At Jesus’ Feet.

Matthew 15:20-31

“Jesus departed from there (Tyre and Sidon), skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.”

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Wonderful things happen for those who fall at Jesus’ feet. You are about to read below the accounts of people who did just that:  They fell at His feet and they got what they came for…..And look at the result:  They Glorified the God of Israel!

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The Roman Centurion.
Our first story is of the Roman Centurion whose servant was paralyzed.  Remember him? Here was a man, a Gentile no less, who saw behind the Veil of His flesh and saw Jesus for Who really is. He came to Jesus and begged for his servant to be healed. Let’s follow the story.

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Matthew 8:5-7
“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
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Jesus offered to come and heal him. But the Centurion refused and said this in verses 8-11:
“The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

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The Law Of First Mention.

There is a principle, or law if you will, in the interpretation of scripture which states this: “The first mention or occurrence of a subject in Scripture establishes an unchangeable pattern with that subject.  It remains unchanged in the mind of God throughout Scripture.”

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The story of the centurion is the first mention of the phrase, “At Jesus’ feet,” or words to that effect.  There are several accounts in which this phrase is mentioned.  Each one demonstrates what happens when we fall at His feet.

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The Gadarene Demoniac.

The story of the Gadarene demoniac is the second mention of this phrase. Whereas the first spoke of countless multitudes of people who came TO JESUS, fell at His feet, and were healed, this occurrence shows one man possessed of a multitude of demons who could not save himself. JESUS CAME TO HIM. In verses 28-30 of Luke chapter 6, look what happened when He showed up on the scene.

Let’s follow the story:

” 28 When he (the demoniac) saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He (Jesus) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.”

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Notice the use of singular pronouns UNTIL Jesus asked the demon his name, which he said was “Legion.”  It wasn’t until after it spoke its name that the plural pronouns, “They” and “Them” are used.

A legion of demons would be somewhere between 6,000 and 9,000 unclean spirits!   That’s a whole lot of demons!  No wonder no one could bind the man!  But that is no obstacle for Jesus.  Ever since He had arrived on shore, He had been silently commanding the demons to come out of the man before he ever spoke a word.  Notice the demoniac’s first act was to “Fall at Jesus’ feet.”  Even demons must obey Him!

Ultimately, He allowed them to possess a nearby herd of pigs who, driven mad, ran off the edge of a cliff into the sea to their deaths.

Demons, like their master, the devil, generally prefer dry, dusty places.  In other words, places devoid of the water of the word of God.  Notice, the pigs’ first instinct was to run headlong off a cliff into water.  Interesting word picture of ridding oneself from demons:  Drown yourself in the word of God!

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Look at the man’s demeanor and condition after the demons left:  Luke 8:35 “… they (people of Gad) went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” 

Jesus completely restored the man, he sat at rest at His feet, fully clothed (as opposed to naked) and in his right mind.

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The Syro-Phoenician Woman

The third mention of the phrase is in the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman, another story of demonic possession.  Her daughter was severely demon-possessed.  She had a big problem, though: She wasn’t a Jew.  She was Greek, a Gentile from Syro-Phonecia.

In the opening scripture, where it says that Jesus had just returned from “There,” it was referring to Tyre and Sidon.  That is where He was approached by the Syro-Phoenician woman.  Desperate to help her daughter, she came to Jesus, fell at His feet, and humbled herself.

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Luke 7:25-30

“…..a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs (puppies) under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.”

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Now, at first, she pretended to be a Jew.  But Jesus wasn’t fooled by her ruse.  He didn’t want her to be granted her request through deceit. So He tested her resolve, thereby showcasing her faith.  At first, He rebuffed her.  After all, it was not yet time to deal with the Gentiles.  Jesus had come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel first, not the Gentiles.  Their time would come later.

