Ben Shaw

People love quoting one verse to tell tattoo artists they’re going to hell.

Leviticus 19:28.

“You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.”

Then they stop reading.

But if you’re going to quote Leviticus, you need to read the whole chapter.

Leviticus 19 is part of what’s known as the Holiness Code—a set of laws God gave to ancient Israel to set them apart from the pagan nations around them.

Those nations cut themselves and marked their bodies as acts of worship to false gods.

That’s the context.

God wasn’t condemning tattoos as artwork.

He was condemning idolatry.

And here’s what many people overlook.

That same chapter also says not to trim the sides of your hair.

Not to trim the edges of your beard.

Not to wear clothing woven from two different fabrics.

Not to plant two kinds of seed in the same field.

So if you’re going to apply Leviticus 19:28 literally today, you have to apply the entire chapter consistently.

Almost nobody does.

Why?

Because those ceremonial laws were given to Israel under the Old Covenant.

The New Testament teaches that Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law, bringing believers into a new covenant through Him (see Galatians 3 and Hebrews 8).

So before someone uses Leviticus to shame you, encourage them to read the whole chapter.

Because context isn’t optional.

It’s everything.

worship was never the problem

we were created to worship

the question is

what are we worshipping

for some people it’s followers

for others it’s money

status

success

intelligence

beauty

even ministry platforms

anything can become an idol

when it takes the place that belongs to God

that’s the oldest temptation in human history

to replace God with something else

social media didn’t create that problem

the algorithm simply monetized it

it profits from our desire to be seen

to be validated

to build our own kingdoms

but the more we worship created things

the less satisfied we become

because they were never designed to carry the weight of our identity

only God can do that

the world says

find your worth in what you achieve

Jesus says

find your life in Me

so ask yourself

what gets your attention

your affection

your time

your trust

because whatever has your worship

has your heart

and only one King is worthy to sit on that throne

do you ever feel like something is missing

like you’ve accomplished things

hit goals

checked the boxes

and yet there’s still an ache you can’t explain

i know that feeling

i was flown around the country to speak about tattooing

i sat in board meetings

helped shape regulations

built a reputation

from the outside it looked like success

but inside

something was missing

the more success i found

the hungrier i became

it was like sitting down to an incredible meal

it looked amazing

smelled amazing

but when i took a bite

it turned to ash in my mouth

it never satisfied

because we weren’t made to find our identity in success

we weren’t made for status

we weren’t made for applause

we were made for a relationship with God

and eventually i reached the highest point of my career

while my personal life was falling apart

i had achieved what i thought would satisfy me

and discovered it couldn’t

up to that point i didn’t come from a church background

i wasn’t raised in Christianity

but when i finally hit bottom

i cried out to Jesus

and what i found wasn’t religion

it was relationship

it was peace

it was purpose

it was the missing piece i’d been searching for all along

so if you’re carrying that ache

that feeling that something is missing

don’t ignore it

it might be pointing you toward the very thing you were created for

and if you want to talk about it

reach out

you’re not the only one asking those questions

and you’re not alone in the search