He Was Rejected Too

“Rejection hurts,” would be an understatement.

Rejection claws at our very soul, sucking out all life. This monster tells lies and does its best to capture our minds. It tells us we’re worthless, ugly, useless, a mistake.

I’ve experienced a great deal of rejection in my own life…

While the world portrays the Christmas season as one filled with only joy and peace, that’s not always the case. During one particular Christmas season, a distant family member hurt me with their words. This person acted and treated me as if I was a burden. They didn’t seem to have room for me. This person rejected me…

Parties are supposed to be fun, but not when the popular friend group shuns and ignores you. When everyone else at the Christmas party was laughing up a storm, I was the one in the back of the crowd. This friend group rejected me…

Let’s face it, we live in a painful world. Rejection is inevitable, but what matters most is how we handle this monstrous hurt.

Jesus Experienced Suffering

Last October, I spent a great deal of time reading through the gospels—and when I say a lot of time, I mean a lot of time. For instance, I read through the entire account of Matthew in one sitting.

After spending this much time in the gospels, the reality that Jesus faced common hurts and trials just like we encounter began to sink in.

Jesus faced suffering just like we do. He knows what it’s like to encounter temptation (Matt. 4:1-11), and experience grief and loss (John 11:28-37).

He also faced rejection, just like we experience it.

Jesus Was Rejected by His Friends

When Jesus began His three-year ministry, He chose twelve men to be His disciples. These men went to parties with Jesus, they ate meals with Jesus, they spent time in prayer with Jesus. All their time was spent with Jesus!

You may be thinking, wow, Jesus had it made. Twelve BFF’S, who gets that lucky?!

Unsurprisingly, this isn’t the case. Jesus’ friends were real human beings, and they let Him down a lot… One of them, Judas Iscariot, even betrayed Him (John 13, Matthew 26:47-56). Judas not only rejected Jesus as his friend, but as his Master and Lord.

Psalm 41:9 says, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”

Jesus Was Rejected by His Family

Unfortunately, Jesus didn’t always have a loving family to turn to like many of us do when a friend has rejected us.

We find this shocking account in Mark 3:13-14, 20-21, “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him… Then He went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when His family heard it, they went out to seize Him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of His mind.’”

Imagine your whole family declaring that you’re “out of your mind.” That’s some fierce rejection!

When Jesus was rejected, He chose to embrace God’s steadfast character, and so should we. Even though He knew that God’s plan for His life would lead to even more hurt and rejection by the very people He came to save, He persevered. He did this out of the overflow of His love and compassion for His people. He knew that the only way humanity could have a restored relationship with God was through the sacrifice of His life.

The Sacrifice of Jesus

The reason that God will never reject us, is because for a temporary time, He forsook His very own Son, Jesus.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” -Matthew 27:46

God is holy; sin cannot be present in His presence. As human beings we are born in sin—we are conceived in sin. There was absolutely no way for God to spare us from His rejection unless someone could pay the price for our sins.

And that someone would have to be God Himself.

Because He loves us, God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, down to this earth. He lived a perfect sinless life and died a death He did not deserve on the cross. While He was on that cross, God the Father turned His back on His very own Son. The weight of His peoples’ sin was placed upon innocent Jesus’ shoulders as He died on their behalf.

This is why Jesus pleaded in the garden of gethsemane, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me,” (Matthew 26:39). He didn’t plead for His life because He was afraid of death. No! He was afraid of what was in the cup, God’s wrath.

Freedom in Christ

Because of Jesus, we never have to experience what was in that cup. He died so that we could have a new identity. He was rejected and despised by men so that we could be received and redeemed in Him.

When rejection comes knocking at our door, we need to remember the work of Christ.

He set us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).

He showed His love for us by dying for us while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8).

He chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him (Eph. 1:4).

His work is enough! While rejection from people is painful, our acceptance in Christ Jesus is secure.

Friends, don’t try fighting the trial of rejection by yourself. Let Jesus fight the trial for you. Give your burdens to Him, meditate on His attributes, and remember all that He’s done for you.

Rejection hurts might be an understatement, but the sacrifice Jesus made for you has forever freed you from this hurt.