Dealing with Rejection. (Mark 6: 1-13)

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Dealing with Rejection (Mark 6:1-13)

Welcome to Episode 14!
 
Welcome back to our podcast series on the Gospel of Mark. We're thrilled to have you join us once again. In today's episode, we're delving into a topic that many of us have encountered at some point in our lives: rejection. How do we handle rejection, especially in the context of sharing our faith? Explore this theme through the lens of Mark 6:1-13.

Episode Notes:

 Our discussion today centers around how to handle rejection, particularly in the context of sharing the Christian message. The passage we're exploring today can be divided into two parts. The first part highlights how Jesus faced rejection in his hometown.  Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth, accompanied by his disciples. On the Sabbath, he begins teaching in the synagogue, and those who heard him were amazed by his wisdom and the miracles he performed. This is Jesus' second visit to Nazareth, occurring about a year after his first. He enters the local synagogue and begins to teach. While Mark's account doesn't detail the content of his teaching, Luke's version provides insight into what Jesus said. He reads from the book of Isaiah, proclaiming his mission to bring good news, freedom, sight, and the Lord's favour. 

Despite the amazement at his teaching and miracles, the people of Nazareth struggle to reconcile the extraordinary wisdom and power they witness with their preconceived notions of Jesus. The people see Jesus as the carpenter they've known, and they can't easily accept his divine wisdom and authority. This tension between recognizing Jesus' wisdom and rejecting him as just a local carpenter ultimately leads to their offense.

The passage then transitions to the second part, where Jesus sends out his disciples on a mission.  Jesus commissions his disciples to go out two by two, giving them authority over impure spirits. He instructs them to travel light and depend on the hospitality of the villages they visit. Jesus emphasizes that they shouldn't be disheartened by rejection. If a village rejects their message, they are to move on, symbolically shaking  the dust off their feet as a testimony against those who rejected them.  The disciples follow Jesus' command, preaching repentance as they travel. This underscores that even as Jesus faced rejection, his followers will also experience rejection when sharing his message.

So, what can we learn from this passage about dealing with rejection? 

Firstly, it's important to remember that Jesus himself experienced rejection. Even in his own hometown, people struggled to accept his divinely inspired teachings and wisdom.

Secondly, when sharing the Christian message, rejection is inevitable. Just as Jesus was rejected, his followers will encounter rejection. However, this rejection isn't necessarily personal; it's often a response to the message they carry.

Lastly, Jesus offers a perspective shift on rejection. He encourages his fol

Transcript

Dealing with Rejection. (Mark 6: 1-13)

 Have any of you heard the story of the ugly duckling? The fable by Hans Christian Anderson of the little guy following months of rejection and hardship and teasing went off to be by himself, the conclusion of the original 1844 story has this happy ending when he is heard to say.

 “I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling,  I am in fact now a beautiful swan.”[i]

(The Ugly Duckling [1843 H K] Anderson)

The overt fact we need to grasp hold of is that in this day and age in the UK the majority, probably the vast majority of people reject not only Christianity but also the message of Christ. But don’t be phased by this because for 2000 years of Christian history including those initial years when Jesus himself walked the earth, the majority of people rejected his message. The community of Gods people has survived for 2000 years through every type of culture and civilisation but often marginal to the mainstream cultural backdrop.

What I would like to do today, is ask the question how we should handle rejection. What I have primarily in mind of course is how should we handle the rejection of the Christian message and the truth about Jesus himself but please note some of the things I will say, will also apply to any personal rejection that you might experience.

The passage today will fall into two parts. First of all, it shows us how Jesus himself was rejected when he returns to his hometown and the secondly it shows us Jesus sending out the Apostles two by two. But these two passages are both linked by the single theme of rejection.

Let me begin with the first part of the passage which deals straightforwardly with issue of Jesus being rejected.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed, saying. ‘Where did this man get these things?’ they asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?

(Mark 6: 1-2)

So, this is the 2nd visit of Jesus to his hometown of Nazareth and bible experts tell me this visit occurs about a year after his first and we see on this occasion he enters the local synagogue. Now, Marks account doesn’t tell us what he taught on this occasion but interestingly Luke’s account of the same event does. Let me read it to you so you can know what Jesus actually said to them in the synagogue that day.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’

 (Luke 4: 16-21)

Wow!

So that’s what he did, and that is what he said, and going back again to Marks account we see how the people react to this.

It tells us, “Many who heard him were amazed” Saying ‘Where did this man get these things. ‘What is this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?

So, the people question where Jesus got his claim comes from, and how did he do the miracles he did but then they go on to say.

Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.

