The simple answer to this question should be because we should love Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the Torah (Matt. 5:17-18). “The law [Torah] of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;” (Psalm 19:7). Jesus, the Torah, is perfect and restores the soul, bringing us back into relationship with the Father. We should delight in the law of the LORD and set our heart on studying and meditating on it day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Ezra 7:10). That person “will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)

But, man, what a challenge it is to love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind! How I would love to study and meditate on Him day and night and to be firmly planted, in other words, be like Abraham who “did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:20-21). I want to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). It is all about His faithfulness, not mine. And that is comforting to know…

Yet at the moment I feel like an Ephesian, having left my first love, and I trying to figure out ways to remember, repent and do the first things again. It is a challenge, but I want to do it, because He is more precious than anything. So I guess I should start meditating on the Torah, get close to Jesus again in my heart so my love can grow and my soul can be restored.

I was freshly reminded today of one of my favorite worship songs by Third Day called “Love Song.” I thought it’d be nice to post the great lyrics here for you to read.

I’ve heard it said that a man would climb a mountain just to be with the one he loves.
How many times has he broken that promise? It has never been done.
I’ve never climbed the highest mountain, but I walked the hill of Calvary

Just to be with you, I will do anything
There’s no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away

I’ve heard it said that a man would swim the ocean just to be with the one he loves
All of those dreams are an empty motion; It can never be done.
I’ve never swam the deepest ocean, but I walked upon the raging sea

Just to be with you, I will do anything
There’s no price I would not pay no
Just to be with you, I would give everything
I would give my life away

I know that you don’t understand the fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know that you don’t realize how much that I give you
But I promise, I would do it all again

Just to be with you, I’ve done everything
There’s no price I did not pay no
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away
Just to be with you

The dangers of a divided heart are:

1. You can’t really love (1 Tim. 1:5)
2. You can’t really draw near to Him (Heb. 10:22)
3. You can’t really seek Him (Ps. 27:8)
4. You can’t really speak truth (Ps. 12:2)
5. You can’t really stand in His holy place (Ps. 24:3-4)
6. You can’t really sing praises (Ps. 57:7)
7. You can’t really see God (Mat. 5:8)
8. You can’t really treasure Christ (Mat. 6:21)
9. You can’t really be precious in God’s eyes (1 Pet. 3:4)

No, our prayer should be to say yes to God’s question: “Give me your heart, My son, and let your eyes delight in My ways” (Pro. 23:26) and ask Him to “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10), so that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phi. 4:7) and that the law of my God is in my heart and my steps do not slip (Ps. 37:31). Then we can say to God: “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart” (Ps. 26:2). “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.” (Ps. 17:3), and “as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” (Col. 3:12-13)

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

I would say that Jesus added two things to the Shema:

1. You shall love the Lord you God with all your mind
The Greek word for mind is ‘dianoia’ and could be translated as ‘will power.’ We receive this will power when we are born again as the Lord at that moment puts the Law into our minds (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16). This addition matches the addition of the porch to Solomon’s temple to the original tabernacle. The porch represents the entrance or doorway between our life into our hearts, and thus determines which direction we take, ours or God’s.

2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself
This is echoed in John 13:34-35 where He says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Greek word for new (kainos) here implies freshness rather than recent or different. It’s for instance also used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation“). It’s not that Jesus just invented this command, but that He presents it in a new and fresh way. So what’s so fresh about it? Whereas the Old Testament demanded that men should love their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19:18), the New Commandment is that they should love the brothers better than themselves, and die for their friends. The command to love wasn’t new, but the extent of love just displayed by Jesus was new, as would be the display of the cross. Love was newly defined from His example.

To love as Jesus loved results in to serve as Jesus served. The key verse here is Galatians 5:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” Clearly, we can choose to use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. That option (or danger) is open to us. We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us, spin it, and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others. This is the antidote for using freedom as an occasion for the flesh. The flesh expects others to conform to us, and doesn’t care much about others. But when we through love serve one another, we conquer the flesh. This is exactly the pattern set by Jesus. He had more freedom than anyone who ever walked this earth did. Yet He used His liberty to through love serve one another. The idea is that as we naturally take care of ourselves, we should also take care of others.

