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In all my years of ministering to others, the greatest pain I see over and over again is rejection. This wound cuts deep. Most people would rather suffer physical pain over being rejected or abandoned by someone they love or admire. Yet, in a fallen world, all of us will experience rejection at one time or another. Navigating this pain can be difficult, and it can lead us down dark paths towards habitual sins. Our culture is filled with the pain of rejection, which is why “AI lovers”, pornography, hooking up, drug addiction, alcoholism, and loneliness continue to skyrocket.
Since human beings are united to one another as God’s creatures, rejection violates the very nature we have been given by God. We are meant to love one another and dwell in communion, but the Fall has ruptured this communion and brought about great dysfunction in the human family. We often hold one another emotionally hostage through rejection, which makes healing much harder.
What I’ve seen the most, and experienced myself, is how this repeated rejection can mar an individual’s understanding and relationship with God. Being rejected by those closest to us can lead us to project rejected love onto Him. We can falsely believe that God does not love us or that we aren’t good enough for Him to forgive us. We remain trapped in lies born of this rejection.
To find healing in Christ, we must reject these lies that we have come to believe through the weaknesses and failings of others. Even our sins and failings do not negate God’s love for us. Rejection is a heavy burden everyone must carry, but no one carried it more than Our Lord. I always tell deeply wounded people that Christ’s rejection is a powerful spiritual salve when we experience rejection. We can be united to Him in His rejection.
Rejection at Nazareth
There are three powerful moments in Our Lord’s life to help us when confronted with rejection. The first is His rejection at His hometown of Nazareth. There are moments in our lives when we can relate to His rejection at Nazareth. Perhaps our own families, local communities, or parishes have rejected us in some way. It is during these times that we can come to a deeper understanding of the Nazareth problem, which is that we are most likely to be rejected by those closest to us. The same thing happened to Christ when He returned to Nazareth. Bring that pain to Him in His rejection at Nazareth:
He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter,* the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,* apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mk. 6:1-6)
Rejection by the Sanhedrin
There are moments in our lives when we may find ourselves before the Sanhedrin. Yes, even rejection from clergy is a normal part of the spiritual life if you serve in ministry long enough. Disagreements, conflicts in discernment, or differences in mission can very quickly lead to rejection from those who do not understand what the Lord is asking of us. There are times these disagreements are born of genuine authority, which requires our obedience. There are also times rejection is due to the sins of the fallen man in that position of authority.
These disagreements are times to unite our rejection to Christ before the Sanhedrin. Sometimes our greatest spiritual growth comes through quietly enduring in the face of these misunderstandings or disagreements. If it is the Lord’s will for something to be done, then He will make it happen regardless of pushback. This form of rejection can be deeply painful, and it can be a struggle to persevere forward. But the Lord will remove obstacles if we are faithful. We must keep our gaze fixed on Him in these situations.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?”
But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?”
Then Jesus answered, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” At that the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further need have we of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as deserving to die. Some began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards greeted him with blows. (Mk. 14:62-65)
Rejection from the Culture
The next form of rejection is that of secular authorities and our culture. All of us experience this form of rejection in the workplace, at school, from political entities, and from certain social circles. These are the times we find ourselves with Our Lord before Pilate. The Lord was rejected most deeply by the religious authorities of His day, but it was the secular authorities who crucified Him. We too experience mockery, derision, and persecution from the secular culture. The Lord before Pilate is the model for us to follow each time we are confronted with this form of rejection.
As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas* was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply, “Then what [do you want] me to do with [the man you call] the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified. (Mk. 15:1-15)
Every single person will experience some form of rejection in this life. Some forms are more painful than others and may need not only spiritual healing, but psychological as well. From the spiritual perspective, meditating on Christ’s rejection can aid us in finding healing, solace, and peace in His Merciful Love. He shows us that we are not alone in our rejection. Sometimes our greatest spiritual growth comes from experiencing rejection.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