(Mark 6: 3)

In other words, they are saying, “we know this guy” he grew up around here, he is just a carpenter. The probably said something like this is just the guy who made a table for me, we know his family and they name his mother and his brother and sisters, they ask where did he get all this wisdom from. Did you know that after Jesus was born Joseph and Mary had other children, both boys and girls? By the way the person James mentioned here is the same James who wrote the book of James and went on to head up the Jerusalem church after Jesus’ death and resurrection. So, this is the picture a small insular community and Jesus is returning home again, a former carpenter, from a modest family did not seem a likely candidate for a prophet, never mind Messiah. The Messiah they were waiting for was someone they expected to purge the nation of foreigners and liberate Israel from Rome and establish a new kingdom on earth. This is just our local boy all grown up. However, there is a conflict going on within them, on one hand they say, it just Jesus but at the same time ask, ‘What’s this wisdom he has come from? So, they recognize he has a heavenly wisdom, but on the other hand they think he is or was just our local carpenter. What that old saying, don’t judge a book by its cover

I heard this story, I haven’t been able to verify it, but I hope it’s true, but I’m going to tell it anyway. Sheamus Heaney is a well-known Irish poet, and his father was just a peat farmer, who made a little extra on the side selling the odd cow now and again. Heaney would be highly lauded and one day he would win the Nobel prize for literature. Early in his career when he had his first book published, the publishers as was there pattern with new writers presented them with a special leather-bound edition of their book. He is said to have shown it to his father, who said, wow, very nice where did you learn to bind books. Maybe he should have looked inside and seen his sons name printed on the title page.

It the same thing here, these people looked at the outside, but didn’t care to pay attention to what was being said, and who he really was. People still do that today, when confronted with the living Lord Jesus.

Let’s look at how Jesus responded to them.

Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”.’ (Mark 6: 4 NLT)

Once when my wife and I were visiting Birmingham city art gallery to see the famous pre-Raphaelite art collection that it is famous for. Whilst there I heard a young boy say to his mother, the pictures in this art gallery are rubbish. I remember thinking it’s not the pictures that are on trial here, they have stood the test of time…. It’s the visitors, and their reaction to them is the real test. It is not Jesus who is ever on trial in these stories, but peoples reaction to him and what he taught always is.

He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few people who were ill and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.

(Mark 6: 5-6)

We know Jesus as the Son of God has the power and can do anything he wants but they did not recognise who he was, and they did not have any faith, therefore there was no appetite for him to do the amazing works he could have done for them. Even if he had still done them without being asked, they probably wouldn’t have recognised them as a work of God. God cannot answer your prayers if you don’t ask him in the first place and sometimes when he does, he is often not credited with the his response anyway.

(Give example of prayers for healing) “When your desperate you will try anything”.

Now I don’t know whether God healed that person or not, but I do know if he did there was never an appetite to acknowledge him if they did.

Simply put, Jesus was rejected, and his work was either not wanted or uncredited. Even Jesus experienced rejection.

There is a second part to this passage, we are told he left Nazareth and began to go around the smaller villages teaching.

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

(Mark 6: 7)

The word “send” here is a word from which we get the word “Apostle”.

The word ‘apostle’ simple means ‘someone who is sent’, someone sent on an official mission. Not just a post man though, but one sent with authority to deliver an authentic message personally. Another word sometimes used is an ambassador, and it is here we see him sends out 12 of his disciples, which is why from this point forward they are sometimes referred to in the texts as the 12 apostles.

These were his instructions: ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.  Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

(Mark 6: 8-10)

So, he sends them out two by two, and he tells them to take no food, no money, and not even to take any extra clothes. All they are to take is a staff and sandals. You probably thought your local airlines (Ryanair’s) baggage policy was strict. Well, there was definitely no extra baggage allowed here.  He not only tells them to go and travel light, but he tells them to depend upon the village itself for support, they will support you if they value what you are doing and if they don’t value you or your message, move on. 

When Matthew tells this story, he adds the additional important observation that “the worker is worthy of his wage”. In all of this Jesus is clearly teaching that you should depend on the Lord and the Lord works through people to build his church and to supply the needs of the worker.

And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’

(Mark 6: 11)

Right from the start, Jesus says, be aware some people are not going to receive you or hear you. They may not even welcome you, but the really important thing is they are not going to listen to you. Then he tells us what to do on those occasions, and I think this is very interesting, “leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them”. What I find interesting about that is at that time if Jewish people travelled outside the region of Palestine when they crossed the border and went into gentile territory, they believed they were defiled. But when they crossed back over the border, they would shake the dust from their clothes and feet to signify the removing of those critical unbelieving worldly influences. What I believe this tells us, is that when the message is consistently rejected, we then reach a point where we must symbolically dust our feet, and move on.