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But at last, her faith and humility broke his heart, as she knew it would.  She saw through the Veil of His flesh.  She saw Who He really was and knew there was NO ONE ELSE who could help her and her child.  So, even though she was a Gentile and it was not yet time for Jesus to deal with them, He healed her daughter, because a woman of faith had spoken and fallen at His feet.

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I can just see Him smiling at this mother who so loved her daughter she had come to Jesus for help. With love and affection in His eyes, He helped her come clean, put away all pretense, and get her daughter’s healing. 💖💖💖 That’s our dear Jesus!!!

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Jairus.

In Luke 8:40-42 we find the fourth mention of this phrase:

“So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.”

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The fourth mention of the phrase we are studying is found here, in the story of the little girl Jesus raised from the dead.

Jairus’ daughter was deathly ill.  This man was another who fell at Jesus’ feet.  He was a very important member of the community, having a prominent position as a leader of the synagogue.  Unlike most Jewish leaders, he recognized Who Jesus was.  When his daughter fell seriously ill, he didn’t hesitate to seek out the Master, fall at His feet, and beg for his daughter’s life.  He got what he came for!

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In this story we actually see two healings for the price of one, so to speak. On the way to Jairus’ house, the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years came up from behind and touched the hem of His garment. She was instantly healed!  Though the phrase “At Jesus’ feet” doesn’t appear, she most definitely did and was completely healed.

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If you’d like to read all about her story, you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2016/07/28/talitha-cumi/

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Mary And Martha.

In the Gospel of John, there are two occurrences of this phrase, both in connection with the story of Mary and Martha.  Both have amazing things to teach us!

These two women, along with their brother Lazarus were more like family to Him than anyone outside of his mother and brothers.  Jesus spent more time with them than perhaps any other people in His three years on earth. It was where He felt most at home.

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The fifth mention is in regard to when Jesus came to their house and was waited on by both women.  Mary, as you know, chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him. Martha, however, was more concerned with the business of preparing food. Kinda strange when you think about it. I mean, Jesus was the One Who took five loaves and two fish and fed five thousand at one time!

As you know, Jesus gently rebuked Martha but praised Mary for choosing the better part, which was sitting at His feet and taking from Him made Him feel like God which, of course, He is.  Unlike us, God is strengthened by our taking from Him.

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The Sisters Come To Jesus About Lazarus.

In Chapter 11 is the sixth mention of the phrase.  This chapter records the account of Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, who was sick and later died.  Jesus raised him back to life, even though he had been dead for four days.

It’s important to note that Jesus loved both these women and Lazarus very much, so any difference in His response had nothing to do with His love for them.

At different times, both sisters came to Jesus, but there are distinct differences. Let’s follow Martha’s side of the story first.

11:20-26  “Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?

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The Holy Spirit does not record that Martha fell at Jesus’ feet. She simply came to him and spoke her peace. Jesus’ response to her was almost like a gentle rebuke: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

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Mary’s approach, however, was quite different.  Let’s follow her story:

John 11:32-25

“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
Jesus wept.

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Look at that!  Both women said the EXACT SAME THING to Jesus: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Same words…..DIFFERENT RESPONSE!

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Mary came and fell at Jesus’ feet.  Though she said the same thing Martha did, word for word, look at Jesus’ response:

He (Jesus) groaned in the spirit and was troubled……AND…..JESUS WEPT.

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Mary touched His heart in a way that Martha did not. Though He loved them both equally, Mary elicited an emotional response.  Whereupon, immediately afterward, Jesus came to the tomb where Lazarus was buried and raised him from the dead!

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Worship Jesus Only.

The last mention of the phrase is in Revelation 19:11.

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And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

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While this does not speak of falling at Jesus feet, it does point out that falling at the feet of anyone BUT Jesus is not to be done.  Jesus is the ONLY ONE WORTHY OF WORSHIP.

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So, whether physically or in your attitude, spiritually speaking, humble yourself because grace, like water, always flows to the lowest place.  The point is, wonderful things happen when you fall at Jesus’ feet,