Scripture: Romans 10:15,18
“And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
“But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course, they did: ‘Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’”
How beautiful are the radiant faces of those who faithfully preach the Good News. Or, how beautiful are the calloused hands of those who tirelessly work for God’s kingdom proclaiming, through word and action, the message of peace. But, feet? Artists study faces and do portraits of hands, torsos—almost every part of the body, except feet. Livia Gus’ bold attempt, Summer Feet is a curious work filled with both humor and mystery. But who really considers feet beautiful? In addition to being clumsy and awkward, my homely, scaly, reddened appendages are the source of continual discomfort and pain. How can the Prophet Isaiah possibly call the lowest part of human anatomy (even under the best conditions) beautiful? Beloved Bible teacher, J. Vernon Mcgee, once said, “Feet reveal our humanity. There’s probably no member of our body that tells quite how human we are as our feet.”
There is one, however, who has beautiful, comely feet. That one is the Lord Jesus Christ. His willingness to leave heaven’s splendor to sojourn among us, to take up residence in a human body, and trod this earth for our salvation, merits our highest praise and admiration.
Mary of Bethany, who longed for nothing more than to sit at Jesus’ feet, understood the loveliness of Christ’s feet, when she anointed and washed them with costly perfume. Her intuitive, highly controversial deed helps us understand that, sometimes, the only way to respond to extravagant beauty is to do something outrageous in return. It is also true that acts of beauty, which can appear to be a frivolous waste of time and money, are often just what is needed to demonstrate our feeble attempt at gratitude. Mary’s focus on Christ’s feet reflected a spirit of intensely intimate humility as she basked in the presence of her wonderful Lord.
One day (Lord, come soon), “Every knee will bow” as all those who have ever lived will fall before His precious feet. Together, in one unending hallelujah, we will rejoice that His feet were wounded for us and for our salvation. Hymn writer, Matthew Bridges, speaks of that glorious day in his majestic hymn, “Crown Him with Many Crowns:”
Crown Him the Lord of Peace!
Whose power a scepter sways,
From pole to pole, --that wars may cease,
Absorbed in prayer and praise:
His reign shall know no end,
And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.
It’s not difficult to imagine a variety of afterlife scenarios, and one that I visualize at first
meeting Christ, is falling at His feet in sustained prostration. If the angels avert their eyes
at “mysteries so bright” how will we respond as we enter His presence? Starting at His
feet seems most appropriate to me.
When I was growing up, we used to sing a little hymn, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wonderful passion and purity. O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, ‘till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” Christians are called to be imitators of Christ or, as C.S. Lewis referred to followers of Jesus, “little Christs.” These “little Christs” are the ones Isaiah, and later Paul, describe as having beautiful feet. “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.” In Isaiah 52:7, and Romans 10:15, the authors aren’t referencing physical attractiveness but, rather, spiritual loveliness. Some scholars interpret the word beauty here to mean “acceptable,” which reminds us of Romans 12:1, “present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Another hymnist, Frances Havergal, penned, “Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.”
2020 and 2021 have been extremely difficult years for most of the world’s population. As if life were not already hard enough, the trials of the past years has taken a devastating toll on millions. During the past 24 months, I would venture to say that all of us have, to some extent, succumbed to suspicion, fear, and paralyzing anxiety. More than ever, Christ needs beautiful feet who are willing to leave couches of comfort and GO into the trenches with the Gospel of Peace. There are abundant opportunities, currently, for those who’ve found His bedrock peace, to minister and proclaim these good tidings of great joy to those who are desperate for some news of hope. One of today’s pieces of music is “Beautiful Feet” by the rapper, Lecrae. He says it like it is:
“Go, go, go—run with those beautiful feet.
You hold the truth that saves so run and shout it to the world.
They can't believe in something they ain't never heard.
Go, go, go and run with those beautiful feet.”
Jesus’ invitation is now: Will you come and talk to me about your life, where it is going, what it is becoming? Will you take me on as your interlocutor, indeed, Maestro of life and learning – more serious and care-filled about your thoughts, beliefs, doubts, questionings, wonderings, curiosities, and desires – than even you are?