The standard interpretation of the apostles’ dust-shaking action proposes that Jesus turned the concept of the impurity of Gentile lands against the Jewish inhabitants of cities within the (ritually pure) land of Israel. This interpretation concludes that shaking the dust from their feet dramatically symbolized that Jesus’ apostles would henceforth regard the Jewish inhabitants of a city that had rejected their message as though they were cut off from Israel. Joshua Tilton’s JP article “‘Shake the Dust from Your Feet’: What Did the Apostles’ Action Signify?” finally puts this mistaken interpretation to rest.
Listen to “‘Shake the Dust from Your Feet’: What Did the Apostles’ Action Signify?” by clicking ▷ (“play”) on the audio player below:
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