Luke 9:5 (KJV)
And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
Some interesting cultural connections might be made of shaking off the dust of the feet.
In his comments about the parallel passage in Matthew 10:14, Gill quotes several Jewish writers saying to the effect, “all dust which comes from the land of the Gentiles, is reckoned by us as the rottenness of a dead carcass.”
He gives the following possible messages shaking off the dust might mean:
- To show that they did not come to them with worldly views, with any design to amass riches and wealth to themselves, for they would not so much as carry away with them the dust on their feet, but it was purely with a view to their welfare
- To testify that they had been among them, and that that very dust they shook off their feet would rise up in judgment against them, and declare that the Gospel had been preached among them, and they had rejected it
- To observe to them, that such was their wickedness, that even the dust of their country was infected thereby, and therefore they shook it off, as though it defiled them
- By this action they signified that they would have nothing more to do with them (this is the application I think I am most used to hearing)
- To say to them, and that they looked upon them as impure and unholy, as any Heathen city or country
I wonder if a better and more personal testimony is that of removing the burden of it from ourselves.
- We leave the experience behind.
- We bear no grudge or ill feelings.
- We do not allow the incident, however unpleasant, to influence our service for the Lord or passion for others to come to know Christ as we know Him.
How easy it would be to injure the soul of another if we project upon them the ill effects of a previous bad experience in our ministry.
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
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Luke 9:5 Lose The Dirt
