Mark 6:10-11

Mark 6:10-11

[10] And  unto them,  In what place soever  ye enter  into  an house,  there  abide  till  ye depart  from that place.  [11] And  not  receive  nor  hear  when ye depart  thence,  shake off  the dust  under  feet  for  a testimony  against them.  Verily  I say  more tolerable  for Sodom  and  Gomorrha  in  the day  of judgment,  than  for that  city. 

What does Mark 6:10-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The12disciples were normally to stay in the home of a hospitable host, as long as they remained in that particular town, rather than moving from house to house. This would minimize distractions and tend to preserve the good reputation of the disciple whom others might consider greedy if he moved frequently. Moving to better accommodations for the sake of comfort would also bring shame on the former host.
The Jews customarily shook the dust off their clothes and sandals when they reentered Jewish territory from Gentile territory. [1]
"In the culture of the time the gospel was written, Jews made a distinction between Jewish and gentile territory. Jews considered their land to be holy and the gentile land unclean. Through this depiction of Jesus as a traveller [2] among gentiles, the narrator portrays him as open to and compassionate toward gentiles." [3]
Shaking dust off their feet symbolized the defiling effect of contact with pagans. When the Twelve did this, it implied that those who had refused their message were unbelieving, defiled, and subject to divine judgment (cf. Acts 13:51; Acts 18:6).
"It was a visible sign of acceptance or rejection of the Master and the Father Who sent Him (Mt. x40 , Lk. x16), and therefore an index of the relation in which the inhabitants as a whole stood to the eternal order." [4]
This act would cause those who rejected the message to reconsider their decision.