There was a Pharisee named Simon during the time of Jesus. This Simon was different from the disciple Simon Peter. This pharisee invited Jesus into his home for a meal. First-century Middle East etiquette involved washing of the guest's feet. The washing of the feet was mandatory before eating a meal. If you wanted to honor your guest then you would do it yourself. But if not, then you would ask your servant to wash the feet. But at the very least, you would get a bucket of water and ask the guest to do it themselves. There were a couple other hospitable gestures when having a guest in your house. However, when Jesus went to Simon's house, there was no washing of feet or any other gesture. This is the equivalent to openly ignoring your guest. Jesus was ignored and insulted.
In the book I'm reading, called Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman says, "Don't miss the irony of this moment. Simon has spent his life studying the Scriptures. By the time he was 12 he had the first 12 books of the Bible memorized. By the time he was 15 he had memorized the entire Old Testament. He had committed to memory the more than 300 prophecies about the coming Messiah. Yet he doesn't realize it is the Messiah who now sits at his table with a hand that hasn't been kissed, feet that haven't been washed, and a head that hasn't been anointed. He knew all about Jesus, but he didn't know Jesus."
We get so obsessed with memorizing Scripture that we totally miss why we're doing it in the first place. How can you get to know someone if you never communicate with them? Don't read to become knowledgable for your own good. Read so you can be ready to wash Jesus' feet.
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