Matlock | 02/08/26 | Feet | Jenny Hardy

Matlock 

Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/354059/episodes/19593247-matlock-02-08-26-feet-jenny-hardy.mp3

Jenny spoke about the importance of feet in the bible.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Church in the Peak podcast. We hope you enjoy this message. For more information, visit churchandhepeak.org or come and join us at ten AM every Sunday. Thank you. Right. Um it's a delight to be here, even though I'm always nervous. Um I'm going to talk on on feet. Always uh do you know as a child I had a thing about feet. I didn't like feet. I always wanted to hide them, and I used to do a lot of swimming, and so it was a case of where do you hide your feet when you haven't got any clothes on virtually, apart from your cousin, you know, and I couldn't. When I had babies, I fell in love with feet. Baby feet were just wonderful, absolutely wonderful. But I want to talk about feet this morning. There are a number of occasions in the scripture where feet are the main thing. And we know the story of Ruth and Naomi very well, most of us. Uh Ruth was taking care of Naomi. Uh and in the taking care of her, going and gleaning in the fields, as the scriptures tell us. Uh I'll read the scripture because this is the bit I always forget. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked as a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winning Barlow barley in the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, get dressed in your best clothes, then go down to the threshing floor. Don't let him know you're there until all is finished, he's finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying, then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do. What a strange little bit this is. You know, it's uh it's not quite Mills and Boone, it's a bit you know. Uh Naomi uh when when Ruth was was gleaning, uh she came across Boaz, and she was a stranger in the in the town, and so people were interested in her. And Boaz was asking questions. And don't tell me for one minute that he wasn't interested, because he would be a new lady in in the town. Anyway, they she was brought into contact with him, and he he he asked, because he was watching, how well she served her mother-in-law. Naomi realized that he was a close relative and and seeing how well she'd been treating uh she'd treated Ruth and how well Boaz had treated Ruth. Ruth Naomi came up with a plan. So she thinks. She's come up with a plan, and that was the plan that I've just read to you. And says, when Boaz has eaten, lie down and let him rest, and then go to him when it's dark and no one can see you. And what then uncover his feet. What a strange thing to do. Uncover his feet and lie down there. What I've done a bit of investigating, it signifies Ruth's need for protection. It also is requesting a map for marriage to a close relative because it was legal for a close relative to marry uh the wife of someone who died and to sort of preserve the family line. It happened at night, so no one was embarrassed, and Boaz could recognise the purity of Ruth's intentions. Boaz must have been thinking because he knew there was another one that was closer than he. So obviously, he'd been thinking, what's going on here? You know, I know there's a way, someone that needs to be asked if he is interested first. And I loved the phrase that he ends with. Boaz must have been thinking because he knew there was another one, and he would talk to him, and if he was interested, but if not, he said to Ruth, I vow that as the Lord lives, I will take you as my wife. And there was Naomi thinking he she'd come up with a wonderful plan. This is good, this will secure Ruth, this will secure me and bring us into this family. But actually, when you look at the whole story, there is something going on in the background because God's on the case, God knows what's happening, and and this symbolic act of Ruth puts her in the place of prophecy, and she's part of the line of David. Uh the scriptures tell us that Ruth had a son named Obed, and he was the father of Jesse, who became the father of David. We have our plans, but God's greater purpose is for eternity. And so there's my first set of feet. A strange one, but it that's it. Now I want us to look at a lady called Mary. You'll know all about her. Mary lived in Bethany, and it was a favourite place that Jesus wanted to visit. And it's uh Mary lived with her sister Martha and her brother Lazarus. And she was sitting, she was we find her first and foremost in the scripture where Jesus is in the home, and Mary was sat at his feet, listening to him. Now that's a very unusual thing for a woman to do. That's the place where the men would gather and sit and listen to the master. But Mary was sat there. And then we all know the story that Martha, who would prepare in food for these people, came in and challenged, uh asked Jesus and challenged Mary sitting there. But Jesus affirms Mary. And Jesus wasn't taking sides, but he knew Mary's heart. Well, perhaps if I put these on it at all, he knew Mary's heart and the longing to know more to be a follower of Jesus. Perhaps it was a question of priorities, but what was more important? She sat at his feet. When Paul spoke about his heritage, he said, I sat at the feet of Gamaliel. And Gamaliel was the great teacher, I believe that's true, and he sat at his feet because that's where he was taught. So Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus. The next time we we meet this family, um I'm I'm struggling with these uh trying to fit me scriptures, but there we go. