I spent some time meditating on the cross of Christ and I discovered a lot about me and even more about how much He loves me.

The first thing I noticed as I meditated was how dirty Jesus’ feet musthave been as they writhed, crippled with pain in their distorted position nailedto the cross. His already dirty feet were further desecrated by the blood thatfirst trickled, then oozed, and eventually dried and crusted over after the dirtynail had penetrated both of them. I imagine His toenails and the crevices ofHis feet lined with streams of dirt and blood.

I remembered the two Marys in the movie The Passion of Christ. I rememberdistinctly that they bowed before Him as he hung on the cross, partly in respectbut mostly in overwhelmed heartbreak. Their grief was so crushing they couldhardly stand. There was scene where His mother Mary reached forward and kissedthe only part of His body she could reach—His bloodied feet. When she drewback, her mouth was smeared with His blood. I remember thinking at that pointin the movie that her action and blood smeared mouth should be a hideous sight,but it wasn’t. I thought to myself, I would like to kiss His bloodied feettoo.

I could not take in the whole cross, only His feet. At first I saw only how blood-stained, dirty, and distorted they appeared. Then I noticed something that startledme. More revealing than the blood was the dirt on His feet, collected from theroads of earth Jesus had walked in order to show His love for me. The dirt wasbuilt up by days of not being washed, from His journey from garden to court,to court to the cross. Then it hit me. Jesus’ feet were in such a state,yet all the while the disciples’ were sparkling clean. How do I know thatthe disciple’s feet were clean? Because Jesus had just washed them theprevious night.

No one washed Jesus’ feet, and so they hung seeming inhuman the way theywere placed together one on top of the other with a nail forcing them together,a sight made more hideous by the blood and the dirt. Jesus dirtied His feet soours could be made clean.

Jesus’ feet themselves almost take on the shape of a cross—the waythey had to be laid one on top of the other so the pain would be searing as Hepressed down on them to fill His lungs with air.

What does all this mean? First of all, I only have begun to meditate on the cross.His feet themselves display the enormity of His love. When will I be ready totake in the entire sight? It was important that the disciples had their feetcleaned by Jesus that night. Jesus is the only one who can clean our feet. Hetakes on the dirt that should be ours. Jesus is willing to dirty Himself forlove. Now I grasp the beauty of Romans 10:15 better, And how can they preachunless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet ofthose who bring good news!