We can expect rejection in our own lives. This should not prevent us from defending what we believe to be true.
Jesus was rejected in his own time. Even the earlier Old Testament prophets who were sent in advance to proclaim a monotheistic God as the one and only true God–were beaten and killed. Finally when God the Father sent his Son he met the same fate, but the result was not death, but life itself. Everlasting life.
While this Gospel reading really tells me the consequences of rejecting God over the period of my life, it also tells me something else. Every small rejection while I pretend to look like I am doing his work, or say I am doing his work also hurts him, and hurts our soul. We need to be open in accepting his Word as our salvation, but also cautious in rejecting it like the Pharisees. They are set up as the hypocrites that we should not follow, but we can also be that way some of the time. I pray I try and avoid these occasions and remind myself of the prize of His love.
We are all disciples with a direct lineage to the first appointed seventy-two. We are called to the vineyard and be prepared for both rejection and acceptance by many.
The message is clear; cure the sick and say to them. “The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.”
Daily prayers and meditations 