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sbm SusanBottgerMinistries |
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Why Do We Humble Ourselves At The Feet Of Jesus?
What do you think of when you hear the word feet?
If you’re like most people, you may have a negative first impression. Often feet are associated with bad smells, ugliness, or embarrassment. If however you are a podiatrist, or a manicurist you may look at feet as a source of income. The feet may be thought of as essential objects for health or beauty. It depends on your perspective.
Feet in the Bible are mentioned many times and for many reasons.
Historically, the urban cities were terribly dirty. Sanitation was often poor and sewage would flow through the streets. People would go barefoot or have crudely made sandals to cover their feet, therefore feet needed to be well cared for, especially before entering a home. This is true even today in many unindustrialized countries. In Bible times, washing a guest’s feet was an appropriate gesture of hospitality.
Those who were in charge of washing feet were typically women or slaves to the master of the house. This was a disgusting and despised job which no one would ever want to volunteer for. The one who would wash feet was only doing so because they were expected to be in submission to their master.
So…Why do we come to the feet of Jesus?
First, we come in submission to his authority, knowing that he is worthy to be worshipped, adored and reverenced.
In Exodus 3:5, Moses came upon the burning bush and recognized that he was in the presence of God. He removed his shoes as God commanded because he was on Holy ground. Moses recognized the authority of Jehovah God long before Jesus was ever born. He was to be approached with reverence and great awe. Many times in the Bible people fell on their faces and bowed themselves before God with fear and trembling. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, and as such He has the same authority given to Him by the Father. Therefore we see people in the New Testament react to Jesus in the same way as they did toward Jehovah God in the Old Testament. They bowed down before Jesus in worship, in adoration, in reverence, and in fear.
John the Baptist said in the Gospel of John (1:26) that he was not worthy to loose the sandals of Jesus. John knew his place was a place of submission to Christ. After the resurrection, Matthew 28:9 says that the women who had been to the tomb were on there way to tell the disciples about the resurrection when they were met by Jesus. This account says that “they held him by the feet and worshipped Him.” It is also prophetically written in Revelation 5:8-10, that the twenty four Elders will fall down before the Lamb with the prayers of the saints, singing in worshipping Him.” These are all examples for Christians to follow in showing our submission to Christ. In doing this, we demonstrate our understanding of who He is and our gratitude for what He’s done for us.
Secondly, we come to submit to his service. Although knowing and acknowledging God’s authority is crucial, it’s only the first step. Christians must submit themselves to His service as well. The Old Testament Priests went through an elaborate cleaning of their bodies (head to foot) in order to prepare themselves for service to God. (Leviticus 8:24) They had to prepare their bodies as well as their minds and spirits to be sanctified and ready for their priestly duties.
Jesus himself was the ultimate model of this when He took a basin of water, wrapped a towel around His waist and washed the disciples’ feet. (John 13:5) Even though Jesus knew He was the Son of God and did not have to humble Himself to do such a lowly task, He washed the disciples’ feet to be to show that He had come to be a servant to the world in obedience to His Father’s will. When we come and lay before the feet of Jesus, we indicate out willingness to put aside our own pride, our own agenda, and submit to the plans of God. We too, are ready to become obedient servants to the will of the Father.
Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15 both talk about how beautiful the feet are of those who bring the Good News of Christ to others. In order to be those who bring this Good News, we have to lay ourselves and our lives before the Lord, so that we will be humbly empowered to become his servants. We will have no agendas or plans of our own, but will be imitators of Christ, doing and saying only what the Father says to say or do.
Thirdly, we come to the feet of Jesus because we know that there is healing, deliverance, forgiveness, and emotional restoration to be found there.
Many people in the Bible received healing as they fell down before Jesus. Mark 5:25-33, tell the story of a woman with the issue of blood who desperately pressed into the crowd to touch the hem of His garment for a healing touch. When He asked His disciples who had touched Him, the woman fell down at his feet and admitted that it was her. She wasn’t ashamed of her humbled position. She knew she had no other hope than to lay at His feet. It was the same for the man with leprosy in the Gospel of Luke 5:12-13. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged to be healed. With a single touch from Jesus, the account says, “the leprosy departed from him.”
It wasn’t uncommon for people to fall at Christ’s feet and beg for deliverance from demonic bondages as we see in Mark 5:1-15 with the Gadarene demoniac or in Matthew 17:14-21, as a man begs Jesus to heal his demonized son. In Mark 7:25, the story is told of a woman begging Jesus to deliver her daughter from demons. In America, people often laugh at the idea of demons and satanic bondages, but they are just as real today as they were in biblical times. Medical science and psychiatry have categorized much of demonic activity as mental illness or cultural perversion. Christians however need to recognize demonic activity for what it is and take it seriously. They need to come to the feet of Jesus for their deliverance. He is just as able to save heal and deliver today as He was then.
It is crucial that forgiveness, spiritual and emotional restoration are received in the life of every Christian. Without receiving forgiveness, a believer will not be able to receive emotional restoration. They will not be able to forgive others or live a victorious life of an overcomer. This forgiveness and restoration can come only at the feet of Jesus. He is the only one who can forgive the repentant heart of a sinner and restore what the devil has sought to take.
In Luke 5:1-11, Peter after a long night of fishing falls down at the feet of Jesus and repents of his doubting heart. Later in Luke 7:36-50, The prostitute comes to the feet of Jesus and washes his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair and anoints his feet with perfume from an alabaster box. She had a truly repentant heart and knew that forgiveness and emotional restoration could be found at the Master’s feet.
Likewise, in John 8: 1-11, the woman caught in adultery fell at His feet and was repentant. Jesus did not condemn her, but instead forgave her and told her that her sin was forgiven. He set her in right relationship again and restored her emotionally. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost, to forgive and restore. That was His mission to the world. That is why we come to the feet of Christ. To submit ourselves to Him, so He can forgive and restore us to a right relationship with the Father. He can restore us to emotional and spiritual health again.
Finally, we come to the feet of Jesus for instruction, guidance, and understanding.
The Bible says the Word is given “To guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79), as a “ Lamp unto my feet/ light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) If Jesus was “the Word made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) then we know that He is the one who was sent to give us an example of truth because He is “full of grace and truth.” He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father except by me.” We sit at the feet of Jesus because He is the truth and can instruct us in what is holy, pure, and right. In Luke 10:39, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the good thing when she sat at his feet for instruction.
In John 11:32-33, Mary fell at Jesus feet in grief and said, “if you had been here my brother would not have died” She didn’t have understanding, but Jesus gave her a way to understand what had happened as she witness the resurrection of her brother. Coming to the feet of Jesus allows us to learn His ways and truth instead of leaning on our own understandings.
What are God’s promises to us if we lay ourselves at his feet?
The Bible says: Psalm 18:33- Enlarged my steps so I don’t slip II Samuel 22:34/37- Hind’s feet/ setting me upon high places Psalm 40:2- Set my feet upon the rock and established my goings Psalm 47:3- He shall subdue the people under us and the nations Deuteronomy 11:24- Everywhere the soles of your feet tread will be yours Psalm 119:59- Turned my feet into thy testimonies Romans 16:20- God shall bruise Satan under your feet Psalm 56:13- Deliver my feet from falling
Conclusion:
It’s both humbling and necessary to lay our lives down at the feet of Jesus so we can become forgiven, restored, equipped and empowered to be servants of God. Then we can be the “beautiful feet of those who walk in his way.”
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Website Revised: 10/22/2010. Copyright © 2005 [Susan Bottger Ministries]. All rights reserved. |