Jesus was not welcome every place He went. “Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned” Luke 8:37 (NRSV). He was also rejected by the people of His home synagogue and by the leaders of Judaism. He was rejected for a radical message that confronted the government of men with the government of God’s kingdom. He was rejected for exposing religious hypocrisy where piety neglected justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23). He was crucified outside the city gate as a sign of his final rejection (Hebrews13:12). There he died as a sin offering that was efficacious even for the rejectors.
July 17, 2018|Categories: Christ, Cross, Devotionals, Faith, Justice, Kingdom of God, Mercy|Tags: Asking Jesus To Leave, God's Government, Hypocrisy, Radical message, Rejection|
About the Author: H. Lamar Smith
Native of Alabama. Graduated from Valley High School, Valley, AL. Graduate of Trevecca Nazarene College, 1966. Graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University, M.A. 1992. Pastored churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Alabama.