As a fugitive from the Egyptian Pharaoh who had raised him, Moses’ life slowed to a crawl.
Once he had been an adopted member of the Egyptian royal family. Now, on the back side of the desert, at the foot of Mount Sinai, he was watching over his father-in-law’s sheep. His life as a shepherd seemed to be going in slow motion– until he saw what looked like a bush on fire.
As he drew closer to take a look, he saw that it was a bush, and it was burning. But it wasn’t being consumed (Exodus 3:1-6).
As Moses tried to make sense of what he was seeing, he heard a voice come out of the bush. The voice called out Moses’ name and told him to take off his sandals… because he was on holy ground.
Fast forward 1500 years.
A voice crying in the wilderness announces that one is coming whose sandals he is not worthy to stoop and unloose (Luke 3:16).
The God who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush appears in the common flesh of a man.
This time, however, no one takes off their sandals in the awareness that they are standing on holy ground. This time the God of the burning bush gets down on his knees, and washes the feet of his disciples, including one who is about to betray him (John 13:1-16).
Two distant stories of shepherds, sandals, and so much more that we can barely begin to understand… Are they meant to come together, on the threshold of the most momentous expression of judgment that the world will ever see (Matt 27:46)? If so, what do they tell us about the grace and truth of our God (John 1:14-18)?