One way of looking at shaking the dust off our feet is to think of it as removing the sting of offense from one’s system. That removes the desire for revenge and bitterness. It is also a warning to and dissociation from those who do not wish to be affiliated with us. In either case, it is important that we realize that staying with those who reject us as guests isn’t an option. Y’shua encourages us to separate ourselves from such contexts. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Luke 10:10-12 CEVDCI
[10] But if the people of a town refuse to welcome you, go out into the street and say,
[11] “We are shaking the dust from our feet as a warning to you. And you can be sure that God’s kingdom will soon be here!”
[12] I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than the people of that town!
The Wrong, the Wrongdoer, and the Wronged
It is interesting to note that the shaking off of dust isn’t only an act of physical distancing (or disgust), it’s to be accompanied by a warning. Some may see the warning as a curse, since God’s judgement against those people will be worse than that of Sodom. Oy! That’s some serious judgement right there.
Self-Check
Do we readily shake the dust off unhealthy, untenable relationships? What triggers such action?
Deeper Dive
A few things struck me about this Nougat. They relate to the wrong, the wronged, and the wrongdoer. Let’s look at that in more detail.
The Wrong
Hospitality was an important aspect of the culture in those times. Hebrew spiritual texts reflect it at least twice in the Torah, as law. We also recall Abraham’s action toward his angelic guests in Genesis 18. That’s not only Abraham’s action. Judges 13 revisits this action in describing what ensued at Samson’s birth announcement; and the Benjaminite in Judges 19 took the Levite in.
Therefore, the Wrong of refusing to welcome the stranger was seen as the ultimate insult (read Matthew 25, where Y’shua likens hospitality to behaviour of sheep and goats). It was totally unacceptable. That gives me pause as I think of no room for Y’shua to be born (see Luke 2). Are we ready to make room for the stranger in our midst?
The Wrongdoer
Subsequently, the responsibility for the wrong is placed firmly on the one who failed to be hospitable. An individual’s sin is his/hers (though Joshua 6 suggests it can impact a family); but a city’s sin faces severe communal consequences. It suggests a unity of mission despite the requirements of the Law. In those days, the fate of Sodom served as a strong warning against inhospitable action. Failing to receive the stranger compounded the matter.
Y’shua’s ministered in predominantly Jewish territory. So, the cities visited by the 72 would have been Jewish. They knew what YHWH expected. They had the benefit of the Torah, yet would have opted to act like persons who didn’t know God. Separation from another culture did not justify lack of hospitality. And these were their own! There was no excuse.
The Wronged
Matthew 25 again provides a clue about why lack of hospitality faced God’s wrath. God regards vulnerable and marginalised purple as equally valuable to those who go out in God’s name. Y’shua’s mission statement in Luke 4 is one of service. Inhospitable behaviour towards the marginalised was equivalent to maltreating God. Can you then imagine how God viewed such attitudes toward God’s chosen emissary?
Oh la la! That’s cause for judgement and fire, because sin gets consumed in God’s wholly holy presence.
What we see therefore, is a call to relationship that goes beyond the superficial to empathy, compassion and hospitality. Not only should we expect such from others; but we also have an obligation to YHWH, and Y’shua by virtue of our Nougat, to do likewise. We don’t get to dole out lack of compassion while expecting it from others. We know Christ’s truth and that knowledge compelled us to offer gracious hospitality to the ‘stranger’ in our midst.
How then do we respond?
Point to Ponder
In cases such as these, where we know our city’s attitude toward the outcast and foreigner, what is our faith-full response? How would we feel if we were treated like an outsider in a foreign country? Selah
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May all we seek be found in Christ