They went out and preached that people should repent.

(Mark 6: 12).

They go out and they preach repentance. So, they tell people to change their minds about who Jesus is, and to change their minds about what sin is, and what to do in response to that, because by doing so you can live a new life transformed by the power of God.

Let me summarise what has been said so far.

The first part of the passage tells us that Jesus was rejected. The second part of the passage tells us that disciples of Jesus are also going to be rejected, precisely because it is the message of Jesus they are preaching. Jesus speaking elsewhere said this.

If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you also.

(John 15:20a)

Let me finish by making a couple of practical suggestions about facing up to the consequence of being a Christian, of being an Ambassador of Christ. Firstly, if you do these things, you will experience rejection.

As a matter of fact, if you haven’t experienced rejection for becoming a Christian it can only be because you probably no longer have any non-Christian friends, or you’re not telling people about what Jesus has done in your life and neither of those situations is right. But if you do these things and you experience rejection then remember to keep it in perspective. Because whatever you experience today, it is nothing compared to the rejection that people have experienced down through the centuries, or even today in other places around the world.

I heard of a young Christian missionary student, who very recently went to Malaysia to help in a local Christian church for the summer. His first Sunday at the church was a Baptismal service and one of the young people attending that church, a young 17-year-old girl among others was being baptised. During the service he noticed a small worn suitcase leaning against the wall at the back of the church. He asked what that was doing there, the Pastor said, the young girl who was being baptised, had been told by her father, if she went ahead with this and was baptised as a Christian she should leave the house and never come home again. So, she had bought her luggage to the baptism service.

And as an aside if any of you here this morning are delaying the decision to be baptised and it is in any way even partly due to fear of what friends or family might think. I once had someone tell me they didn’t want to get baptised because they didn’t want to get their hair wet in public. 

People around the world are dying for their faith in Christ. That is no good reason for most people today in the west for being disobedient for the call any God is making in your life. The second thing is if rejection happens, you should rejoice. Are you kidding me, when I am rejected, I should rejoice? Yes! That is exactly what I am saying. As a matter of fact, in the famous sermon on the mount that is what Jesus explicitly said.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven,

(Matthew 5: 11-12a NKJV)

Rejoice friends, for great is your reward in heaven. Another way to look at this is to say, you know what, I am not going to take this personally, because it’s against him, not me. If you weren’t an ambassador for Christ no one would be bothered about you. So, don’t take it personally its really about their rejection of God it’s not about you.

Let me make a third and final suggestion. It is simply this, Jesus himself said.

If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.

(John 15:20a)

If you are persecuted then, be encouraged, because this means you are being authentic to the Gospel and being changed into becoming more like Christ and isn’t that the whole purpose of the Christian life. Paul said, these things happen, and they happen for a reason. The reason being.

“So that we may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.”.

(Philippians 3:10a NKJV)

When we are rejected, we get a little glimpse of what it was like to be Jesus. When you are rejected for His sake, don’t take it personally and don’t listen to those who are rejecting you, and don’t let them drag you down. Simply remember, you are a child of God, a follower of Christ, and a possessor of the Holy Spirit. Remember who you are in Christ, and in light of that, it really doesn’t matter what other people say about you. In that situation, don’t listen to what they say, instead just remember who you are and what Christ said.

When Hans Christian Anderson was asked by a journalist, if he planned to ever write his autobiography, he replied, “it has already been written, I called it the ugly duckling”. In reviewing Hans Christian Andersen: A New Life by biographer Jens Andersen, British journalist Anne Chisholm writes, 

“Andersen himself was a tall, ugly boy with a big nose and big feet, and when he grew up, he hid his amazing singing voice and his passion for the theatre because he was cruelly teased and mocked by other children". The story of the ugly duckling is the story of the child of a swan whose egg accidentally rolled into a duck's nest. Speculation now suggests that Andersen was in fact an early illegitimate son of, King Christian VIII of Denmark and he found this out some time before he wrote the ugly duckling, and that the swan in the story was a metaphor not just for his own life but the life of Christ in him and his Christian faith and the fact that this story was inspired by his late discovery of his secret royal lineage he found held, both in Christ and in the world[ii].

(Hans Christian Andersen: A new life. by. Andersen, Jens.)

The last line of his fairy tale says this.

“It does not matter if you are born and destined to live in a duck yard as long as you have been hatched from a swans egg.

Let me suggest, when you are rejected don’t live as an ugly duckling, just remember you have been born again and adopted into the Royal linage of the Son of God who is the King of the Universe…

[i] andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheUglyDuckling
[ii] Hans Christian Andersen: a new life. by. Andersen, Jens. (2005). Publisher. Woodstock, N.Y. : Overlook Press.