Knees

Today’s topic is the knees. Investigating “knees” in the New Testament of the Bible, I was impressed by the number of people who bowed down on their knees before Jesus. First we have the Wise Men who came to worship Jesus as the new king. (Matthew 2:11) Early in Jesus’ ministry we see Simon Peter falling on his knees after seeing how Jesus brought an astounding catch of fish to his net. Peter felt unworthy to even be in the Lord’s presence, declaring “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8)

People from every walk of life came to Jesus and bowed down to ask for help: a leper said “if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Mark 1:40); a Gerasene man possessed by demons bowed before Jesus and begged Him not to torment them (Mark 5:6); a father whose son was possessed by a demon fell at Jesus’ feet, asking for mercy and a cure (Matthew 17:14-18); and another parent, a Syrophoenician mother, knelt at Jesus’ feet and repeatedly asked Him to cast a demon out of her daughter (Mark 7:25-30). Jesus was merciful and used his power to respond to these requests. (However, in the case of the Gerasene man the demons ended up in pigs who ran into the lake and drowned. Mark 5:13)

Others, recognizing His authority, bowed before Jesus desiring to learn from Him. The rich young ruler wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. (Mark 10:17) Mary sat at Jesus’ feet (bending her knees to do so) taking in the “one thing that is needful” while her sister, Martha, busied herself in the kitchen. (Luke 10:39-42) Mary certainly did a lot of bending her knees before Jesus. She anointed His feet with expensive perfume and dried them with her hair (John 12:3), and again was on the ground before Jesus when He arrived after Lazarus died. (John 11:32) The latter two incidents were a form of worship, as it was for the women outside the tomb who knelt down and grabbed the feet of the resurrected Jesus on Easter morning. (Matthew 28:9)

Some people knelt before Jesus for less-than-noble reasons, as in the case of the mother of the sons of Zebedee. She wanted James and John to sit on either side of Jesus in his kingdom. (Matthew 20:20-21). (Perhaps she was miffed that her sons abruptly left their fishing trade to follow this crazy Jesus, and she felt they and she deserved something in return?) The Roman soldiers knelt before Jesus in mockery before His crucifixion. (Mark 15:19)

Lastly, we have Saul, who fell to his knees on the road to Damascus. A blinding flash of light and Jesus’ voice convicted Saul (later called Paul) of his wrongdoing in persecuting Christians (He was actually persecuting Jesus.) and gave him a new start in life and a new purpose. (Acts 26:14-16)

Yes, seeing all these different people falling on their knees before Jesus is interesting. But what is absolutely awesome to me is that some day, every knee will bow at the name of Jesus. (Philippians 2:10) This includes those “in heaven, on earth and under the earth.” Jesus’ humility in leaving heaven to become a man on earth and His obedience to the point of death on a cross (to pay for our sins) caused God to exalt Him and give Him the name which is above every name. Every knee shall bow and “every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Are your knees ready? Let’s strengthen them.

So that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Philippians 2:10

The way to get your knees in better condition is to strengthen the muscles that cross over the knee. Today we’re going to do the Knee Extension, which focuses on the quadriceps (or “quads” because there are four muscles), located on the front of your thigh. This exercise can be done sitting down. Before we get started, I want to point out that balance between pairs of muscles (i.e., those in the front and in the back) is very important for healthy joints. If one muscle is stronger than the other, this can lead to joint pain, and this is particularly true for the knees. So while this week we are training the muscles on the front of the thigh, stay tuned to future posts when we will work on the back of the thigh!

Now for the exercise. Find a sturdy chair with a back and sit with your feet on the floor and your knees bent to form a 90 degree angle. (Your thighs are parallel to the floor.) First, let’s take a couple precautions to help support your back: Press your back against the back of the chair. (Remember the Back Extension Exercise from August 1st?) Also, pull your navel inwards toward the chair back and keep it pulled in this way during the entire exercise. (You can do this and still breathe!)

Now, starting with both feet on the floor, slowly straighten one leg out in front of you, taking three counts to straighten. Hold for three counts and then take three counts to bend your knee to the starting position. If you place your hand on top of you thigh you will feel the muscle contract as you straighten your leg. Repeat with the other leg. If you have any pain, stop the exercise. Be sure to consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Here is an option you may try if you have concerns about bending your knees: Sit, with shoes on, in the sturdy chair facing a wall so your toes are touching the wall. Now pretend you are going to straighten one leg. You are pushing your foot against the wall but of course the wall is preventing it from moving. Count to five as you continue to push and then release. Put your hand on your thigh and you will feel that you are still working the muscle. So your quads will grow stronger without moving your knee joint.

Repeat this exercise five times for each leg (doing five in a row with the right, five with the left, or alternate legs) when you are starting and build up to 10 times for each. If you like, do it a couple of times per day, but at least three times per week. This is one that is easy to fit into your schedule - as a break from working at a desk, while watching tv (in a sturdy chair, remember!) or even while travelling as a passenger in a car. Before long you should notice that your legs and knees are stronger!