ODB: Good News for Feet

October 22, 2019

READ: John 5:1–9 

For you, Lord, have delivered me from death . . . that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116:8–9

The ad brought a smile to my face: “The most comfortable socks in the history of feet.” Then, extending its claim of good news for feet even further, the advertiser said that because socks remain the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters, for every pair of socks purchased the company would donate a pair to someone in need.

Imagine the smile when Jesus healed the feet of a man who hadn’t been able to walk for thirty-eight years (John 5:2–8). Now imagine the opposite look on the faces of the temple officials who weren’t impressed by Jesus’s care for the feet or heart of someone who had gone without help for so long. They accused the man and Jesus of breaking a religious law that allows no work to be done on the Sabbath (vv. 9–10, 16–17). They saw rules where Jesus saw the need for mercy.

At this point the man didn’t even know who had given him new feet. Only later would he be able to say that it was Jesus who had made him well (vv. 13–15)—the same Jesus who would allow His own feet to be nailed to a tree to offer that man—and us—the best news in the history of broken bodies, minds, and hearts.

— Mart DeHaan

What needs do you see in those around you? In what ways have you seen Jesus meet your own needs?

Jesus, allow me to see and meet the needs of others. To learn more about the life of Christ, visit christianuniversity.org/NT111.

Source: Our Daily Bread