The key text about the Restrainer is 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, which says, “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.“

Paul is apparently surprised that his own teaching on the end times had not stopped the Thessalonians from believing the false claim, so he rehearses that teaching. The man of lawlessness cannot be unveiled while what is restraining (Greek ‘to katechon’, neuter participle of ‘katechō’, ‘to prevent, hinder, restrain’) him now is at work. In verse 7 Paul refers to he who now restrains (Greek. ‘ho katechōn’, masculine participle of the same word). This implies that the restrainer is neuter, yet the personality is masculine, in other words the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and He prevents the premature manifestation of the man of sin as the very embodiment of iniquity. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit assumed a special relationship to the Church as its indweller, who would be there forever (John 14:16-17). And as Jesus said in John 16:7 that if Jesus doesn’t go away the Holy Spirit doesn’t come, likewise, at the end, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t go away the man of sin doesn’t come. In other words, as the Holy Spirit and the Church are forever bound to each other (the Church is sealed in Him – Ephesians 1:13-14), the restraint can only be lifted when the restrainer removes Himself, and thus the Church removes herself, which happens at the rapture. This would imply that the people who are saved between the rapture and the final hour will experience the Holy Spirit in a similar matter as the saints before Pentecost, i.e. on a personal basis and not as a collective unified body.

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-19)

This is an amazing piece of text by the apostle Peter. Can you imagine being Peter, witnessing all the miracles Jesus performed, seeing the Holy Spirit ascending on Jesus like a dove, literally hearing the voice of God come out of heaven twice (both at the baptism and at the transfiguration), seeing Jesus in all His glory at the transfiguration, seeing the empty tomb, sticking His fingers in the nail prints, seeing Jesus go back up to heaven? And what does Peter say here?! Oh well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I tell you that the prophetic word is even a better testimony than me being an eyewitness! Crazy!! The prophetic word, which prophesied all the things which Peter witnessed up close, has come true indeed, which means that all the other prophecies are thereby also validated to be sure to be fulfilled as written. And this is amazing news! And what is Peter’s instruction? To pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. In other words, we are commanded to invest time in figuring out all the prophetic words because they will bring light in a dark place, comfort and joy where there is not, and it confirms and builds our hope until our hope is fulfilled at the end.

Amazing!

Why did the disciples have a problem recognizing the resurrected Jesus? I have been reading all the different verses which tell the story after the resurrection, trying to reconstruct what happens. And I am confused by the first appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden. According to Matthew (Mat. 28:1-10), she met Jesus outside of the tomb when she was already on her way back to the disciples, and it seems like she recognized Him immediately for she worshiped at His feet. Mark (16:1-10) doesn’t really say much about it for the reference is outside of the story at the garden. Luke doesn’t recount the meeting with Jesus, but John 20:11-18 tells that she met Jesus while still at the tomb (so before she was on her way back to the disciples as Matthew tells) and she doesn’t recognize Him immediately. My guess is that John’s account is most accurate and that Matthew’s account could actually match within this.

Some other interesting observations:

1. In Matthew 28:10, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” You can interpret this verse in different ways. It definitely meant seeing Jesus physically, as His physical appearance to the disciples is recorded many times. But, if it also meant seeing Jesus spiritually, then this is a prophecy and a promise!
2. In Mark 16:10-11, Mary Magdalene “went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.” It seems that just hearing about His resurrection (although Mary had seen Him) did not avail to much for the other disciples who had not seen Him yet (also many did not even believe when they also say Him).
3. In Mark 16:12-13, Jesus “appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.” I wonder what this means (Jesus appearing in another form), but this is the story of the Emmaus road where in Luke 24:16 it is said that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” It is clear from this verse that Jesus is sovereign over who really sees Him and not, yet Jesus also said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). Something similar is written in Mark 16:14, where Jesus “rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.” Believe is always a heart issue! Then later “when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30-31), “and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:35). Again a beautiful verse displaying the sovereignty of the LORD!
4. In John 20:20, Jesus “showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Thomas likewise needed to see the marks in His hands and side. Although it seems that “seeing is believing” applies here, I do believe that Jesus opened their heart first, because there are many occasions where “seeing is believing” does not apply.
5. In John 21, “Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” (v.4), and “that disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!‘” (v.7) only recognizes Jesus after He repeats the miracle of the great catch (see Luke 5:1-11). Was this a not knowing as in that they weren’t aware someone was watching them in the first place? Or that they saw someone standing there, but did not physically recognize him (not so much because of scars etc, but because He was standing too far off or it was early in the morning so maybe foggy or still not fully day? Or that hey did not recognize Him spiritually? In any case, later on in the story we read in John 21:12 that, “none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.“
6. In Luke 24:12, after being told by Mary Magdalene that Jesus has risen, Peter “rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” Although Peter had to see with his own eyes that the tomb was empty, it seems that seeing the empty tomb himself did do the trick for him.

