In this second installment of Hospitality and Holiness, we turn to a sobering theme: what happens when God’s messengers are rejected. Scripture shows us that the way a community responds to those who carry God’s word reveals far more than hospitality—it exposes the posture of the heart toward God Himself.
Yeshua addresses this directly in Matthew 10, continuing the instructions He gave to His disciples as He sent them into towns and homes throughout Israel. After commanding them to travel without wealth, provisions, or security, He warns:
“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.”
—Matthew 10:14–15 (KJV)
This is one of the strongest statements Yeshua makes in the Gospels, and it echoes throughout biblical history. The rejection of God’s messengers is never treated lightly, because to reject the messenger is to reject the One who sent them (Luke 10:16).
