This week I heard a
church talk where it was suggested that we should “wipe the dust off our feet”
or forget about or ignore those neighbours who don't like you. The idea comes
from Luke 9:5 (and similar passages) “Wherever they do not welcome you, as you
are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them”
I've got two kinds
of neighbours those who hide behind their roller doors (I could sit next to
them on the train and never know) and those whose kids play at my house. This second group of neighbours are hard
drinking footy loving pot smoking folk with “F*** off we're full” stickers on
their car. That's not to say they are not nice people but we don't have any
natural points of connection. I’m pretty sure they like having us as
neighbours, appreciate the occasional free carton of eggs but that's it. We're
never going to be drinking bourbon together listening to ACDC and talking cars
and footy.
By the logic of
the talk these are the sorts of people I should be "wiping the dust of my
feet off" at because, as the speaker said, they aren't "people of
peace". That just doesn't seem right to me. It’d mean wiping my feet of my
entire suburb. Each night I thank God that despite what I do, how much I scream
“God where are you? And, why don’t you do something” that God has not wiped the
dust off God’s sandals and decided to walk away from me. If God does that for
me and God asks me to be God’s ambassador I’m not sure I can leave these people
and metaphorically shake the dust off my feet as a testimony against them.
4 comments:
When Jesus died unto himself on a cross I can't help but thinking he died for people who were not of the peace. When I don't like somebody or have no connection to them, l mean let's face it we all want to hang out with people who we like) I think that's the whole point ... Only when you die unto self saying " I can't do this " that's where God takes place through us . If it were meant to be a world where we only spent time with people we have peace with , I wouldn't be a teacher , live in Kwinana and most definitely wouldn't try " love my enemies " . When I don't like someone , it's then I need
God to help me " love them " because it's so hard . Our world of broken ,despised people who make us uncomfortable are not people of peace , but without them I wouldn't get to experience a deep ness of compassion and care for them either.
Wifey
So interesting....very much in agreeance here.
This year in moments of absolute turmoil and exasperation when I have cried out to God for deliverance from numerous and differing situations, imagine my recoil when I felt that God replied with a big fat, firm "NO".
This was quite confronting for me to consider that perhaps what I deeply desired and was asking God for, simply was not part of his plan for me/or others at that point.
Somebody questioned whether or not God knew my faith was strong enough to handle some of the situations I was presented with and desperately wanted to flee from, because actually those people/situations needed somebody to represent him, no matter how ugly....and that was right then, in that moment.
I started questioning what in fact was my purpose, and my standpoint within him, and although I'm not there yet on concluding that, I suspect that my agenda is somewhat less important than his....and with that I will trust him to help me through the times that I'd rather just dust the dust off my feet.
I read a little while ago, God sometimes exercises his sovereign right to retain mystery, we cannot fathom the intricacies of his divine plan. God sometimes will deliver us from evil we never see, other times he parts raging oceans before our very eyes, but still at other times he says "when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; do not be afraid, for I am with you....and THAT is what I am learning to trust, no matter how ugly.
My thoughts ...
I didn't hear any suggestion that ignoring people just because they don't like you is how Luke 10 should be understood. Yet there are at least three scenarios in the chapter which I find helpful.
First in verse 5-9 (sending out of the seventy two), if you encounter a person of peace, a person who likes you though they might not necessarily be like you, then hang out with them, bring healing and encourage them with the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This is easier said than done because of our own hangups and prejudices ... but as grace and mercy has been shown to me, so I seek to love others.
Second in verse 10ff, if you encounter people who reject you (hate you), whether they are like you or not, then move on, don't stick around forcing your views onto them, its not worth yours or their pain.
Third in verse 29ff (the parable of the Good Samaritan), if you see anyone in need, particularly those who don't like you, your enemy, then you should have mercy and help them for the sake of the Gospel - at least a glass of water? - perhaps they might change their minds and welcome you, like you, and change into being people of peace with whom you can share life and the words of hope.
I think we need to live using all three scenarios to help evaluate what is going on ... :-)
Thanks Mark. I originally thought I must of miss heard what was being said and maybe I did but I spoke to a handful of people who miss heard the same thing I did. I think in real life I find it hard to distinguish between the person in need and people who don't really accept or reject you are just ambivalent towards you.
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