Keeping away

I'm sure you've seen several references in the New Testament to people shaking off the dust of their shoes when they left a city which would not respond to the story of Christ. Perhaps I'm dense, but I finally realized today what this was to signify:

"Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near."

Luke 10:11

It's a symbol of keeping away from the sin of the city. The city had rejected the message of Christ, so the teacher would remove every association with the city. This removal was so complete, that even the dust which happened to come from the city was to be removed from the preacher's sandals. Hence, the teacher would shake off the dust from his feet as he left a city which rejected Christ.

How many times am I so careful? Do I ever completely and carefully distance myself from sin¹? Here we have the idea that the disassociation was so complete that even the 'dirt' - such a non-visible association with the city - was removed. Unfortunately, I am not so complete in my life. Instead, I tend to keep my own private stash of sinful ideas, rather than removing them from all visible (and not so visible) presence in my life.

1: I didn't say distance myself from sinners - Christ was the friend of sinners