I want to talk today about context.
Because context changes everything. A sentence pulled out of a story can sound ridiculous, confusing, or even dangerous. That applies to the Bible too.
There are many verses in Scripture that, if read out of context, would leave you scratching your head or laughing uncomfortably. One of my personal favorites?
Ezekiel 23:20
“She lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.”
What?! Did we accidentally pick up a copy of Bible fan fiction gone wrong?
Out of context, it sounds wild—and honestly, disturbing.
In context, Ezekiel is delivering a prophetic vision where Israel and Judah are represented as two sisters, engaging in political and spiritual unfaithfulness. It’s harsh imagery meant to shock, yes—but it’s metaphorical. It’s about idolatry, not erotica.
Let’s try another:
2 Kings 2:23–24
“‘Go up, you baldhead!’ they said. He turned around, cursed them… then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.”
Out of context: God sends bears to maul children for making fun of a bald prophet. Seems… excessive.
In context: This wasn’t just playground teasing. These were likely young men (not toddlers), in a region hostile to God’s prophets. Their mockery was a rejection of God’s authority through Elisha. The bears represent divine judgment in a spiritually rebellious culture.
Isaiah 36:12
“…to eat their own dung and drink their own urine.”
Out of context: Sounds like a bizarre dietary plan from a doomsday cult.
In context: This was psychological warfare. An Assyrian official is threatening Jerusalem during a siege, describing how bad it will get if they don’t surrender. It’s brutal trash talk, not divine instruction.
Ezekiel 4:12–15
“You are to eat it as you would a barley cake, having baked it… over human excrement.”
Out of context: “Poop pancakes,” courtesy of God? Ew.
In context: Ezekiel was acting out the judgment of exile through symbolic performance. The unclean cooking method symbolized the defilement Israel would face in Babylon. God later allows cow dung instead—still gross, but a little less shocking.
So yes, context matters. A lot.
Reading Bible verses in isolation—just grabbing them off a page or plastering them on mugs and bumper stickers—can totally distort their meaning. Sometimes it’s harmless. A verse gives us strength or comfort. But even then, we often don’t know what’s actually going on in the chapter around it.
📖 So What Is Context?
Context means the surrounding information that helps you understand what a verse actually means.
It includes:
- Literary Context: What comes before and after the verse? What’s the genre? Is it poetry, prophecy, a parable, or law?
- Historical Context: What was happening in that culture? Who was being addressed? What assumptions or customs shaped how they heard these words?
- Theological Context: What is this passage revealing about God, humanity, justice, grace, or sin?
- Author’s Intent: What was the writer trying to communicate? Was it comfort? Warning? Correction? Worship?
Here’s the bigger question, though:
If we understand how important context is… why do we ignore it when it really counts?
Why do we skip context when we weaponize verses to harm others?
Why don’t we demand context when people use the Bible to shame the queer community with the so-called “clobber passages”?
Why don’t we ask questions about context when Scripture is used to justify racism, xenophobia, or nationalism?
If we believe that the Bible is inspired by God and useful for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), then we must treat it with the care it deserves.
That means we don’t strip Scripture of its culture, time, audience, or purpose.
We don’t flatten it into slogans or use it as a weapon.
We enter into it with humility, asking:
- What did this mean then?
- How has it been misused?
- And what might God be saying through it today?
Because context doesn’t change the truth of Scripture—it helps us uncover it.
🕊️ Closing: An Invitation to Reclaim the Bible
So here’s my challenge to you:
Read your Bible. But read it with open eyes, open hearts, and holy curiosity.
Because the Bible is more than just the verses you’ve heard quoted in sermons, or the flannelgraph stories from your childhood.
It’s more than fear-based warnings or cherry-picked rules.
It’s more than bumper stickers, coffee mugs, or Instagram quotes.
It’s sacred. It’s messy. It’s human. It’s divine.
It is thousands of years of people wrestling with who God is, who we are, and how we’re supposed to live in the tension between heaven and earth.
It’s poetry and prophecy. It’s lament and liberation. It’s failure and redemption.
It holds stories of war and peace, love and betrayal, silence and fire.
And through it all, there’s a thread. A heartbeat. A name.
Jesus.
Jesus is the Word made flesh—the one all Scripture is pointing toward.
And the Holy Spirit is still guiding us as we read, not just to get answers…
…but to be transformed.
To become more like Christ.
To understand ourselves, our world, and our God more clearly.
So don’t settle for secondhand faith.
Don’t let someone else’s interpretation be your only lens.
Don’t limit the Bible to what you’ve heard—it’s far bigger than that.
Dive deep. Wrestle with it. Let it shape you.
Let it surprise you. Let it challenge your assumptions.
Let it draw you closer to the living God.
Because this isn’t just a book.
It’s a conversation.
It’s a relationship.
And it’s waiting for you.
Amen!
Pastor Alex