Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. … Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
- Mark 6:4-5, 7
 
Today we see Jesus experience a stunning but not surprising rejection. He returned to his hometown and tried to do in their midst what he had done in other villages: teach about the kingdom of God, heal the sick, and liberate those oppressed by demons. But they were offended by Jesus and he was able to do very little among them.
 
Jesus’ disciples were right there with him. They watched their teacher fail. They heard those who were familiar with Jesus reject him. They saw him disappointed and amazed at the lack of faith in his hometown.
 
How might this have affected the disciples?
 
One might think that they would waver in their optimism about Jesus … if his own hometown rejects him, how can he hope to win over Jerusalem? One might think they would waver in their courage … if even Jesus gets rejected, what hope have I in my ministry? But, as we’ll see this week, the disciples don’t seem to waver at all.
 
Jesus sends them out and they go.
 
Somehow, the rejection of Jesus fails to discourage the disciples. Why?
 
Perhaps they saw him refuse to be discouraged by the rejections. Perhaps they saw that failing wasn’t fatal. Perhaps they saw that failing wasn’t final. As Jesus continued to faithfully visit town after town – even after his rejection in his hometown – his disciples saw him modeling the perseverance that’s required of all who pursue the “better” in their engagement with the world.
 
Where have you experienced rejection in your own life? What have you found to help you persevere in the face of rejection? Where do you need Jesus to help you develop a little more grit to help you keep going today?