Rejection is a powerful experience that can wound us deeply. Laid off from a job, denied an interview, forsaken by a spouse or close friend, denied entry to a fraternity or sorority, cut from or traded by an athletic team, refused admittance to a university of choice, we are often diminished, depressed, defensive, despairing and dejected after being rejected.<
The Bible is filled with stories of rejection. Hagar, Abraham’s Egyptian mistress who bore him a son with his wife’s permission, is cast out, outright rejected, not once but twice by Abraham. The prophets Elijah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Amos all knew the wounds of being unwanted. After telling a parable about rejection, Jesus concludes this Sunday’s text quoting Psalm 118 in a self-reference, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” That rejection comes to a head this Holy Week as Jesus will be arrested, denied, tried, beaten, scorned, and crucified.
If the Son of God could not escape rejection, why should we expect to? The question is not will we be wounded by being unwanted, but: What will we do with our rejection? How will we handle the pain that comes with being or feeling rejected? How do we process the deficit of love, esteem, and acceptance? This Palm/Passion Sunday we will share four things that can help us deal with the human experience of rejection.
Series: Handling Our Humanness
Palm/Passion Sunday
Scripture: Matthew 21:33-42
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