Daily Affirmations - Day 1- What Does My Lord Say? - Take Off Your Shoes

This week's Theme: What Does My Lord Say?

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Day 1: Take off your shoes

I took the note from the teacher's hand, happy to run an errand for her. I took it to another teacher as she had asked. That teacher read the note and directed me to deliver it to yet another teacher. To get to the new teacher, I had to go outside by way of the concrete walkway that provided access to and exit from the school building. Somehow, I fell.

I was quickly surrounded by a few children, and a couple of teachers who had seen my mishap and had heard my cries. The adults quickly took charge, helped me off the hard concrete, and began tending to my badly bruised and bloody knees. By now I was sobbing, in pain and embarrassment. Added to all that was my frustration that I had not been able to complete my errand.

It didn't take long for the note to surface, as the teachers probed the reason I was not in class. I handed them the crumpled note as they requested. "Send the fool a little further," it read. It was April Fool's Day.

I'm not quite sure if it was then that I learned the contents of the note, or later, when my mother arrived, livid, demanding an explanation. At that moment more was swirling around me than my seven-year old brain could comprehend, but I was aware of the anger and righteous indignation of the two teachers who had "rescued me" from the emotional and psychological betrayal— ultimately leading to physical harm— of those who had been appointed to guard, watch over, and protect me. 

Years later, as an adult thrust into the situation of defending a vulnerable child from a similar breach of trust, I was to experience my own outrage, anger, and righteous indignation. Eventually issues were resolved, and life moved on, but an inactive undercurrent of residual anger and bitterness remained. By now I was far removed from the people and circumstances involved, but through the years anything that created an association or connection would produce in me a passive, involuntarily disposition of disfavor.

I remember a wise pastor's counsel about the challenges of forgiving on behalf of someone else, and about the need to pray for special grace to forgive. I have to confess that my prayers and my desires were for a long time, more for vindication than for a forgiving heart.

I imagine the apostle Peter had some of the same emotions. Springing up to defend his Rabbi and Master— the One he had come to recognize as the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), the One who had never demonstrated ill intentions or wrongs— Peter's righteous indignation quickly turned to violence. The gospel writer John gives the most details about the incident:

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) (John 18:10). All of the gospel writers quote the most striking points in Jesus' response, but Matthew provides the most extensive quote:

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:52-54).

Wise counsel from Jesus from a perspective beyond earthly reason or vision. It was the same perspective He had given to Joshua in a pre-incarnate[i] encounter centuries before:

When Joshua was by Jericho… he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, [Neither] but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13-15 - NKJV).

Peter, Joshua, you, me, we see two possibilities— "for" and "against." Our expectations for defense, protection, and vindication follow a simple, straightforward model— God sees and hears our distresses and He responds. In the moment. But the infinite God of inexhaustible possibilities shatters all human models and goes beyond the bounds of our expectations.

Yes, Jesus could have called legions of angels for defense, protection, and vindication against the present injustice— He could have executed immediate justice— but His far superior plan was to execute a greater justice, not just for the immediate but from eternity past and for ever.

If God is for us, Scripture tells us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). But like Joshua, we challenge Him, "Are You for us, or for our enemies? Are You with us, or with the ones who enter peaceful gardens to arrest the innocent on fabricated charges and lies? Are you with us, or with the ones who care not about the poor— the thieves who help themselves to the money bags, who stake all on silver, and betray trust and confidence with honeyed words and kisses of poison?"

And like Joshua, we miss, at first, the only question we need ask: "What does my Lord say to His servant? For the Commander of the Lord's army does not follow our battle plan. He may not summon the legions of heaven to our current and immediate circumstance. But we can be sure that His far superior mission will execute a greater justice, not just for the immediate but from eternity past and for ever.

So He invites us to join His side, to embrace His possibilities: "Put away the weapons of anger, bitterness, and violence— surrender the simmering undercurrents of residual resentment. Take off Your shoes."

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[i]Known as a theophany, or Christophany, this is one of several examples of Jesus identified in the Old Testament – well before His arrival on the earth centuries later.