"'Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?' And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.'" (Mark 6.3-4)
Jesus was preaching one day in his hometown synagogue (the Jewish place of worship) and he experienced what we all experience sometimes: rejection by your own people.
Unfortunately, it is the human condition to be rejected sometimes. And since most of us circulate in the same human circles with the same people most of the time, it is inevitable that we will sometimes feel rejection from those closest to us: friends, classmates, co-workers, neighbors, etc.
Jesus' response is instructional to us: the rejection did not deter his mission. Oh, the people in his hometown did not receive the blessing of the fullness of his ministry because they rejected Jesus, but it did not stop his mission. He simply "shook the dust off his feet" and took his mission elsewhere.
Have you experienced rejection recently? If so, remember that God does NOT reject you. No one's rejection of you can change your God-given purpose. In the journey of faith, we will face rejection sometimes. But God never rejects us. God gives us purpose and mission to share his love wherever we go. YOU ARE LOVED AND ACCEPTED BY GOD!
