Mark 6:10-11 (KJV) 10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11 And whosoever* shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Are there people in your life that just don’t want to hear about your love for Jesus? Maybe we can take some advice from this passage.
I did leave out the portion about what the apostles were supposed to wear and take with them as it really doesn’t apply in today’s world. However, the end of the passage interests me. I know that I have certainly felt that I was beating my head against a wall when I was teaching and had students who just didn’t care. I believe it’s the same when we are talking about our faith and the person we are with is either not interested or chooses to get into an argument. It can be useful to get into a discussion of different points of view – even ones that are directly opposed to ours! But it really is not worth getting into an argument with someone. This is because no one is listening.
When we argue, our brain is trying to come up with new evidence that will show that the other person is wrong and we are not hearing what the other is actually saying. And their brain is doing the same. I have been involved in ecumenical and inter-faith groups for over 25 years. We each come to Scripture from our own perspectives. We each come to an understanding of God from different points of view.
I have relatives who consider themselves to be atheists, or who come to an interpretation of the world from a purely scientific understanding. When we talk about faith from our own experience rather than trying to convince them that they are mistaken, we can learn from one another.
As we share our joy with others, may we always be respectful, refrain from arguments and let God be their judge.
Jesus, you have sent us out to share the Good News with others. May we recognize those whose ears are open and refrain from confrontation with those who will not hear. Amen.
