Reflections
WDJD...WHEN FACING REJECTION?
By Harry Heintz
Text: Mark 6:1-6
Ten years ago I heard Billy Graham say that there are five topics about which he can preach to any audience anywhere in the world and get a hearing. These five speak to universal concerns, cutting across lines of age, geography, gender, and race. What are the five? I forgot! But I called a friend who also heard Billy say this and together we think we got four of them: dealing with guilt, loneliness, fear of death, and the need to be loved. Does that list sound right to you? We weren’t sure about the fifth. I nominate this one: dealing with rejection. I know that Jesus faced it. He faced it long before that final rejection in
I face it. All pastors face it. I expect all other people face it to. Let me tell you how it is for me. I want to be liked by everyone. I want my ideas to be accepted by everyone. I want my sermons to be appreciated by everyone. If that’s vain, I’m guilty. I think it may have more to do with insecurity. Did you notice the way I began this message, the way it sounded like Billy Graham and I are good buddies. Actually we are. Well, I did shake his hand once in
I wonder what Jesus was thinking when he returned to his hometown of
Rejection comes in different ways. One of our modern forms may be the cruelest of all—the form letter. Some of that happens this season as colleges and summer employers send out those dreaded “Thank you for your interest, however . . . ” letters. Just seeing the envelope with your name that their return address on it can cause an outbreak of hives—or worse. There’s a difference between rejection from people we don’t very well or may not like and rejection from people we know well and like. There are some kinds of rejections that bother us for a moment and then quickly are forgotten. I think there ought to be a severe penalty for physical education teachers and coaches who tell a group of children or teens to choose up two teams. There are other kinds of rejection that hurt deeply and linger long. Rejection by one’s family has to be high on that list. Rejection by the people with whom you grew up must be very tough. Rejection from a church is so painful. Rejection of one‘s work is very hard. I have a friend who spent ten years on a research assignment at GE. Then GE decided not to pursue all that he had researched. He understood that major corporations have to do that, but it was still a blow to him. Fortunately he knew who he was and didn’t let that ruin his life. Others have not been as fortunate.
Jesus experienced rejection in his hometown at a point where he wasn’t expecting it. What did Jesus do when facing rejection? First, let’s look at what Jesus didn’t do?
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He didn’t question who he was.
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He didn’t defend himself.
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He didn’t deny the hurt that he experienced.
That’s what Jesus didn’t do. What did Jesus do?
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He did experience some personal pain.
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He did reach out, even there, to some needy people with God’s love and heal them.
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He did go on with his mission in life. He went right on to the next villages telling them of God’s love.
He gives us some clear direction for dealing with rejection. No matter what the nature of the rejection we can follow Jesus in these ways.
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We can let God determine our worth, not other people. Do you know your worth to God?
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We can admit when rejection hurts and then go on to healthy living. Do you know what is to admit a hurt, then get on with living purposefully?
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We can reach out to persons in need and touch them with God’s love.
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We can know God’s mission for us in life and keep on serving. Do you know your mission in life? Please don’t think that is any easier for a pastor. All of our work matters to God; all of our relationships matter to God. We can live with a sense of mission, whether a carpenter or a computer technician, whether a homemaker or an architect, whether a student or a teacher. We are called to serve God in daily life—to live with a mission. Some of us have written our personal mission statements. Mine begins, “My mission is to glorify and enjoy God in knowing and serving Jesus Christ, in living in right relationship with myself, my family, and those near me, and in using God’s gifts to me in nurturing others.” Do you know your mission in daily life?
Jesus knew who he was and what his mission was. “And they took offense at him.” What was the offense? That a local boy made good in the wider world? Perhaps. He hadn’t gone to the classic rabbinical schools. In fact, he was trained as a carpenter. He was the son of common Jews raised in a common home with sisters and brothers. His father was a carpenter and passed on the trade to his son. Jews in that time had many expectations of what the Messiah would be. A common worker from a common family in a common town wasn’t one of them. There is an offense to this day at how common Jesus of Nazareth is, how fully he identified with us.
This passage is about rejection—and it’s about more. “He was amazed at their unbelief.” This is the only time in Mark’s Gospel that it is said that Jesus is amazed at something. It’s a strong word and usually positive. It’s the same word used of people who witnessed the wonders Jesus did. Jesus is astounded at their unbelief. There is a power in unbelief. Their rejection could not stop God’s power. Even there Jesus reached out to sick people and healed them. Even there Jesus taught with authority from above. Even there Jesus displayed the wisdom of God. Yet they cut themselves off from displays of the glory of God because of their unbelieving rejection of Jesus. It is a terrible thing to reject Jesus. Unbelief has great power, but belief has greater power. If they had believed the obvious—that Mary’s son was more than a carpenter, that his wisdom was from above—who knows what wonders they would have experienced that day. I expect that we all bring both belief and doubt to this gathering. Someone put those two in the right perspective when he said, “Let’s learn to believe our beliefs and to doubt our doubts.” Too often we believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs. Let’s let Jesus be amazed by our belief, not our unbelief.
They knew him only superficially. In this sense many church people still live in
There would be more rejection ahead for this carpenter from
Harry is pastor of Brunswick Presbyterian Church in Troy, NY.
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