“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).
Has this ever happened to you? You are working on a difficult group project. Those whom you are counting on to help decide to check out along the way. Now you are all by yourself, without help, and without much time left before the deadline. The need to sleep is displaced by the need to finish on time. You decide to spend the entire night working on the project to make sure everything is just right. When you turn in the project, the professor asks, “How much did you personally contribute?”
You tell him the simple truth, “I did all of the work.” Suddenly, your “partners” reject you by refusing to talk with you again. Although your intentions were good, it does not matter. Even though your strategy involved including everyone, they deliberately chose not to participate. If you have ever felt the pain of rejection, you know how much it hurts. If you follow Jesus, rejection from others is inevitable.
Jesus is the one who created all things: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6). It is hard to understand, and even harder to believe. Even though Jesus created all things, He was despised and rejected by His own people.
This was not new territory for the Lord. The prophets struggled with this same rejection and rebellion throughout the entire Old Testament as they proclaimed the word of the Lord to the children of Israel. Isaiah declared, “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts” (Isaiah 65:2). Can you picture the deep disappointment in God’s heart? He sent His people a good prophet to point them in the right direction, but they rejected him.
God sent many others to communicate His word and the result was still the same—rejection, rejection, and more rejection. Jesus was unknown and rejected by His own people. He was despised by His own creation.
Read: Open your Bible and read Jeremiah 7:25-27.
Reflect: Prayerfully consider the following: How did God describe the people in Jeremiah 7:25-27? What did they do? What did they not do?
Respond: As a result of these truths, what might need to change in my attitude, beliefs, and actions? What steps do I need to take outwardly?
The source of this content comes from our book, Walking with Jesus.