This is a lesson that Peter Ray Cole gave at WVCYC Singing Emphasis Week this year. I really appreciated it and believe it is an important lesson that everyone should hear. This post is inspired by Peter Ray’s lesson and draws much from his points.
No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you do for a living, you have experienced rejection. Rejection comes in many forms: not getting into your #1 college choice, that guy/girl deciding he does not like you as much as you like him, the job you had for near a decade decides to suddenly lay you off. The list goes on and on. As followers of Christ though, we know that there is someone who has come before us and knows exactly what we are feeling. Christ was tempted in all ways (Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1–13) so we know that He understands our struggles with temptation, but have we ever stopped to notice that Christ also understands rejection?
Jesus understands rejection…
… from His family.
John 7:3-5 NKJV “His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”
Jesus’ own brothers did not believe Him. They even tried to send Him away, whether because they felt offended, ashamed, embarrassed, or just wanted Him to make a fool of Himself we do not know. What we know is that those who should have been closest to Him, rejected Him.
… from His community.
Matthew 13:53-56 NKJV “Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”
Luke 4:23-30 NKJV “He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ” Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.”
John 6:60-66 NKJV “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”
Jesus’ own people, with whim He grew up, showed Him no honor. He was set upon in His own country and His murder was plotted. His own followers rejected Him when He taught what they did not want to hear.
… from those who said they loved Him.
John 13:18-21 NKJV “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
John 13: 37-38 NKJV “Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
John 18:17 NKJV “Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
John 18:25-27 NKJV “Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.”
One of His disciples betrayed Him for money and another disciple denied Him to save his own skin. Both Judas and Peter had witnessed Christ’s holiness and power firsthand, but when the temptation and fear of the world stared them in the face, they buckled and rejected their Lord.
… from His enemies.
John 11:48-53 NKJV “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for [a]us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.”
You probably read that heading and thought, “of course His enemies rejected Him.” Yes, I did add this one. This was not a part of Peter Ray’s lesson. I added this because Jesus’ enemies did not just reject Him, they plotted His murder. We face rejection everyday from people who do not like us, but how many of them plot our murder? What excuse do we have to not even minister to those who hate us when Christ loved even those who plotted to and ultimately murdered Him?
… from The Father.
Matthew 27:46 NKJV “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
When Jesus took on the sins of the world, The Father could not be in His presence any longer.
This is a rejection that we are promised to never face so long as we diligently seek Him and obey His commands.
Jesus knew He would face rejection from the world.
Isaiah 53:7-9 NKJV
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”
Jesus knew He would face rejection from The Father.
Isaiah 53:10 NKJV
“Yet it pleased (will – ESV) the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”
What are our responses to rejection?
What was Jesus’ response to being rejected?
Psalm 118:22-23 NKJV
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.”
The reality of living a godly life on earth is that you will be rejected. You could be the nicest person on the planet, but if you live for Christ, you will be rejected.
Acts 7:54-8:3 NKJV “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.”
Stephen preached like Paul and was still rejected to the point of martyrdom.
Ephesians 2:13 NKJV “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Even when we feel rejected and alone, Christ’s blood has brought us near to Him.
1 John 4:10-12 NKJV “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Even when we feel rejected and unloved, Christ died on the cross for us. We are commanded to love one another so that we may know the love of the brethren as well as Christ.
Romans 8:28 NKJV “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Even when we feel rejected and disappointed, we can know that as we work according to His purpose, God is working for our good (eternal life).
1 John 5:19 NKJV “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
Even when we feel rejected and hurt, we can know that all the pain and toil is of the world and not of God. In Him we find peace, joy, and rest.
I have a fear not of being rejected, but of failing because I have been rejected. But, Christ was rejected from the world and yet for the world He still died. My fear of failing is nothing compared to my duty to be a witness for Christ.