Whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me. The passage on the sending of the seventy-two on mission is immediately followed by Jesus’ reproach on unrepentant towns (Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum). It is unclear whether these three towns formed part of the itinerary of the seventy-two (since the return from mission of the seventy-two is mentioned after this passage), and if they were, what happened when the disciples set foot in them. Whatever the case was, the fact that the reproaches came after the commissioning of the seventy-two makes it clear that failure to harken to the message of repentance preached by Jesus’ disciples had some unsavory consequences. While we know from the content of Jesus address to the seventy-two that their message was not to be forced on the people ( whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, shake their dust off your feet and move on), it was for the best interest of those who heard the message that they paid heed. Otherwise, they would meet a fate worse than being annihilated by Sulphur raining from the skies.
Whereas to us there can be nothing worse than annihilation by raining Sulphur, Jesus suggests that there is: a life without God. When we reject God (by rejecting Jesus and his message), we end up separating ourselves from God. A life without God is a life without purpose and is not worth living. God is the author of life and he who rejects God rejects life itself. Those who do not have God in their lives are not able to receive and reciprocate that love, for to love is to know God. The kingdom that Jesus had ushered and about which he had commissioned his disciples to preach could only be conquered by those who have the knowledge of God. Consequently, those who rejected the disciples’ message missed out on the kingdom. To Jesus, missing out on the kingdom of God is the worst that can befall an individual.