Mark continued his series looking at different parts of Jesus’s body this morning. Having looked at the face of Jesus and the hands of Jesus, today it was the turn of His feet!
Feet are not usually thought of as particularly glamorous. In our cool British climate, we don’t show off our feet all that much!
With Christmas coming up, though, some of you might be thinking of treating your feet to a foot spa:
On a more prosaic note, Jesus walked a lot while He was on earth. That was by far the easiest method of transport – no buses, trains or trams available then! Jesus walked miles to get from A to B, often with the sole intent of preaching the gospel. His feet were, as Isaiah had prophesied, ‘beautiful feet’ because they brought good news (see Romans 10:15).
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to what He said (Luke 10:39). That kind of sitting indicated submission and a desire to learn. We still need to be in a place where we can hear what Jesus has to say to us and can be in submission to Him.
Jesus’s feet did miraculous things, such as walking on water (John 6:19). We too have miraculous feet, for Jesus gave His disciples authority to trample on snakes and scorpions without coming to harm (Luke 10:19). We have God’s authority in the spiritual realm too.
Jesus, after His crucifixion, showed His disciples His hands and feet (Luke 24:39-40). His feet bore the marks of the cross and showed the depth of His suffering and His love for us. Jesus walked with His disciples through their griefs and confusion (Luke 24:15) and continues to walk with us on our pilgrimage on earth.
Mark then looked at various psalms which talk about what our feet should be like. God preserves us: Ps 66:8-9 tells us that ‘He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping’ (Jude v 24 reminds us that God keeps us from falling.) God ‘makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights’ and enables us to ‘scale a wall’ (Ps 18:28-33). God’s Word provides light for our paths and is a lamp to our feet (Ps 119:105). He give us spiritual and practical direction to walk in and we too can have beautiful feet as we bring the good news to other people, learning to have our ‘feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace’ (Eph 6:15).
When we buy shoes, we need to know the purpose for which we need them: no point buying wellies for playing badminton, for example! We need appropriate footwear for our spiritual walk, learning to ‘go the extra mile’ (Matt 5:41) for those around us so that we can bring help and comfort to those in need.
God is in control. 1 Cor 15:24-25 reminds us that Christ ‘must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.’ Even death will one day be destroyed. Until then, let’s be those with ‘beautiful feet’, with or without that foot spa!