Worshipping Time

From our text, we were told that the people of God were released, if you like, after three years. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the LORD. They were to receive all the fruit as holy to God. It was a special time of worshipping God and giving Him their all, with praise and thanks. It was all holy unto God.

Let’s return to Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had a waiting time of three days before He too was released from the grave. But note, with heavenly awe and divine enabling, how the text shadows our Lord at this moment, of Jesus being God’s Holy Fruit.

Our minds go to Mary Magdalene and her joy in having Jesus back with her. But He is still forbidden fruit, as it were, for though He is present, He is Holy unto God the Father, first. Jesus said to her, Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. John 20: 17a. He is to be Holy unto God and He speaks it in the presence of Mary. In fact, when we are given spiritual understanding, we are able to see Mary, in not clinging to her human Jesus, worshipping Him as Holy unto God. She, like many of us, may not fully understand, but lack of understanding never yet deterred the obedient one from receiving. She obeyed Jesus and in so doing was giving deference to Him in His New Form. I’m thinking that she probably never ever had Jesus say to her, do not cling to Me. Study that! Jesus had to be offered to God first and seen as the Holy One.

In a different setting, we see Jesus being worshipped openly. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are hurrying out of the tomb with fear and great joy. They have just been told by an angel that Jesus is alive. They are running to tell the disciples all about it, when Jesus meets them. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice! So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Matthew 28: 9. Had they ever worshipped Jesus like that before? I think not.

Where are you and where am I in this time? Having experienced a time of emptiness, loneliness and feeling a great sense of loss and uselessness, not being able to have our usual fellowship with Jesus, we have been released and brought back to Him in newness. The time of waiting has passed and it’s now a time when we are compelled by the Holy Spirit, to fall before our New and Risen Lord and worship Him. As never before, we are made to see Him as Holy and we only want to worship Him. O how we give unending praise and thanks to God.

Welcoming

The time has come, for the people of God to feast without restrictions. And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the LORD your God.

This is the time when you are welcome to eat, because God has told you to eat without restrictions, as He has made all the given fruit to your advantage. Turning our eyes upon Jesus, the Risen Lord, and His disciples, what do we observe in this regard? Remember, they have been through the waiting and worship times. Our hearts are revived, rejuvenated and quickened to receive even this small taste of understanding. Jesus is so welcoming to His disciples, they are feasting on Him, the once disallowed Fruit, in all His wonderful offering.

We are on the beach one early morning and see Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter, Thomas, called the Twin, Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others, returning from an all-night fishing trip, with absolutely nothing caught.

Jesus comes to them in their barrenness, and emptiness of hand and heart. Can you see how Jesus wants them to know all of Him and to have all of Him? The only way for this to happen is for Him to go to them. Their physical, mental and spiritual conditions do not alter Jesus’ plans for them in any way. No adjustments, tweaking, prolonging or waiting, nothing of the sort is done. Jesus works according to Him.

Often, in your emptiness and barrenness, you are quick to place Jesus in the same category and situation as you. You think that He has suddenly become weak and helpless, and unable to come to you, because you have not even called Him, or are not even able to call Him. Jesus has His plans for you and He will bring them to fruition even without any input from you.

We carry on in this light, tomorrow.