The True Light Rejected
John 1:9–13
Episode Summary
In this episode of The Wilderness Devotional, we walk straight into the ache of being unseen.
We explore what it means that Jesus—the radiant, eternal, glorious Son of God—came into the world… and the world did not recognize Him. Even His own people, the ones He formed in their mother’s wombs, the ones He had come to rescue, turned their backs.
“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”
— John 1:11
I reflect on the heartbreak Jesus endured… and how that connects with our own stories of rejection.
I tell a story from my days as a youth pastor—a teenage girl so filled with boldness for the gospel that she practically dove into a stranger’s car window just to tell them about Jesus. I share how that moment challenged me. Inspired me. Reminded me what we’re doing here.
This episode is for anyone who has ever felt unseen. Overlooked. Rejected.
And it’s for anyone who needs to be reminded that Jesus was too… and yet He kept loving.
Going Deeper
I’ve had seasons where it felt like no one saw me.
I was doing the work. I was pouring myself out.
But I was invisible.
No pats on the back.
No doors opening.
Just silence. And doubt.
But then I remember…
“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
— John 1:9–10
That sentence undoes me.
The world didn’t recognize its own Creator.
Jesus didn’t just face rejection from strangers.
He faced it from His own.
From the people He loved the most.
So if you’ve ever felt passed over by friends, family, churches, mentors—He gets it.
If you’ve ever been told, in words or in silence, “You don’t belong here”—He gets it.
If you’ve been faithful in the dark, and no one clapped or noticed—He sees you.
Because He’s been there.
And yet… He still gave. Still loved. Still endured.
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God—
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will,
but born of God.”
— John 1:12–13
This is the good news buried in the pain:
You’re not born of rejection.
You’re born of God.
The world might never fully see you…
But your Father sees everything.
You belong. You’re family.
And now, you carry the same Light.
And that means you’re going to face some of the same rejection.
But don’t let it stop you.
Let it sharpen your love.
Let it grow your compassion.
Let it light your fire.
That teenager who reached through a car window to talk about Jesus?
She got it.
She understood that awkwardness is a small price to pay for someone to be invited into God’s family.
I want to be more like that.
Because even if they laugh, even if they walk away, even if I never see the fruit—
I believe the Light is worth it.
Devotional: A Prayer in the Wilderness of Rejection
Jesus,
You were the Light.
And they didn’t want You.
You came to Your own… and they turned You away.
I know what that feels like.
To be dismissed.
Overlooked.
Forgotten.
But You didn’t quit.
You didn’t stop loving.
Even when they cursed You.
Even when they nailed You to a tree.
You loved them to the end.
Help me walk in that love.
When I feel rejected—
Remind me that You see me.
When I feel invisible—
Remind me that I’m Your child.
When the world doesn’t understand me—
Remind me that I’m not of this world.
I’m born of God.
And I don’t want to waste that.
Give me boldness.
Give me tenderness.
Give me light.
Even if they laugh.
Even if they leave.
Even if they never come around…
Let me love like You loved.
Let me shine like You shined.
Let me remember the cross—and follow.
Amen.
Share this post