I was wondering if someone could explain Matthew 10:14. I want to be sure I am understanding this verse correctly, It is speaking to when a believer shares Jesus with others? Is that correct?
I know this probably seems really like an easy one to understand but I just want to be sure.
God Bless
mj
From the context I would say that is who Jesus was referring to. It is interesting in the context that you can pull out of it the fact that people will go to hell for their rejection of the gospel.
Thank you for your response can I ask you or anyone:) what does it mean "To shake the dust off your feet?"
what does this part of the verse mean for us as believers?
God Bless
mj
I believe you are correct but it is also implying don't make a great big scene when someone rejects the message and you, ie not taking offense. Our job is to present the message in Love, how people react and take it is not our main priority because everyone has the free will to act favorably or in aggression to the Gospel Message.
But Yeah you are correct when saying its about believer's sharing Jesus with others. If I am wrong then I would like to be corrected :)
According to my study bible the shaking the dust off your feet was a symbolic act practiced by the Pharisees when they left a ceremonially unclean gentiles area, Here it represented an act of solemn warning to those who rejected God's message.
According to my study bible the shaking the dust off your feet was a symbolic act practiced by the Pharisees when they left a ceremonially unclean gentiles area, Here it represented an act of solemn warning to those who rejected God's message.
I am wondering what this means on the part of the believer for today. If a believer at that time where following this verse does it mean that they would not go back and share the good news with those people again. If they had tried to share the truth and it was rejected then would they walk away and not attempt to do so again. Isn't that reading a lot into the verse???
God bless
mj
that's a good question MJ......i don't know.
i'm not trying to be cheeky.
the houses he was refering to, they knew or knew OF YahWeh.
The Word was that Messiah HAS come, He is here among us, and some repudiated that, didnt buy it....then leave.
In the context of today...i really don't know.
i myself would rather loathe, to give up on anyone. Some folks i can discern as children of the darkness, and i avoid them.
but i know many lost souls, people who have been hurt by the 'church", whether that be romanism, or hurt by clergy, hurt by parents, bearing the spike of the spirit of religion, God only knows, and i cant turn my back on them.
Isaiah 58 comes to mind then. you see, (and i'm fearfully working this out in my own soul) the only Balm is radical love IN Jesus.
I say this in all humility, the Church today, just in North America, it seems to me, we are not known for our radical love. When the lost look at us, what do they see?
Balm, healing Balm, do they see Jesus? or do they see and feel venom, bile, judgement, religious superiority and/or hypocrisy ?
Radical Love is Jesus ALLOWING romans to pound those spikes thru His Wrists and Two Legs, and to die a tortured humiliating death for the sin of the world.
So its difficult to walk away, dust my feet off.
i have so much more to say MJ, but it all hurts, and sometimes i do believe the less i post, the better. This is not the optimum form of reasoning together...unfortunatly.
much love in Jesus, neil
The act of shaking off the dust to anyone is the constant stubborn rejection of the message of Jesus Christ. It's never in the infancy of sharing the gospel, it's when there is a complete withdrawal of hearing anymore about Jesus. Usually this act comes from the staunch religious crowd. Mercy is always shown first and given a chance to work, but even mercy has it's limits when the grace of God cannot penetrate the hearts of hard hearted men who just don't want to repent. God will say to you, it's time to move on.
An OT story is Saul. When Saul sinned by offering the sacrifice before the given time, God rejected Saul from being King and Samuel wept for Saul until God said, "What are you doing crying seeing that I rejected Saul from being King, get off that bed and get yourself to the house of Jesse".
In this act, God shook off the dust so to speak and moved on.
This is kind of a different thought than some of the excellent exegesis already shared, but is it also possible that in addition, because this verse is pre-crucifixion, that Jesus had the disciples who went out on a bit of a time frame? Maybe He wanted to get the word out that Messiah had come to as many as possible before the crucifixion, instead of having them stay in one city toiling over people's hearts who refused to believe.
The only time we should ever stop presenting the gospel to anyone or praying for them no matter how hard their heart, is when the Spirit explicitly tells us to. Now in the aforementioned verse, that could also be the case, since it was Jesus speaking.
Of course I could be way off base here on my understanding of it.
No wrong replies.
We are called to present the gospel and the Lord to others. If they accept it, continue to fellowship with them, as Paul did from church to church. If they reject it, and have hardened there hearts to the gospel, then move on to the next dieing soul.
Let the Spirit be our guide.
Blessings!
I believe, in addition to what has already been said, it was also a sign that the very dust beneath their feet would rise up and testify that the Gospel had been taken to their city, and that they have indeed heard it.
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