Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. (Acts 19:8-9a)

What do you do when your message is repeatedly met with rejection?

How do you deal with critics who malign you over and over again?

What is the best possible way to handle those who refuse to receive the truth?

Here is the apostle Paul’s solution: “Leave them.”

What would Jesus do? Let’s recall his words of instruction to disciples who were being sent on a mission:

“Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” (Mark 6:10-11)

Sometimes this could result in a whole lot of shaking going on 🙂

Here is what Jesus actually did in a similar situation: As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village. (Luke 9:51-55)

If a village did not want Him, Jesus would not somehow persuade them to receive Him or punish them for their rejection. He simply moved on to another village with his disciples.

What did Paul do when his message was rejected despite a three month campaign to persuade the Jews to believe that Jesus is the Messiah?

He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (Acts 19:9b-10)

He took his eyes off the cynics, shook the dust off his feet and invested himself in those who received his message. Was it worth it?

According to this account in Acts 19, it resulted in everyone in the province of Asia hearing the word of the Lord. Had Paul chosen to dwell on the unbelievers, he would have never experienced the joy of spreading the Good News to ALL the Jews and Greeks.

Reading these verses from Acts 19 reminded me of a saying I heard many years ago: “Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”

In other words, there is no point in spending time convincing those who do not wish to be convinced. It is a total waste of time persuading those who have already made up their mind. Especially after you’ve taken the time to patiently get your message across to them over a period of time, as Paul did for 90 days.

Dear DWOD friend, take a moment to examine your life today. Are you by any chance wasting time teaching pigs to sing? Do not let cynics steal your time and delay your date with destiny.

Perhaps it is time for you also to shake the dust off your feet and keep moving with a different group…

Jesus did it. Paul did it. So can you. Just do it.