Day 85 "The message is all we called give; the rest is up to them."

Day 85

Matthew 10:11-15 "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you or hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

Now would be a good time for us to remember that Jesus had explicitly instructed the disciples to not minister to anyone on this journey except the Jews. Why, and what bearing does it have on this passage, you ask? The focus upon this time was to give the Jewish people a chance to accept the Truth that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God for their redemption, and truly this was their last chance. Upon His denial and crucifixion, all people, no matter what race, gender, or ethnic background, would then be able to receive the gift of eternal life. Therefore, those who denied the message of the apostles are the Jews, and just as the Jews would do when they left a Gentile city, the apostles would shake the dust off as a symbolism of not taking anything unclean with them from that place. This is a practice that had never been done before in a Jewish community. Until now, it had been reserved for Gentiles and Samaritans: a powerful and open statement was being made! Can you imagine the turmoil that would arise when a Jewish religious leader who had denied the message was suddenly being openly identified as someone who ‘not even the dust of’ was worthy to be upon you? Jesus was setting the stage, making another play, and showing all of Israel that He was not afraid of their tradition, piety, or other arrogances. He was about to establish a new covenant and they needed to get on board.

Do you know of someone who you have been sharing with, someone who, no matter what they see or hear, is refusing to even consider the possibility of the power of Jesus? Maybe a coworker or a loved one or someone who has openly mocked your faith and made it clear that they will not believe? These are the people of whom Jesus speaks. Maybe it's time to shake off the dust, stop fussing and worrying over them, and leave them at the feet of Jesus. I am not saying that there are people unworthy of salvation, that would be heresy, as all people are worthy of Christ’s payment for sin. The question is this: is it possible that all of your unwanted and unappreciated efforts could have actually been given to someone who would appreciate the message, someone who would actually believe? Yes, you still love them, yes, you desire to see them saved, and yes, you can still pray for them, but remember, Jesus is the one who will save them, not you or me. We are here to share the gospel message, and that we must do, but not all men will be saved and that is a harsh but true reality.

Daily Prayer: Father, help us to know when it is time to walk away, to leave people at Your feet and in Your care. Take away the feelings of guilt when we do so, and remind us of your words we have read today, lest the enemy cause us to stumble. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

"The message is all we called give; the rest is up to them."

Pastor Gene Burroughs