Rejection
Commentary
The debilitating effects of rejection may be felt by the unemployed and the homeless, by deserted or divorced persons, by neglected children, by an unpopular pastor and by many others. In identifying with human suffering, Jesus endured rejection by those most familiar to him from his years of childhood and youth.
Fortunately, Jesus did not become so depressed by his rejection that he gave up his work. He found parallels in stories that we can find today in the Bible. While these were presented in teaching those who rejected him, they provided explanations for his experience and may have been important for his human self as they would be for us. Yet our consciousness of Jesus' deity limits our attempts to compare ourselves with him. He is not so much the example we should copy as he is the redeemer who may deliver us in the situations that threaten us.
If we seek a more limited person, one more like ourselves, we may look to Jeremiah. As a prophet, even he may be more distinctive than we like. We may hope for more freedom in our decisions than Jeremiah experienced. We find our kinship in the way he succumbed to despair and reached a point where he wanted to renounce God (Jeremiah 20:7-18). Although he had a few friends and disciples, he did not expect wider acceptance of his teaching until after his death. In this, he was like Elijah, who bore persecution throughout his lifetime and who could anticipate general acceptance of his teaching only in the next generation.
The prophets were sustained during lives of widespread rejection by their relationship with God. Even when they were troubled by doubt, they had to acknowledge that God, like Francis Thompson's "Hound of Heaven," was persisting with purpose for their lives.
To be sure, the sense of divine purpose needs to be carefully checked. We humans too easily misread the signs of the times and seek refuge in delusions. With insight from 1 Corinthians 13, we may conclude that feelings of lostness and inferiority must be resisted, defensiveness cast aside, resentment and revenge given up. Brooding on rejection begets no hope. New associates are needed, new interests, even a new vocation.
Example or not, Jesus did well to find a new place to work, a place where people were responsive, where the purpose of God seemed more clearly evident.
OUTLINE I
Reluctance over-ruled
Jeremiah 1:4-10
A. vv. 4-5. How Jeremiah became aware of God's purpose for his life, he reports as an unelaborated dialogue. Three words defined God's purpose. (1) "Know" was used in ancient treaties for the commitment of a vassal to his lord. In the Bible the Lord made the commitment to his servant before he or even his parents had made plans for him. (2) "Consecrate" showed the distinctiveness of Jeremiah's role, as the word meant "set apart." (3) "Appoint," from the root "give," carried the significance of a special assignment.
B. vv. 6-9. Shall we call Jeremiah a modest teenager or timid or reluctant? He was not anxious to go out in youthful bravado or rebelliousness to set the world right. He was obedient. He let the Lord reject his excuses, and assert divine domination over the direction of his life and the content of his speech, even though the vocation would be hazardous and he would have to rely on God to protect him. Later experience showed there were times he would rather have been dead (20:7-18). But God empowered him to serve. He received the Word of God in an experience similar to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:9--3:3). The wording, however, resembled Deuteronomy 18:18, which promised a prophet like Moses.
C. v. 10. God's purpose showed in the rise and fall of an empire at that time. Is there always a teenager somewhere who will serve God for a world of change? Or are there many? Or is Jeremiah too unique for generalized comparisons?
OUTLINE II
Back to basics
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
A. vv. 1-3. Love was basic. Without it, nothing else in the church had any value. Not only was this true for speaking in tongues, which was a particular problem in the Corinthian congregation and which could be as bad as noisy pagan worship. It was true of prophecy and teaching, which were second and third in Paul's list of spiritual gifts, and for mighty works of faith and for sacrificial philanthropy which followed (12:28) and even for martyrdom. This love is greater than romantic love or any natural human loves of family and friendships or any idealism of humanistic or humanitarian character.
B. vv. 4-7. Beginning and ending with positive statements about characteristics of love, these frame negative statements about attitudes and behavior that love avoids. Patience allows time for repentance and waiting with such anticipation encourages deeds of kindness. Truth implies justice. Above all, love is enduring and dependable.
C. vv. 8-12. Compared with other spiritual gifts, only love is complete and eternal. The others belong to the childhood of life with God; love belongs to the adulthood of eternal life. The others experience God as a reflection. Love prevails in the direct, unhindered encounter with God, knowing God the way God knows us.
D. v. 13. While faith and hope are eternal, love is greater. This love is the love of God in Jesus Christ that enters our lives and awakens our response of faith and hope.
OUTLINE III
Rejection overcome
Luke 4:21-32
A. vv. 21-22. Jesus' teaching divided his hometown folk. At first there was enthusiasm, but upon reflection they thought he was presumptuous. They recalled his humble beginnings, a point more fully developed in Mark 6:1-4.
B. vv. 23-24. Jesus responded with two proverbs. The first assessed the crowd as desiring miracles to prove his claim of messiahship before they would believe. The second resembled our saying that "Familiarity breeds contempt."
C. vv. 25-27. Then he cited two illustrations from prophets who had worked in the area both south and north of Nazareth. Elijah had been in danger of persecution for announcing judgment upon the evil in Israel, when he sought haven near Sidon (1 Kings 16:29--18:18). Though the parallel between himself and Elisha was less clear, Jesus wanted to recall how the prophet had healed a gentile (2 Kings 5:1-19a). This emphasis suited Luke's great interest in the worldwide outreach of Christ's teaching. He alone tells this part of the story.
D. vv. 28-30. Angered that others might be favored over them, they attempted to lynch Jesus, but failed. Mark explained the lack of faith in Nazareth as the reason for Jesus' ineffectiveness there (Mark 6:5-6).
