. Peter describes this in 1 Peter 2:23: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” Jesus was not triggered or discouraged by the rejection, nor did he allow it to stop his mission. On the contrary, he set his face like flint against the opposition and continued to travel from town to town sharing the Good News and calling people to repentant faith (Matthew 9:35). 

When man’s rejection is God’s redirection

When rejected and persecuted in one city, Jesus shook the dust off his feet and moved on. He instructed the disciples to do the same saying, “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another” (Matthew 10:14). He forgave, blessed, prayed for and showed love to those who cursed him, but at the same time he did not remain among them (Luke 6:27-28). We see the same pattern emerging in the apostles’ lives, namely Paul who went from city to city when he was often violently rejected (Acts 19:23-41; 2 Timothy 3:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:2). Rather than seeing this as a sign that God was not pleased with him or that the message of the Gospel had failed, he used it as a springboard to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). To encourage him to press on, the Lord even visited him in prison saying, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome" (Acts 23:11). The apostle John spent his last years in an unexpected place on the Isle of Patmos, having been redirected from what he thought was the mission of God due to persecution and arrest (Revelation 1:9). However, it was there on the remote island that he received “revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1).

How should we respond?

As Christ’s disciples, we also experience rejection and persecution. And because we’re human, we’re often tempted to retaliate or to run in fear -- to seek revenge or to shut down. But it’s clear from Scripture and these examples from the life of Christ and the apostles that neither is appropriate for the child of God. Instead, we’re to follow in the footsteps of the Lord and continue entrusting ourselves to our faithful Creator and doing good (1 Peter 2:21; 4:19). He promises that we’ve been called and created for a righteous purpose to do the work he’s given us to do (Isaiah 42:6-9; Ephesians 2:10). Additionally, he assures us that we will be hated by the world and rejected because of his name (John 15:18). If we give up or run when this happens, we will fail to flourish and bear fruit for his glory (Matthew 25:14-30; John 15:8). And if we retaliate we will discredit the Gospel, which is demonstrated by our love for one another (John 13:35). 

God calls us to be sober-minded so that we’re able to prayerfully observe and discern each situation to ensure that the rejection and persecution are real and not perceived and that they are the result of someone else’s sin and not our own (1 Peter 5:8-9). When the Holy Spirit makes this clear, we’re called to move on – blessing, praying for, doing good to and loving our enemies – just as Jesus did. Rather than seeing this as a setback or failure, we can commit ourselves to our loving Father and thank him for this unexpected gift -- trusting that man’s rejection is God’s redirection. 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).