We Are Unworthy (At The Feet Of Jesus)

We Are Unworthy

Luke 8:26–35

[26] Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. [27] When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. [28] When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” [29] For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) [30] Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. [31] And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. [32] Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. [33] Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

[34] When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. [35] Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

Mark 5:25–34

[25] And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, [26] and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. [27] She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. [28] For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” [29] And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. [30] And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” [31] And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” [32] And he looked around to see who had done it. [33] But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. [34] And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Luke 5:1–8

[1] On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, [2] and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. [3] Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. [4] And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” [5] And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” [6] And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. [7] They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. [8] But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

What’s The Point?

In the previous study we talked about bowing at the feet of Jesus because he is worthy of our submission and worship. In today’s study we will talk about bowing at the feet of Jesus because we are needy and unworthy. Bowing at Jesus’ feet confesses something about him, his worthiness, but it also confesses something about us, our unworthiness. This is the second of three studies in At The Feet Of Jesus, the 2026 Fall Retreats Bible study.

Really, all the people who we read about in the Gospels who bowed at Jesus’ feet serve to show us the great contrast between ourselves and Jesus. Think about the three people Jesus interacted with in the Scriptures above: a man plagued by demons, a woman who has been bleeding for years, and a fisherman who can’t even catch fish. This may sound mean, but these people weren’t exactly the cream of the crop. Jesus came to broken, sick, needy people; he came to the downcast and the downtrodden.

When these people saw the great contrast between their neediness and Jesus’ sufficiency they bowed at his feet. In the same way, through this study, we will see the great gap that exists between who we are and what we deserve compared to who Jesus is and what he deserves. That is what we want to highlight today because that is what will drive us to humble submission to Jesus. We have to see him for who he truly is and see ourselves for who we truly are.

The demon-possessed man in Luke 8 is in a desperate state. No one could help him, and he definitely couldn’t help himself. Therefore, it is no surprise that after the demons are cast out of him he is found sitting at Jesus feet. He is ready to submit and receive anything Jesus has for him because Jesus had the power and authority to remove the evil that was taking over his life. Him sitting at Jesus feet “clothed and in his right mind,” is a beautiful picture of the peace Jesus provides amidst the chaos and evil of the world.

The account of the woman with a bleeding disorder is one of my favorite stories in the Gospels because this woman is the picture of desperation. She has been sick for twelve years, she has sought help over and over, but her condition has only gotten worse. Also, according to Jewish culture, a bleeding disorder like this would make her unclean. She couldn’t attend any religious event, and anyone who came into contact with her would be made unclean as well. So, she has been a societal outcast for over twelve years! She falls at Jesus’ feet because this desperate act has made her well. Technically, according to Jewish law, Jesus would have been made unclean, but (spoiler alert) Jesus has more authority than their laws. Not only is he not made unclean, but he completely overwhelms everything unclean and makes it clean!

Now we come to Peter; he has been fishing all night and caught nothing. Catching no fish means he has made no money, and he has labored all night long, so he is likely frustrated. You can almost sense this in his response to Jesus, “We worked all night, but if you say so…” The result of Peter doing what Jesus requested is the greatest catch of his life, but how does he respond? He does not say, “We’re rich!” or “Thanks for all the fish, Jesus.” He falls at Jesus’ feet, confesses his sinfulness, and proclaims Jesus is Lord.

As we read these passages from the Gospel we should think about our response. The man with the demons realized Jesus had saved him from evil. Do we realize he has rescued us as well? The woman with the bleeding disorder was desperate for healing. Are we desperate to spend time with our Lord. Peter fell down and confessed his sinfulness; do we realize Jesus is holy and it is only by grace that we are saved?

Scripture Memorization

Romans 3:10–12

[10] as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
[11] no one understands; no one seeks for God.
[12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good, not even one.”

Prayer

Lord, I am unworthy. I am unworthy of your grace, unworthy of your love, unworthy of your sacrifice. It is only by your kindness and mercy that I can even pray this prayer to you. I confess with Peter that I am sinful. Like the people I just learned about, I bow down to your feet in worship. Help me to live my life in this attitude of humility and reverence. Remind me that I am not good enough to deserve you, but you have loved me anyways. Thank you, Lord. You are so good.

Reflection

• These stories highlight the great contrast between us and Jesus—his ability vs. our inability, his richness vs. our bankruptcy. What are some other obvious contrasts between us and Jesus on display in these stories.
• Which of these three people do you most relate with and why?
• The man in the tomb is sitting at Jesus feet ready to listen to anything and everything he said. What should that posture look like in our lives?

Discussion

• Take turns sharing something you learned from each of these Gospel accounts.
• When the woman with the bleeding disorder touched Jesus it should have spread her uncleanness to him, but instead, it spread his purity to her. Why is this so important?
• All of these people came to or realized their desperate need for Jesus. How do we stay desperate during our normal, everyday lives?