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparation that she had. She came to him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me. Martha, Martha, the Lord answered. You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her. Later on in John chapter 11, we find Jesus coming back to this family. They'd sent for him. And uh because their brother Lazarus was ill. And uh and when he he he delayed his his arriving, but and by the time he got there, Lazarus had died. Jesus revealed uh to Martha, the one who we thought was just too busy being busy, and she wasn't, but we find when Jesus spoke to her when he came to their home that she she was actually a woman of great deep faith, because Jesus said something to her, and and he said, He is the revelation resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. She answered, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, a woman of deep faith. In John chapter eleven, Mary fell at Jesus' feet. This is all the same story. He'd come to see Lazarus, Lazarus was dead, and Mary came and fell at his feet. Lord, if you had been here, she was so full of grief. She says he was, it says the scripture, he was moved by the pain that everyone was feeling. And where have you laid him? He asked. That famous verse that says Jesus wept. And this we know that Jesus is moved with the feelings of our infirmities. Going on, it he said, Take away the stone. Now this is Martha again, but Lord, you can't, it's it stinks. Jesus quest rebuked us gently and said, Did I not tell you? If you believe, you would see the glory of God. Isn't that amazing how quickly we forget? One minute she's saying, Yes, I believe you are the resurrection and the life. And the next minute she's saying, But, but and Jesus said, If you believe, you will see the glory of God. And we know the result. He said, Lazarus, come forth. And he did. The glory of God was there in that place. And Jesus taught them lessons. Don't don't take someone away from the desire of their heart to find God. Don't take them away from it. This is talking that I am the resurrection and the life. And he revealed himself in that way to these ladies. These ladies, as you know, ladies didn't really matter so much in the scriptures at that time. And so to be have such a prominent position with Jesus because the scriptures said he loved them and they were special and precious, and then they were always there, an open home, and Mary sat at his feet. The next time we see this family, they'd put on a meal for Jesus. And we arrive at their house, and Martha is serving. What else would she do? But Lazarus was the one who was raised from the dead, was reclining at the table. But where was Mary? And if I'm I'm sure if you know the scriptures, you know exactly where Mary is. She's coming in slowly, quietly, and she has a pint of nard, which is very expensive perfume, and she went and poured it over Jesus' feet. And then she wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with a fragrance. There's often a fragrance here, isn't there? As we worship Jesus, as we enter into the praise, there is a fragrance of an in his presence. But Mary washed Jesus' feet with this ointment. Mary loved Jesus and sat often at his feet. But now she was making a statement because she'd heard she knew about Jesus being the resurrection and the life. And she knew something beyond the ordinary. Something given her a revelation of the death of Jesus. And so she was anointing his feet in preparation for this time. Whether she knew or not, we don't know. But Jesus made the comment that he she did this unto his death. And she wet uh perfumed his feet, filled the room. We read sadly that Judah said, What a waste of money. It ought to be sold and given to the poor. But we do know by uh reading through the scriptures he's no interest in the poor. He wanted it for himself because he he helped himself to the purse. So, you know, out of it all we we find that um this this offering of this perfume was so very precious, and and the the the perfume must have really lingered on. Sorry, I'm missing out. And so I want to come to another situation. Jesus asked the disciples to prepare a room for the Passover, and the Passover was very important. Jesus knew that it would be the last time they would be together, and so he wanted to express his love towards each one of them. And it says in John 13, the evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. You know, God opens up bits of scripture to you that you've known so well. And I found this very moving earlier in the year. Jesus comes to wash their feet. He knows every one of them, he knows their hearts, and he still washes their feet. The outspoken Peter, he said, Don't wash my feet, wash all of me. And Jesus said to him that someone who's clean only needs their feet washing. What a scripture, what a truth. But Jesus knew that Peter would be denying him, but he still washed his feet, and he and that was the bit that really struck me. He knew what was coming, what was going to happen, and yet he still came in and washed their feet. He knew that the rest of them would run away afraid, but he still