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NASB | Matthew 10:14 "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 10:14 "Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties]. [Mark 6:11; Acts 13:51] |
Subject: So what does this passage mean? |
Bible Note: That is indeed a grave concern, Bill, and I believe all Christians share it and none has a really good answer. We are living in a world in which easy answers come with rapidly diminishing frequency. Were it not for my hope in Christ I would be, I should think, numbered among the world's greatest pessimists. Whether the real and present problem of mortal danger to Christian missionaries in a given location was indeed addressed in Jesus' phrase about shaking off the dust I cannot say with anything that approaches certainty. A missionary effort that is known beforehand to be met with deadly resistance before it has a chance to carry out its function would hardly be worth mounting and could not have any positive effect, it seems to me. A live missionary is more apt to bring the lost to Christ than a dead one. To this scenario, perhaps Jesus' words do indeed apply. --Hank |