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Repent by Removing Sandals?
“Remove your sandals because you are standing on holy ground”, said Yahweh to Moses and Joshua.
“Repent, because the kingdom of God is near”, said John and Jesus to the crowds.
Are both statements saying the same thing?
One thing they have in common is both are said the beginning of something new and significant.
Another connection is both are about God’s presence. Ground becomes holy because of God’s presence. The kingdom of God being near, at hand, is about God’s presence in ruling as king.
A third similarity is both are about God coming to redeem and free His people from the enslavements of this world.
But why take off the sandals? Eastern cultures still do this today as a sign respect and submission. I could provide a long quote backing that up. Our western culture does it too, but that’s just to keep the floor clean! Maybe that’s not as disconnected as it appears.
Removing sandals. Let’s talk about the possibilities.
1. Removing them yourself places you in the position of the lowest servant whose job that was. Becoming the lowest of low is how we come before God.
2. Removing them is taking off the world’s filth, symbolically. Only then could one enter God’s presence.
These two reasons represent humility and purity. That’s how we should look at repentance. This “changing the mind” (definition of repent) comes with these realizations and requirements to be before God. Repenting is the opposite of pride in self, position, and lifestyle.
Put together, repent by spiritually removing our world’s filth and glory, because the kingdom of holiness is presently here through God’s presence.
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