Mark 6:1-13
In the Peanuts comic strip Lucy had an alternative to the traditional lemonade stand. It was her "Psychiatric Help 5¢" stand. Lucy would have her feet propped up while Charlie brown poses a problem to her. Charlie Brown says, "I want to be liked. No, I want to be more than 'just' liked… I want people to say, 'That Charlie Brown is a great guy!' And when people are at parties, I want them to look for me, and when I finally arrive, I want them to say, 'Here comes good ol' Charlie Brown… Now everything will be all right!' I want to be a special person… I want to be needed… It's kind of hard to explain… Do you understand? I mean, do you know what I'm talking about?" Lucy responds: "Sure, I understand perfectly…" "Well?" says Charlie Brown with anticipation. Lucy responds: "Forget it! Five cents, please!"
Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, had his share of rejection. After many years of having his cartoons rejected, Schulz created the character Charlie Brown. Charlie Brow n, who soon became world known as the epitome of rejection, became the means to make Schulz a multi-millionaire. Perhaps one of the reasons Charlie Brown became so popular is that almost everyone can relate to having feelings of rejection. Of course, there are those who think they can do no wrong but …for the rest of us rejection has been a part of our life.
Did you realize that Jesus himself was rejected at times? It was not just any old place but in his own hometown that he was rejected. It's one thing to be rejected by people who don't even know you, but it is particularly painful to be rejected by those who have been long time neighbors and family and friends. Jesus began to teach in his hometown synagogue and many who heard him were astounded. It was not that what he had to offer was not worthwhile and life changing; it was that they could not get past the point of "who does he think he is?" They remembered Jesus as the carpenter's son. They knew Jesus' brothers and sisters and could not understand why Jesus thought of himself as any different. In the minds of his hometown folks, Jesus was no different than they were. So, they took offense at him.
As a result Jesus could do no mighty works there, except for a few minor healings, and he marveled at their unbelief. It was not because Jesus was incapable of doing mighty deeds. It was because the people were unreceptive that Jesus could do no mighty works there. It is like putting your glass under a faucet while at the same time covering the top of the glass with a lid. The water is there all the time but if the glass is covered, the water can't get through. The same type of thing occurred in Jesus' hometown. Blessings were ready to flow from Jesus into the hearts of the people but they did all they could to block the flow.
So, Jesus moved on to other villages. He commissioned his disciples to go out two by two to proclaim the gospel. Jesus knew that his disciples would also have to deal with rejection. So Jesus provided them with instructions. The sharing of the gospel was directly connected to how the people would receive them. The disciples were to intentionally set out knowing they would have to increase their likelihood of being received. They would need to be received if they expected to survive. By traveling light they would have to depend on others for their well-being. Jesus ordered his disciples to take nothing with them for their journeys; nothing, that is, except what they absolutely needed, such as a staff, one pair of sandals, and one tunic. They were not to take with them any extras, such as bread to eat, no bag to carry any belongings, no money to buy anything, including housing. They were to depend entirely on their reception by others. They were to knock on doors in a town until someone invited them to stay with them. Once they entered the house, they were stay at that person's house the whole time they were sharing the gospel with the people of that town.
Going door to door carrying nothing but the clothes on your back and staying at the home of the first person who invites you to do so sounds like an incredible proposition to us today. How well do you think that would go over in our communities now? In Jesus' day, when a traveler entered a village it was not the traveler's duty to find hospitality. It was considered to be the villagers' responsibility to offer hospitality to the traveler. In the case of the disciples, Jesus told them that if such hospitality was not offered - that is, if both doors and ears remained shut to the blessings the disciples wanted to give to the people - then they were to shake the dust of that place off their feet. This was considered to be a great insult, a sign of total rejection. If fellowship was refused, then shaking the dust from one's feet served as a symbolic gesture that the traveler would have nothing to do with the people of that area, including the ground upon which they walk (2). Perhaps you have heard the phrase, "I worship the ground on which you walk"? Shaking the dust off one's feet was as opposite of that phrase as you could get. Shaking the dust off your feet was a sign of your unwillingness to touch anything, including the dust of the earth, which such inhospitable people touched.
