Matthew 10:14

“And whoever will not receive you, nor hear your words, as you go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.”

These words are very solemn words and indicate the seriousness of the situation they speak of. If they were not received, whether by house or city, they were to shake their dust off their feet. This would be an act of rejection. When Jews left Gentile territory they would regularly shake the dust off their feet for it was seen as unclean. It belonged to a land where God's laws of cleanliness were not observed, and was thus ‘unclean'. When a man entered the Temple he was to shake the dust off his feet. He was demonstrating that the world outside was not worthy of God. The situation here then was similar. But the uncleanness indicated would not in this case be ritual uncleanness, but sinfulness. By this act this house or city was thus being shown to be cut off from Israel. It was an indication to God that they were not worthy, because they had rejected the messengers of the King. They had refused to submit to the Kingly Rule of Heaven. They were thus being committed to God's judgment.