expressed his love to each one of them and washed their feet. Then there was Judas. He knew, as it's already said in the scriptures, that he was going to betray him, but he still washed their feet. What a picture it is of how much Jesus loves us. He knows us, but he will still wash our feet. And if I was in that room knowing what I know now, I think I would be panicking because I think he knows me, he knows what I what I what I've been like. I feel transparent, he can see right deep into my heart, he knows and he knows what I'm thinking, and he knows all of this, and you know, and the enemy would add to it and build it up on it. But like Mary, we actually really want to worship, and when we come here in worship, he is washing our feet because he loves us, and we can be clean and loved by Jesus each time we come into his presence, and our feet are washed as we worship him. Now I've got a special picture. I hope you can see it. Can somebody flick a light off so it perhaps show up a bit more? Is that possible? My sister is um does it work? Does it make it better? Yes. Thank you. Um my sister, as you know some of you know, is a Chelsea pensioner. And we went down some weeks ago to their uh event. It was like a mini trippin' of the colours, you know, because there was only that one battalion of the Chelsea pensioners there. It was it was awesome. Absolutely awesome. And and she's in a in a scooter, and she came round like you know, this this little troop of scooters came past, reduced me to tears, um, you know, and it was just wonderful. As they they did their thing, it was it was amazing. So I went into her her her sort of birth, I think they call it, her room, and spotted this on the wall. And if anything confirmed to me what Jesus wanted to say this morning about how much he loves us and how he washes our feet regularly because he loves us. It was this picture. It's uh a wonderful picture and it just blesses me. But what else can you see? That's why I was fussy about whether you could see it clearly. What else can you see? There's two sets of feet. Well, three sets of feet. What else can you see? A hand, yes, a hand. And and that's any ideas who that hand might belong to? No. There is the let me read to you. No, I haven't got it. It's it's it's the woman who has got the issue of blood. And the scriptures say that someone had come to Jesus and said, Will you come? My son is dying. And and he said, Yes, I'll come. And then he suddenly said, Who touched me? And it was this lady. She was despised and rejected. She was called unclean because she had this issue of blood. She was completely broke because all the doctors had taken all her money and and nothing has changed. Uh, so she was in a desperate state. And I'm sure that all of us can say there's been times when we have been in a desperate state. And she came, but you notice she didn't come and tap him on the shoulder and a big smile, and I'm here, can you do something for me? No, it wasn't like that. She was down amongst the feet because she didn't dare to come into the public gaze because she was rejected all the time because she was unclean. And she was down on her knees and she reached through to touch just the hem of his garment. A lowly place, a place of humility, a place where um she had nothing to offer, but she desperately, desperately needed Jesus to touch her and make her whole again. And that's all we need this morning, like that lady. We don't I'm not asking you to grovel on the floor, but it's the humility and the and the the loneliness of this woman that uh Jesus said, Who touched me? She was hoping she would get away with it. She was hoping nobody had noticed or nobody would say anything. But she she came. And you can imagine she was trying to sort of get up and she came and she said, It was I. It was me. I touched you in this quiet place this morning. I wonder if you can say it was me, Jesus. I reached out and touched you this morning because I need you. I need you to meet my need. I need you. And and sometimes we can we can make a big fuss of things, but often it's those quiet moments when we come before God and we say, Yes, Lord, I I just want to touch the hem of your garment, and then I shall be clean. Jesus knows that if we reach out, he will meet with us. I heard a song that I thought part of it, I think they called it the bridge, whatever that is, it said, um, if the highest place I reach is at your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory, then I've seen it all. If your love has changed my life, forever satisfied, you are my everything. If the one word is the only thing you speak, then I've heard it all. If I feel your heart and never see your hand, I still have it all. No treasure of this life could ever satisfy you are my everything. And I'm sure that would be the cry of this dear woman's heart. If I've come to your feet, then I have I'm on top of a mountain. If I'm at your feet, because I know how much you love me, I've received all that you could ever give to me because it's your love that changes me, that heals me, that makes me whole. And at your feet is where I find it, Lord. And I think, you know, it's a prayer that we can keep in our hearts. That at your feet, Lord, I've done it all. I've arrived, I've got everything I need because you've brought me to this place of humility and of compassion and love. And I just say thank you, Jesus.