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In Jesus' ShoesIn Jesus' Shoes
by Dr. Jeff Lee
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  "No, no! I don't want your shoes," I said as my host turned puzzled. "To be in your shoes, means to put myself in your place. To think and feel like you," I explained as his anxiety lifted and smile returned. "It's only an expression!"

Such is the danger of using idioms, especially when we communicate cross-culturally. However, the ability to be in someone else's shoes is truly a unique gift from God to us.

Jesus had another plan.
Time and time again, Christ taught the disciples the important lesson of wearing His shoes:

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" (Matthew 15:32-33 NIV)

After days of teaching, the disciples could have felt justified to send everyone home. The ministry of Jesus was spiritual. It could be easy for them to divorce physical problems from their responsibilities and to feel that they had no obligation to provide for the physical needs of those Jesus taught. Moreover, the people did not pay for a meal. "Send them away to get some food in the towns," was their solution. Jesus had another plan. "You give them something to eat!"

It is always easier to look away and even become selectively blind to the needs of those around us. Wearing Jesus' sandals will help me know and anticipate the needs of others who were previously invisible to me. Having the compassion of Christ should not be only a Christian idiom, it also must be our way of life.

 
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      © 2004 Dr. Jeff Lee.

      Title: "In Jesus' Shoes"
      Author: Dr. Jeff Lee
      Publication Date: June 17, 2004

 
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