October 2, 2024

Acts 18.6 (NIV)

But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Until told otherwise, I will serve courageously in the place I am.*

No more Mr. Nice Guy! Paul had devoted himself to “testifying to the Jews” (Acts 18.5) but he’s over it.  In kingdom work, as in poker, you have to “know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away and know when to run.”*

Paul doesn’t just walk away. He demonstrates his attitude by shaking out his clothes in protest. Some gestures are self-explanatory and almost universally understood. We don’t know where they originated but they are eloquent. In the case of this particular gesture, three of the four gospel writers quote Jesus as saying that if you aren’t welcome, shake the dust off your feet and move on. Paul obviously knew Jesus’ words – nor was this the first time he had ever had to resort to this behavior.  (See Acts 13.51.)

Along with this dramatic object lesson, Paul tells them, “Your blood be on your own heads.” This is not a curse but a statement of fact: their fate was in their own hands. (In fact, Paul was probably quoting from Ezekiel 33.4.) Paul didn’t stop caring but their rejection of the gospel was deliberate and he had done all that he could for these people. His ministry was Spirit-led, not emotion-driven.

How much time has been wasted on lost causes? As Christians, we hate to admit that someone is hopeless. And maybe we shouldn’t. But what we ought to consider is that we can’t be all things to all people. When you hit a wall in your witness to a person, perhaps you should move on and let someone else move in. Ask yourself, “Have I done all that I can?” If you have done all that you can do, you are done! Shake the dust off your feet and let God send in the next shift!

We spend so much time considering what we can do, we rarely stop to consider what God can do.*