What to say from all of this? It seems to me that it is primarily a matter of the heart that the disciples did not recognize Jesus:

• Mary Magdalene mistook Jesus for gardener not so much because of His mutilated physical appearance (although a plucked beard indeed could make someone unrecognizable – by the way, do you think this was on purpose, to enhance the spiritual aspect of seeing Him?), but because she believed that His physical body was stolen (i.e. she did not believe He would resurrect);
• Peter accepted Jesus’ resurrection just seeing the empty tomb (i.e. he did believe without seeing Jesus);
• The two disciples on the Emmaus road were spiritually blinded by Jesus (by the way, do you think this was in order to give Jesus the opportunity to tell the whole history in a nutshell?) before their eyes were opened by seeing the nail prints when Jesus broke the bread;
• Jesus on several occasions rebuked the disciples for their hard hearts;
• Although John recognizes Jesus, it did take a realization that He repeated an earlier miracle;

There is definitely a component of His physical mutilation which hindered them from recognizing Jesus, but to me this only emphasizes even more their hardheartedness. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

The first time we read about Barnabas is in Acts 4:36-37, where we read that “Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” From the start, Barnabas is displayed as an example of his giving spirit (in comparison to Ananias and Sapphira talked about next), and is thereby encouraging the other believers.

The next time we read of Barnabas is in Acts 9:27 when Barnabas “took [Saul] and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” Again, Barnabas is encouraging the other believers by being an example of his loving spirit (in comparison to the other disciples who were afraid of Saul). Barnabas exemplifies 1 Corinthians 13:7 (“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.“)

Then we read about Barnabas in Acts 11:22-24 when the church in Jerusalem hears about the great things happening in Antioch, and they send Barnabas to check it out. “When [Barnabas] came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.“

After that, in Acts 11:25-30, Barnabas, seeing the advancement of the gospel, goes to Tarsus to get Saul and go back to Antioch to further instruct many people. And when prophets came to Antioch with news that a great famine would come, Barnabas (with Saul) is sent to the brothers in Judea to sent relief.

Then, Barnabas accompanies Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) to Cyprus (Barnabas’ home), Perga, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, and Derbe.

It is Barnabas (with Paul) who is appointed to go to the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:2), and brought great joy to the brothers in Phoenicia and Samaria on his way (Acts 15:3). During the council, Barnabas (again with Paul) encourages the council by telling about all the great “signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” (Acts 15:22). Barnabas gets to take the letter back to Antioch to encourage the believers there about the great news of the outcome, and “teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also” (Acts 15:35)

The last we hear from Barnabas is when he stood up for the young John Mark when Paul did not want to take him with him on the second missionary journey.

In summary, Barnabas is a great example of how, filled with the Holy Spirit, one can be a great example in giving, loving, teaching and preaching, exhorting, and defending other believers and the faith. He is truly a son of encouragement, and I feel greatly convicted (yet encouraged) by his example. But praise the LORD for Barnabas and the opportunity to always grow in walking in the Spirit. And what Paul said of himself, Barnabas can surely say about himself too, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Felt an urge to post a little video where someone’s singing the Shma (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Something to be reminded of daily!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

I believe the value of Leviticus is huge and highly overlooked by most Christians because on the surface it seems like a boring list of laws and regulations which do not apply to us. But I think that with that attitude you bypass a beautiful book.

Two words come to mind when I think about Leviticus: holiness and worship. In those days the holy LORD was present in the midst of the people (Ex. 40:34, Lev. 1:1). The people of Israel must therefore properly address their sin and impurity and must strive for personal holiness. In order to approach God, worshipers must be wholehearted in their devotion (1:1–6:7; 22:17–30). The same applies to us today. We are called and commanded to worship the LORD. In order to do this we need to present ourselves appropriately. By the grace of God, through Jesus, are able to come before the LORD with confidence (Heb. 4:16, 10:19-22, 10:35). Yet, this does not mean that we don’t have to worry about our holiness! We, like in the old days, are still called to strive for personal holiness, to sanctify ourselves completely (1 Thess. 5:23), and in the truth (John 17:17), through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2), and have Jesus reign in our hearts as LORD (1 Peter 3:15).

The book of Leviticus gives us a picture of the seriousness of sanctification, the utter holiness of the LORD, the utter separation we have through sin, and the foreshadowing of Jesus in the midst of it all, as it is impossible from the human side to present ourselves clean before the LORD.

The book of Leviticus gives us these pictures as it discusses the need for offerings (ch. 1-7), the need for a priesthood (ch. 8-10), the need for explaining cleanness and uncleanness (ch. 11-15), the need for atonement (ch. 16), the need for blood to atone (ch. 17), and the need for holiness (ch. 18-22). This all builds up to Jesus in chapter 23 where the holy feasts are explained prophetically for the appointed times and the ultimate redemption (jubilee and the law of redemption). The book closes then off with a series of blessings and curses (ch. 26) and vows and dedications (ch. 27).

In other words, the whole book is a picture the need for holiness as the LORD is holy, with the purpose of worshiping the LORD in all we do and are.