“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.
Luke 10:16, ESV
Jesus sent out the 72 with no weapon but the Word. They were sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all that would hear. He didn’t send them out unprepared. They knew the Word and had lived the truth. Our Lord’s calling does not end with them but has been extended to us. As we grow in faith and the Gospel is central to our lives, we will periodically find ourselves in the wilderness. The wilderness is outside of the safety and security of the faithful but filled with unknown risks. Yet, we know that our Lord is always before us, even in these places. There will be those that will not like our presence because our Lord walks with us in these places. They will want to chase us out, silence our voices, and seek to stop the message of Jesus Christ from being heard. As followers of Christ, we can find strength in the one weapon we carry, the Word of God, which will cut through the sin and noise and reveal the heart. We are not the ones who determine who will accept or reject. If the Gospel is rejected, it is not we who are sharing that is rejected but Christ Himself. Our calling is to faithfully live out our faith and openly share what we believe and from whom our hope comes to all that would hear. We need not curse anyone because their rejection is a curse that they have placed upon themselves. We need to take nothing from them but leave even the dust behind. Let us be faithful in our proclamation and not worry about those that may reject the truth of Jesus Christ but pray for the many who have been prepared to receive Him.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.