Mark 6:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”

NIV: 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.'

NASB: Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.'

CSB: If any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."

NLT: But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.'

KJV: And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

NKJV: And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

"Testimony" is from the Greek root word marturion. This means "a witness, or someone who attests to the accuracy and authenticity of something or someone else." In Mark 1:44, Jesus tells the leper to go to the priest as proof that he is clean and Jesus has healed him. Later, Jesus will tell the disciples that their coming persecution will stand as a witness to the gospel message. And James says that worldly possessions are a testimony of our priorities (James 5:3).

Pious Jews were known to shake out their robes when leaving a Gentile town, as if protecting themselves from being contaminated by false beliefs. By shaking the dust from their feet, the Twelve show that Jews who reject Jesus' gospel are as lost as the Gentiles who do not know God at all. They testify that the people have chosen a different path and that the Twelve are not responsible for their choices. Paul and Barnabas do this in Pisidia (Acts 13:51), and Paul goes so far as to shake out his garments when the Jews in Corinth revile him (Acts 18:5–6).

Jesus uses more colorful metaphors in the Sermon on the Mount: "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." (Matthew 7:6). The point of this lesson is the need to discern when someone has hardened their heart against the gospel. We tend to think if we can find just the right argument, we can convince the antagonist. But Jesus tells us to step back. Before sending them out, Jesus tells the Twelve, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37). If we cannot differentiate between the good soil and the bad (Mark 4:1–9), we will waste a lot of time trying to reach the apathetic while the seeking remain unreached.

Mark 6:7–13 describes the Twelve's missions trip, sandwiched by two less-encouraging accounts. Jesus' rejection at Nazareth teaches the disciples and us that preaching the gospel is often most difficult at home (Mark 6:1–6). The execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas shows that sometimes doing the work of Christ brings dire consequences (Mark 6:14–29). Jesus had chosen the Twelve to be with Him, to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14). They had been with Jesus, not it was a time for them to be sent out to minister to others. Later, Jesus will send out seventy-two (Luke 10:1–12). Before He ascends to heaven, He will send out all who believe in Him (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; John 17:20–26). Matthew 9:35—11:1 recounts this event with more detail, while the account in Luke 9:1–6 is nearly identical to Mark's.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.