14 “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly 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.”
Terse words coming from the mouth of the Savior! Some would rather think of a Jesus who only speaks nice, a sort of hip, liberal, do-gooder, “accepting everyone” kind of person—the epitome of humanitarianism. His words, to some, just don’t sound like what Jesus ought to be saying. A Christ that excels at teaching and living a generic ethical code that all religions apparently espouse is, some believe, a preferable alternative to institutionalized, self-righteous, hell-fire and damnation kind of Christianity. But, the pendulum can swing to both extremes. Jesus cannot be tamed in that sort of way.
His uncompromising message is unwavering and the consequences of rejecting it are enormous—a point He pointedly drives home with the disciples. As we have seen, following Christ involves spreading His message. Jesus says here that when people reject them outright because of His message, they should 1) move on and 2) pronounce judgment. In the case of the twelve, He gave them a symbolism to use, shaking off the dust of their feet against them. Whatever we do today to symbolize this, the point is that we shouldn’t reflect on unfruitful witnessing with a sense of defeat, but with a sense that the person(s) rejecting our message is under the condemnation of God.
The Bible frequently uses the imagery of Sodom and Gomorrah as a symbol of God’s fierce judgment. Jesus does not shrink back from the comparison here, that those who reject His message will receive far greater condemnation. In a world that so easily forms profanity by linking the word “God” and the word “damn,” how ironic that those two words in reality describe the havoc God will wreak on those who take God’s Name or justice so lightly.
In this one statement, Jesus cuts across the entrenched, popular philosophy of our day—toleration and pluralism. First, His message is unique and rejection of it is not a matter of personal preference. Religions of the world that reject Jesus as the Messiah, God in the flesh, are under His judgment. Second, warning about God’s judgment is not the domain of backward fundamentalists. This is not to be discarded as scare tactics. Jesus cared enough about people to warn of the consequences of rejecting His message.
Lord, I confess that I have bowed to the pressure of “tolerance” and “pluralism” in our world. If I love my neighbor, I need to warn him or her.
Thank you for this comprehensive explanation of these verses. I love to read scripture but occasionally I come across something that I need to have explained any differently and you covered it. I also found verse 10 to be compelling, that “the worker is worthy of his support.”
The Bible is full of wonderment, reminding me that this is not my home here.