E. vv. 31-32. In Luke, the beginning of Jesus' ministry is like its conclusion in Jerusalem --rejection overcome by renewing his work elsewhere. At the end, it was the church at work throughout the world.
Fortunately, Jesus did not become so depressed by his rejection that he gave up his work. He found parallels in stories that we can find today in the Bible. While these were presented in teaching those who rejected him, they provided explanations for his experience and may have been important for his human self as they would be for us. Yet our consciousness of Jesus' deity limits our attempts to compare ourselves with him. He is not so much the example we should copy as he is the redeemer who may deliver us in the situations that threaten us.
If we seek a more limited person, one more like ourselves, we may look to Jeremiah. As a prophet, even he may be more distinctive than we like. We may hope for more freedom in our decisions than Jeremiah experienced. We find our kinship in the way he succumbed to despair and reached a point where he wanted to renounce God (Jeremiah 20:7-18). Although he had a few friends and disciples, he did not expect wider acceptance of his teaching until after his death. In this, he was like Elijah, who bore persecution throughout his lifetime and who could anticipate general acceptance of his teaching only in the next generation.
The prophets were sustained during lives of widespread rejection by their relationship with God. Even when they were troubled by doubt, they had to acknowledge that God, like Francis Thompson's "Hound of Heaven," was persisting with purpose for their lives.
To be sure, the sense of divine purpose needs to be carefully checked. We humans too easily misread the signs of the times and seek refuge in delusions. With insight from 1 Corinthians 13, we may conclude that feelings of lostness and inferiority must be resisted, defensiveness cast aside, resentment and revenge given up. Brooding on rejection begets no hope. New associates are needed, new interests, even a new vocation.
Example or not, Jesus did well to find a new place to work, a place where people were responsive, where the purpose of God seemed more clearly evident.
OUTLINE I
Reluctance over-ruled
Jeremiah 1:4-10
A. vv. 4-5. How Jeremiah became aware of God's purpose for his life, he reports as an unelaborated dialogue. Three words defined God's purpose. (1) "Know" was used in ancient treaties for the commitment of a vassal to his lord. In the Bible the Lord made the commitment to his servant before he or even his parents had made plans for him. (2) "Consecrate" showed the distinctiveness of Jeremiah's role, as the word meant "set apart." (3) "Appoint," from the root "give," carried the significance of a special assignment.
B. vv. 6-9. Shall we call Jeremiah a modest teenager or timid or reluctant? He was not anxious to go out in youthful bravado or rebelliousness to set the world right. He was obedient. He let the Lord reject his excuses, and assert divine domination over the direction of his life and the content of his speech, even though the vocation would be hazardous and he would have to rely on God to protect him. Later experience showed there were times he would rather have been dead (20:7-18). But God empowered him to serve. He received the Word of God in an experience similar to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:9--3:3). The wording, however, resembled Deuteronomy 18:18, which promised a prophet like Moses.
C. v. 10. God's purpose showed in the rise and fall of an empire at that time. Is there always a teenager somewhere who will serve God for a world of change? Or are there many? Or is Jeremiah too unique for generalized comparisons?
OUTLINE II
Back to basics
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
A. vv. 1-3. Love was basic. Without it, nothing else in the church had any value. Not only was this true for speaking in tongues, which was a particular problem in the Corinthian congregation and which could be as bad as noisy pagan worship. It was true of prophecy and teaching, which were second and third in Paul's list of spiritual gifts, and for mighty works of faith and for sacrificial philanthropy which followed (12:28) and even for martyrdom. This love is greater than romantic love or any natural human loves of family and friendships or any idealism of humanistic or humanitarian character.
B. vv. 4-7. Beginning and ending with positive statements about characteristics of love, these frame negative statements about attitudes and behavior that love avoids. Patience allows time for repentance and waiting with such anticipation encourages deeds of kindness. Truth implies justice. Above all, love is enduring and dependable.
C. vv. 8-12. Compared with other spiritual gifts, only love is complete and eternal. The others belong to the childhood of life with God; love belongs to the adulthood of eternal life. The others experience God as a reflection. Love prevails in the direct, unhindered encounter with God, knowing God the way God knows us.
D. v. 13. While faith and hope are eternal, love is greater. This love is the love of God in Jesus Christ that enters our lives and awakens our response of faith and hope.
OUTLINE III
Rejection overcome
Luke 4:21-32
A. vv. 21-22. Jesus' teaching divided his hometown folk. At first there was enthusiasm, but upon reflection they thought he was presumptuous. They recalled his humble beginnings, a point more fully developed in Mark 6:1-4.
B. vv. 23-24. Jesus responded with two proverbs. The first assessed the crowd as desiring miracles to prove his claim of messiahship before they would believe. The second resembled our saying that "Familiarity breeds contempt."
C. vv. 25-27. Then he cited two illustrations from prophets who had worked in the area both south and north of Nazareth. Elijah had been in danger of persecution for announcing judgment upon the evil in Israel, when he sought haven near Sidon (1 Kings 16:29--18:18). Though the parallel between himself and Elisha was less clear, Jesus wanted to recall how the prophet had healed a gentile (2 Kings 5:1-19a). This emphasis suited Luke's great interest in the worldwide outreach of Christ's teaching. He alone tells this part of the story.
D. vv. 28-30. Angered that others might be favored over them, they attempted to lynch Jesus, but failed. Mark explained the lack of faith in Nazareth as the reason for Jesus' ineffectiveness there (Mark 6:5-6).
E. vv. 31-32. In Luke, the beginning of Jesus' ministry is like its conclusion in Jerusalem --rejection overcome by renewing his work elsewhere. At the end, it was the church at work throughout the world.
