Shake the Dust

Then you shall shake the dust off your feet… What is the meaning of this?

The Jews understood very well what Jesus was referring to when He spoke about shaking the dust off their feet. When a Jew traveled through Gentile territory and then entered the Holy Land, they would shake the dust off their feet as a symbolic act of separating themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles.

You are the new Israel, and whoever listened will be part of this.

Jesus was giving a powerful message to His apostles. He was telling them, You are the new Israel, the new chosen people of God. If anyone, even someone from the people of God, does not listen to your message, they will be treated as a Gentile.

What you make clean is not the color of your skin, your race, but your heart.

From this, we learn that what makes a people unclean is not the land they walk on, but where their heart is. If you accept Jesus and His teachings, you become part of the new people of God. However, if you reject Him, you will be treated worse than Sodom and Gomorrah.

The apostles followed this command. In Acts 13:50-52, it says:

“The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

The sin of the main is worse than the flesh.

Here’s the practical message: the more we know, the more we are responsible. The inhabitants of Sodom committed a great sin—a sin that cried out to heaven. But there is an even greater sin: rejecting the preaching that calls us out of sin and into the light of truth.

The sin of the Sodomites was a sin of the flesh, which was grievous. But those who reject the Holy Spirit’s call to repentance commit a sin against the Holy Spirit, which is much worse.

The sin against the Holy Spirit occurred when the Jews attributed the works of God to evil, They accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Luke 11:15).

We cannot accept that was Evil is known a new inspiration of the Holy Spirit

This sin is still prevalent today. Many people attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to evil, claiming that what is sinful is no longer sinful, but rather a work of God. And clamming that God can bless the evil. This is one of the sins Against the Holy Spirit. For those who fall into this, judgment will be harsh.

We will be Judge according the gift that we have receive.

For us, Jesus will judge us harshly because of the knowledge He has given us. You will be judged more severely than those who have never heard the gospel because you are Christians and have received many teachings.

We must bear fruit in accordance with the blessings we have received. If we do not, one day, Jesus will shake the dust from His feet and say, “I have no part with you.”

Let us pray for God’s grace to produce the fruit He expects and remain part of His new people.