| And God placed all things under his [Jesus] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. |
| —Ephesians 1:22-23 |
Chubby, cute, no callouses, so soft to the touch—don’t you just love playing with a baby’s feet? Mary must have enjoyed playing with Jesus’ feet when He was a baby and watching Him toddle around on them to everyone’s delight. He came to earth and experienced the same stumbles and falls as any other baby His age.
Just as we experienced as children, as the child Jesus grew, His feet took Him to ever widening paths. Eventually, His feet took Him away from His mother and into a life of ministry for the purpose of serving His heavenly Father.
As Jesus walked the Galilean hills, or the streets of Jerusalem, teaching and persuading others to follow Him, His sandals would have gotten muddy or dusty. People surrounded Jesus wherever He went. They saw His miraculous healings and the signs He displayed of the Kingdom of God.
One such miracle happened in the family of some of His closest friends—Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Jesus received a report that his friend, Lazarus, had died. By the time Jesus reached Lazarus’ home, the body had already been buried. By simply speaking to the dead man, Jesus raised him from the dead. (John 11:1-44)
Some time later, Jesus dined at the home of Lazarus and his sisters. The Apostle John narrates the event this way, found in John 12:3:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary truly worshipped at Jesus’ feet and poured out her love literally in the form of an expensive perfume. What a wonderful ministry to her Lord, expressing thanks for all He had done just days before His most cruel hours, and honoring the preservation of His body in the forthcoming death.
We know that Jesus’ feet were nailed to the cross during the crucifixion—those feet with so much of a history of love. He willingly allowed those feet to suffer for the sins of all mankind.
By the mighty power of God, Jesus was resurrected on that first Easter. And forty days later, His disciples watched as His body, including His feet, were taken up in the clouds of heaven. As the verse at the beginning of this blog post reminds us: God put everything under Jesus’ feet.
Jesus had conquered sin, Satan, and death for us. His earthly work was finished. What a sight: to see those blessed feet lifted to heaven and to declare to everyone His conquering love.
