I do not have a tattoo, and I am not planning to get a tattoo in the future. In many situations that I find myself in these days, I feel out of place because I do not have a tattoo. Maybe it is a generational thing, since I am about to turn 60 in a few months. But some people my age are getting tattoos, so I cannot say that I am too old.
Bruxy Cavey, the teaching pastor at the MeetingHouse, has an interesting take on tattoos. In Leviticus 19:28 it states that we should not get a tattoo onto our bodies. There it is; it is the law ; and I should not get a tattoo. But Leviticus says a lot of others things that I do not follow. I admit I do not read Leviticus very often. Cavey says that the Law also says that we should not wear clothing that is made of two kinds of woven material. So, if you are wearing some polyester today, you are breaking the Law. We are also invited by the Law, to stone people for sinning. We are not going to do that . Also in Leviticus 19, there is a statement that we should not eat anything with blood in it. Say goodbye to rare steaks then. And it also says some things about haircutting and fashion. You should not “ round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. I assume that this is for men, but I do this all the time. So , what do all the laws that are found in the book of Leviticus have to say to my life in Christ ? And one more, farmers are not to plant two kinds of seed together ( Leviticus 19:19 ). We seem to pick and choose what we follow out of the Old Testament.
Bruxy invites us to listen to the Spirit of God, when interpreting the Law. Go with the Spirit. This, of course, can lead to discussions and disagreements about what the Spirit is saying. In the Leviticus passage, it says to leave some of crops for the purpose of the poor to come and glean the leftovers.. It says you should not do harm to your neighbour, and that you should always welcome the stranger ( or the refugee ). I agree with these statements of the law, and I believe the Spirit is telling me to live this out to this day.
So, Bruxy gets a tattoo on his left forearm that says “LEVITICUS 19:28 “ He says it has provided opportunities to talk about faith. It is a good way to talk about the role of the Spirit in our church and in our own lives. What a great idea for a tattoo !
My daughter Hannah has tattoos. I am still not going to do it, even if Bruxy did it, and says it is okay. My daughter has one on her left arm with designs of Peruvian women. Then, she got one right before she left Colombia that is of a heart. And in the design there is cross-stitching. It is to honour me in my hobby of crosstitching and my heart attack ( 2007 ) . She left for Hebron, Palestine, on Tuesday, to work on justice and peace. Part of me goes with her and her tattoo. She has honoured our relationship by putting me on her upper right arm. What a great conversation piece. Thanks Hannah.
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 