Nobody likes dust. People bath and clean their houses so very often so they can clean off the dust and grime. But after you go out or open the windows, you will have to bath and clean up again, because the dust will appear again. This constant cycle of cleaning is ongoing and seemingly never ending.
Apparently, dust is a lot more than just a minor nuisance; dust is actually the cursed food of the devil. In Genesis 3:14, the Bible tells us that God cursed the devil to eat dust all the days of his life. In the New Living Translation’s version, the devil is cursed groveling in the dust suggest that it may not be a literal eating of the dust but with its mouth prostrated demeaningly in the dust, seems like it is eating it.
Dust represents death; from dust we were made, we will return to dust after the curse, Genesis 3:19. It is no wonder why we loathe dusty places. The devil’s grand evil plan is simply to subject you to be like him; to be cursed flat on your belly, crawling with your face in the dust. To have your face in the dust, all you see is a bleak future, with a bad taste in your mouth; your next breath is not all that worth taking. You can only feel your shortcomings and lack, until you constantly feel that there is so much rubbish in your life that you want to give up. You may not be physically bowed over, but you are deep in defeat and life every day is a struggle.
There is good news for you, God’s beloved.
In the account in John 13:1-17,
Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. (verse 3-5)
In verse 3, Jesus knew He has all authority and power over everything in the universe and yet guess what He did? HE WENT TO WASH HIS DISCIPLES FEET! What revelation! There must be something very powerful behind this, right?
The very answer lies in Jesus’ answer; “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” and “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean.”
You see, we need to be washed by Jesus to be clean; first a one time full bathe and then a constant washing of our feet. A person who accepted Jesus Christ and Lord and Savior had been washed thoroughly, like a full bathe. Just like a picture of baptism in the river of water as how people would bath in ancient times. However, a person who has bathed still needs to wash his feet to be entirely clean. This is because we picked up dust all the time in this falled dusty world as we walked on it. It is rather easy for us to pick up dust nowadays, just simple turn on the TV or internet without even the need to go out.
When Jesus washes our feet, He is actually washing away the accumulated dust in our body, our mind and maybe our spirit. He is washing away the death, the defeat, the sadness, the hopelessness, the fear, the lack, the worldly mindset, the failings, the regrets, etc… (we have picked up along the way) away from us. We just need to unassumingly allow Him to wash us becuase we need it; to wash us in His Word, knowing that with all His power and authority He is for us; wanting to wash our feet. The mighty Savoir yet the servant King; He is humble and gentle, we too need to humbly accept His grace, servanthood and ministering.
What a wonderful God we serve!
See, you just had your feet washed… 🙂
King David 