“And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:13, NKJV ).
Imelda Marcos’s one-time collection of shoes will probably never be matched. Some 10,000 pairs graced her closet, so said her detractors; however, in all fairness, when I was with her on one occasion and my traveling companion, Steve Rutenbar actually asked her about that number, she laughed and said that the figure was quite badly exaggerated.
I’ll tell you one thing for sure, however. If you are on a trail with a pack on your back, and you had miles yet to walk, and your shoes had rubbed blisters on your heels, you would trade at least 9,000 pairs for one comfortable pair of walking shoes or boots.
What’s the big deal? Your foot consists of a series of bones and joints, and each bone is made from a composite of minerals and proteins. Sounds complicated, right? Actually, we never consider that we have feet attached to our legs as long as they are in good working order and you have no blisters, bunions or calluses, but when the rub comes, the irritations build, and your feet begin to scream with pain.
The legions of Rome wore a basic walking sandal which didn’t change much over the centuries that Imperial Rome sent their soldiers into the corners of the empire. The sandals were open, permitted their feet to breathe on long marches, were relatively easy to make, and repair. But even then, eventually, they wore out, and mutinous legions demanded “nail money” of Tiberius Caesar to replace their worn sandals.
More than 260 times, the Bible talks about feet in a variety of different ways. It says your feet lead you to evil or to righteousness. It speaks of God’s putting all things under the feet of Jesus as a sign of His dominion. Paul, however, thinking of the Roman soldier and the hundreds of miles he marched, talks about having “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). He also drew from a quote from Isaiah 52 and wrote, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15, KJV).
Question: What does it really mean to have your “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” as another translation puts it? Long ago I learned that text without context is pretext, so let’s go back to what Paul was writing about.
In Ephesians 6, he talked about the Christian life as a battle. He described the armor of the Roman soldier, he used analogies as to how we are to prepare ourselves for the fights of life. He begins with protection for your head and he says “the helmet of salvation” will protect you from doubt, cynicism, and intellectual attacks. He ends up with your feet—the part of your anatomy closest to the ground. Your brain may decide where you want to go, but it’s your feet which take you there. It’s also your feet that will put on the brakes and say, “No, that’s not where I belong.”
Feet that are ready to share the Good News simply means you are ready for whatever opportunity presents itself. You are armed, ready to share your faith, ready to go into combat without limping or stuttering or stammering.
It’s a symbolical picture. Now, I suppose today’s commentary would not be complete without a final question: Which direction are your feet headed? When one points one direction and the other in the opposite direction, you have a split vote, which means there’s nowhere to go. Keep the moving the right direction, and be prepared to do what God wants you to do when you get where you’re going.
Resource reading: Matthew 28:16-20.
