And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
- Matthew 10:14-15
Holy Scripture has instructed us in the ways of God. And it has instructed us in the manner we are to respect and adhere to God’s ways. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22.
In the title verse, we see Christ’s position on those who have had the Gospel preached to them and yet ignore the instruction and admonitions. He tells His disciples to “shake off the dust from your feet,” an old Jewish sign of contempt. There are yet other cases of this “shaking effect” as a symbol of contempt. We find the same Jewish custom in Nehemiah 5:13, Acts 13:51, and Acts 18:6. Clearly, this action was a resolute sign of contempt for the people who rejected the Word of God. And finally this instruction is also repeated twice in the Gospel of Luke (9:4-5 and 10:11-12), so it is not a mere anomaly which happens to runs counter to Christ’s instruction to love others. This is God’s command for us to avoid being sullied by a world that rejects Him. If you offer the Gospel, the Holy word of God, and the people you offer it to reject it - you shake off the dust from your feet . . . and walk away! This old Jewish sign of contempt could rightly be compared to someone in contemporary society “spitting” in disdain. There is no doubt that this is a reflective reaction to someone’s complete and total rejection of the Gospel. It is not a reflection of a hardened Christian heart. There have been times in all our lives when we have encountered someone we simply couldn’t talk to. Raging and offering insult for insult is not an appropriate response for a Christian. In those times, Matthew 10:14-15 is the appropriate Christian response: walk away!
Mind you, we’re not talking about those “as yet undecided” or merely doubting. We’re talking about those who are adamantly “in your face” scoffers. It is Christ Who tells us - “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” - 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Again we are admonished by Christ Himself to “turn away” from such people. The words are clearly written in Holy Scripture. For those who have resolutely rejected the Gospel, we are to terminate our association with them with extreme prejudice. Upon the contrition of such an individual we may continue to prophesy to them, but while they rail against hearing the word of God and blaspheme the Holy Spirit we are to have no part of them. “Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” - Isaiah 52:11.
Let us not allow the vain imaginings of pseudo-evangelists to convince us that we are to stay in the breach regardless of the outcome. We believe in the regeneration by the Holy Spirit in the of hearts of God’s elect. And we believe that there are many who will be left to their reprobate hearts and souls. Where the Spirit is rejected by man we need not remain too close to the coming fire. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” - 2 Corinthians 6:14.
We are to remember the words of Solomon - “To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7.
Let us always seek God’s will, His entire will, when preaching to those whose hearts will receive them and those who will not.
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