“I’m going to set the old grill out by the curb,” I told Lynne. “I’ll bet it will be gone by morning,” she replied.

There were several pickup trucks that always cruised the neighborhood the night before trash pickup looking for any items that might have some resale value. Sure enough, when I returned from walking our dog that evening, the grill was gone. Imagine my disappointment when I walked out my front door the next morning to see the grill had been returned!

Truth be told, I felt a sense of rejection even though we were discarding it for valid reasons. It wasn’t working anymore.

Many of us — dare I say most of us — have experienced rejection at some point in our lives. I’ve read the number one fear among Generation Z is loneliness. Loneliness is the end product of rejection. Social media has done more to foster rejection than alleviate it.

Jesus understands rejection. The Apostle John tells us, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him” (John 1:11, ESV). Jesus knew that he would be rejected before He ever left heaven to come redeem fallen mankind. Twice in the Gospel of Luke we see Jesus telling His disciples of the rejection He would experience at the hand of the religious leaders.

“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:22, ESV)

Toward the end of His ministry, He once again foretold His rejection.

“But first He [the Son of Man] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17:25, ESV)

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words shows that the Greek word translated “rejected” is apodokimazo, which it defines as “to reject as the result of examination and disapproval.” That’s an apt summary of the fake trial He underwent at the hands of the Jewish leaders.

Jesus understands rejection, which is why He told a crowd, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37, ESV)

There is an eternal cure for loneliness and rejection, and it comes in the form of a call from Jesus to come to Him.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)

God has always sought to comfort the brokenhearted. In Luke we see Jesus at the beginning of His ministry enter the synagogue in Nazareth, His hometown. He turned to find this passage from Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19, KJV)

The cure for loneliness is community. God has always been about relationships. In Psalm 68:6 we are told “God setteth the solitary in families … but the rebellious dwell in a dry land” (KJV). King Jesus wants you and I to experience the fulness that comes from being a part of the family of God. His nail-pierced hand is reaching out to us saying, “Come!”

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17)

We have a choice. We can come and have our thirst quenched, or be rebellious and “dwell in a dry land.”

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!