“Dealing with Rejection”
Luke 4:14-30
If we are honest, every one of us have felt rejection at one time or another. Rejection comes in a variety of forms. Sometimes it sounds like this ...
* from a job interview... you know have great qualifications. I’m sure someone will hire you, but you’re not a good fit for us.
* from a parent ... these grades are fine as long as you want to make minimum wage for the rest of your life.
* or from a coach ... see how he hits the ball. Why can’t you hit the ball that way?
Rejection starts in life at an early age. So get used to it. But somehow we can’t. Mother Teresa said we have drugs for people with diseases like leprosy. But these drugs do not treat the main problem-the disease of being unwanted; rejected. Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible kind of poverty.
The OT tells us that even Jesus, God Himself would be rejected.
Isaiah 53:3 NLT
We continue our study of walking in the footsteps of Jesus. These footsteps lead us to a time when Jesus was rejected. This is of course just the first time; there would be many.
At the beginning of this passage we find that Jesus has just returned to Galilee. The news about Him is spreading rapidly. He taught in their synagogues and the scripture says that everyone praised Him. Then He went to Nazareth “where He had been brought up.” It was His habit/custom to go to the synagogue...it was the Sabbath Day so that is exactly what He did. Someone said, Jesus would you come and read the scripture today? Can you imagine? They handed Him the scroll of Isaiah. He unrolls it and He reads these powerful words.
Luke 4:18-20
The Bible then tells us that the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Jesus and He then says to them...today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This brings me to my first point this morning. (1) Rejection is not exclusive. All of us get to participate. So don’t be surprised when it happens. You’ve felt it before. So have I. Rejection can be very painful. And no one likes it. We learn in this passage that it even happened to Jesus . Look at v. 22.
There is perhaps something that is difficult about ministering to people who have watched you grow up. The problem is they never seem to be sure that you have ... grown up. They remember you only as a child and they don’t always give you a chance as an adult. This is what was happening to Jesus. Notice the question .... isn’t this Joseph’s son? Jesus obviously overheard them and He says to them in v. 23 “surely you will quote this proverb to me” Physician heal thyself!” Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum. Jesus knew their hearts-He knew their every thought. He also knew their tradition and a part of their tradition was to quote proverbs. These are not from the book of Proverbs in the OT; they were simply sayings that they had preserved orally-not in writing. And Jesus had heard them so many times, He had them memorized and He even knew when to expect them. It’s like Jesus was saying OK I know what you’re going to say so I will just say it for you...Physician heal thyself.
What they were saying was this, Jesus we will believe and follow you...if you will just do things our way. Jesus if you have a calling from God, prove it. Put up or shut up.
As I said rejection is not exclusive. It’s like death and taxes. We all have to face it at some point in life-usually more than once.
(2) Our response to being rejected says volumes about our integrity and our personal witness. Our ability to share Christ effectively. Do not be surprised when you are rejected. Jesus was as well. Look at His response with me. V. 24. No prophet is accepted in his hometown. In other words, it’s that way everywhere. And it is. People tend to look for a word of wisdom, an answer or a solution in outside places. Jesus had the solution-He was right in front of them but they couldn’t see it. So Jesus says let me share a couple of examples with you.
1st example: Elijah. Elijah was known as one of the greatest prophets in all of the OT. Even today when the jews celebrate the Passover meal, they place an empty chair at the table hoping Elijah will return that day. When the Jews celebrate the Passover meal, they place an empty chair at the table hoping Elijah will return and take his place at the table.
It is Elijah who takes on 450 prophets of the false god Baal and 400 others at the same time. You recall this story. It is the God contest. Who can call fire down from Heaven? Elijah is the director of the whole thing. The worshipers of Baal call on their gods but noting happens. They pray. No one answers. All day. So Elijah builds an altar, prepares a sacrifice. Then he does an unusual thing. He digs a trench around the altar, pours water on the sacrifice and then fills the trench with water. Elijah then prays, fire falls down from heaven, burns up the sacrifice, the altar and takes all the water in the ditch with it.
Jesus refers to a time when Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain on the land for 3.5 years and for 3.5 years there was no rain. Then he prayed again at the end of the 3.5 years for it to start raining and it did. This was the powerful faith of the prophet Elijah.
Then Jesus gives the example of Elisha. Not the same person. Elisha followed Elijah as a prophet in Israel. Jesus says that at the time when Elisha was prophesying in Israel there were many people who had contacted leprosy. These people were the untouchables. They were rejected; outcasts. Yet only one man, Naaman was healed. Naaman was a soldier in the army in the army when he contacted this disease. They sent him to the King and asked the King to cure him. Of course the King did not have the ability to o that. The king then becomes very upset because he doesn’t know what to do. Elisha overheard the king and Elisha sends a messenger to tell Namman to go and wash himself 7 times in the Jordan and he will be healed.
Well sounds easy enough. The Bible then says that Naaman went away angry because Elisha sent a messenger and didn’t show up in person. He said what difference does it make what river I use to wash in? There are other rivers and i think they’re better. But then one of Naaman’s servants asks him if the prophet Elisha tells you to do something, why don’t you? So he goes out and washed himself 7x in the Jordan and he is healed.
Now as powerful as both of these men were, they both had no respect in their hometown. None. Constant questions instead. And the same thing happens to Jesus. Isn’t this Joseph’s son? Mark records it this way ...isn’t this is the carpenter? Don’t his sisters live right here in town? And so they reject us or or they reject our message or they reject our teachings.
1. Remember that Jesus was rejected also. Jesus said that we would face trials and tribulations. So expect it.
2. Remember that many times people are not rejecting you, they are simply rejecting what you stand for. There is a difference. And if you treat people with respect you may get a chance to share your message a 2nd time.
3. Be careful not to let rejection cause you to stop speaking the truth. Jesus said, I tell you the truth no prophet is accepted in his hometown. These men were trying to justify their reasons for pushing Jesus away. ... for rejecting Him. The rejection of one person should not cause you to not speak the truth to the next person.
4. Remember that Jesus will never reject you. And He will always provide an escape from the pain that rejection causes.
Let me tell you about some people who felt severe rejection:
* There was a guy, a general, who lost two-thirds of all the battles he fought. in the American Revolution. George Washington. He won the war.
* There was another guy who graduated 42nd out of a class of 43. Then he went out and conquered Europe. Napoleon.
* There’s a guy who lost almost every election he ran for – 10 or 12 – until finally he was elected President. Abraham Lincoln. He lost more than he won.
* Edison tried over 200 different elements before he figured out what was the right element to use in the light bulb. Over 200 failures before he had a success.
* In 21 years, Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs but he struck out 1330 times. He struck out nearly twice as often as he hit a home run. He once said, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from taking a swing."
* A famous novelist in England, John Creasy, got 753 rejection slips from publishers before he published his first book. He went on to publish 564 books.
It’s always too soon to quit. You will never be at a better point to do what God has called you to do than right now. The Bible says we need to stop making excuses, admit when it’s our fault and get on with life.
