A couple of months ago we were sitting at the dinner table while one of the boys said he wanted to talk that evening about stinky feet. We all laughed at his random choice of conversation and asked him if he had stinky feet. He replied, "No... But I think Jesus did." We all laughed some more, but I did marvel at this little boy's comprehension of Jesus' humanity. He did not come up with this idea on his own. One of the books they love to read at night is The Jesus Storybook Bible. One of the stories it tells is about Jesus washing the disciple's feet - how everyone back then had stinky feet because they wore sandals and had dirty roads. So, yes, Jesus also had stinky feet.This past fall we had a lot of rain. A lot of rain. So, when you have little boys who love to play in the water and a mama who wears sandals a lot, well, you eventually come across the challenge of foot odor - or cicote as it is known in the Dominican Republic.
I think the main reason why Daniel's observation caught my eye was that it was not just that Jesus had stinky feet, it was that this meant he totally understood what it was like to be well... Me. And I started thinking that most of the time I try to deal with my shortcomings like I deal with my stinky feet. Sometimes, I keep my shoes on at all cost - I stay distant, guarded, don't play any games that would put me in the position of having to take my shoes off; I don't put myself at the risk of uncovering my soul and letting those around me see how truly broken I am. Other times, I just spend my resources in doing my best to fix or avoid the problem - I buy the best foot care there is, make sure I invest in quality shoes, or avoid muddy areas, so I work hard and fill my life with enough things, degrees, good works, spending so much energy in avoiding the things that might make me get to that truly broken place. But reality is that, under the right (or rather wrong) circumstances, we all get some cicote at some point.And there He Is. The High Priest - kneeling down in front of me, saying "I know... I know... just let me wash this for you." And I want to say "No. Please, it's just that I didn't realize it was going to be so muddy... my bad... poor choice of shoes... I'll take care of that when I get home." Yet there He stays, The High priest - kneeling down ready to wash not just stinky feet but all sorts of shortcomings.
"Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." Hebrews 4:14-16
What truly Good News. I want to do that - walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give!