Our context is different today but the basic principles of sharing the good news are the same. One of the reasons we fear sharing the gospel with strangers, as well as with our family and friends, is because we fear rejection.
1) When you share the good news, you are sometimes rejected. Keep in mind that, in most cases, it is the message being rejected not the messenger. Sometimes people rejected Jesus after first receiving him gladly. There was one time people even tried to throw Jesus off the cliff because of the message he shared (Luke 4:29). It was not that he changed in that course of time. It was that the message he bore became too hard for the listeners to hear. Sometimes people mistakenly believe that if they get rid of the messenger, then they get rid of the message. If you are in a situation to share the good news and you are concerned about rejection, you may not share at all because you are concerned that people may reject you as well as the message. That is a risk we are called to make. Remember though, that people are not rejecting you, the messenger, they are rejecting the message. We should not take such rejection personally. People who reject the good news are rejecting not us but the blessings of God.
2) When you share the good news, you are sometimes not really heard. You can say the same thing to different people and receive totally different reactions. It all depends on if the people are listening and if they really want to hear what it is you are saying. Sometimes when I have heard or seen something that really charges me up, I have heard others say that it did nothing for them. There are other times when I had been bored to tears and someone will say that it was just what they needed to see or hear. Much of what people hear depends on their attitude, perception, and what's going on in their life at the time.
3) When you share the good news, rejection is less likely when you keep hospitality in mind. Sharing the good news isn't about beating someone over the head with an abrupt confrontation of "Are you saved?" Sharing the good news is about building relationships of mutual hospitality. By sharing the good news you have something to give and they have something to receive. By relying on other people's hospitality, you have something to receive and they have something to give. These are mutual acts of kindness that reward all concerned.
4) When you share the good news, it is best not to dwell on any rejections. Brush it off, like dust off your feet, and move on. There are always others who are seeking for some good news, if only someone would be willing to share it with them. I have talked to too many people who, after they received their first rejection, decide to give up altogether. That must make the devil grin real wide. Don't give up if your sharing resulted in rejection, try it again. If you get knocked down, you're a failure only if you don't get back up again, brush it off, learn from your mistakes, and move on. Many people we think of as being successful were people who kept on trying despite rejection or failed attempts. R. H. Macy failed many times in business before something finally clicked. Thomas Edison failed many times trying to make a lightbulb but he learned from his mistakes and moved on. Babe Ruth was known for his setting the record for home runs, but the truth is that he struck out 1,330 times while hitting 714 homeruns in between. It has been reported that he once said, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from taking a swing at the ball!" (3)
One of the problems we have as Christians, myself included, is that the fear of striking out when sharing the gospel keeps us from even taking a swing at the ball. The business of the church is proclaiming the good news to people who have not heard the good news before and to people who have heard it before and have rejected the message. We are content at talking about the good news among those who are already sold to the idea and then complain that no one new is showing up at the church. I have had a conviction lately that I have not been doing enough to share the good news with the unchurched. Jesus gave his disciples a strategy for going about the business of the church. We as a church need to be thinking along the same lines of what strategy we will use to more people to Christ. We talk about attracting people to the church, as though the unchurched will just happen to walk through our church doors. Sharing the good news isn't about attracting people to us. It's about us being sent out to bring people in. Will we dare to do it? Especially if it means traveling lightly, putting our trust in God, and taking the risk of rejection?
(1) Charles Schulz, You Don't Look 35, Charlie Brown!, Copyright 1985 by United Feature Syndicate.
(2) William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, Revised Edition, Copyright 1975 by William Barclay.
(3) Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches, Copyright 1992, 1998 by Aubrey Malphurs, p. 74.
(Comments to Steve at sgportner1@aol.com )
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