October 22, 2018

Rejection

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. – Isaiah 53:3

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” – John 15:18

She pretended it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t want to go anyway. But the truth was in the sadness of her eyes. She wasn’t invited. All her friends, that group she claimed as her own, were going but she wasn’t invited.

Rejection stings, doesn’t it? We’ve all been there. We aren’t included in the ladies’ lunch. We’re passed over for the promotion we thought was ours. We’re excluded from the group, not invited to the party, sitting alone on the pew.

Jesus gets it. Think about it for a moment. Jesus was popular with loads of followers for a time. But as He began His ministry, his own family thought He was nuts. And at the end, even those closest to Jesus, left Him to face a cruel trial and death. All that remained were John, Jesus’ mother, and a few others.

Maybe those who followed Jesus, all those crowds, only hung around because Jesus was a healer and a miracle worker. He could feed thousands with just a small amount of bread and fish. He could raise the dead and heal the lame. Everyone wanted to be friends with Jesus.

But is that true friendship? When people only are “friends” with you because of what they might be able to get in return, that isn’t really friendship. It’s just a surface relationship that goes away as soon as you aren’t able to give to them anymore. It’s an uncomfortable rejection but is it really a surprise?

Jesus was different. Everyone knew that. People didn’t think anyone of significance could come from Jesus’ hometown. Have you ever been rejected because of where you live, how you dress, where you work? It’s surface stuff that aims to make you feel less than you really are. We pretend it doesn’t matter but it hurts.

Have you ever been rejected because of your age, either younger or older? What about your skin color? It happens all the time. We’re rejected for our faith, for our income, for our worthiness as determined by someone else. Jesus gets it.

Living a life of faith isn’t easy. People don’t understand our priorities. And we’re torn. It’s impossible to live focused on this world and serve Jesus as we should. The two don’t mix. We’ve got to reject one in order to truly serve the other. There’s no middle ground, no matter how many times you witness someone trying to straddle that road.

The world rejects us just as it rejected Him. It hurts. Jesus understands. He’s felt that bitter sting. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Love Him. Follow Him. You’re headed home and, really, that’s all that matters anyway.