Taken Out of Context
RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks. https://religionnews.com/2018/11/27/museum-highlights-slave-bible-that-focuses-on-servitude-leaves-out-freedom/
The Importance of Context
This is a pic of the “Slave Bible.” It is missing 90% of the Old Testament and 50% of the New Testament. It told of Joseph’s enslavement but left out the parts where Moses led the Israelites to freedom. While this bible isn’t in production anymore, what it attempted (and failed) to do is very much alive today.
People read, hear, and see content without context. Without context, you cannot see the full picture. We can cherry-pick a verse and use it to fit the chosen narrative. We can see a segment of a video and spew hate because we perceived the footage as hateful. Without context, the video or text means nothing.
People Can be Taken Out of Context
People can be taken out of context as well. We see an angry teen or a distracted adult, or even perfectly put-together person, and we form an opinion based on a moment or season of life. When we make assumptions based on limited information, we are often looking at a person out of context. It is easy to assume we know someone’s story based on a moment, but that is rarely the case.
Walk in Grace
I am glad that many of the slaves who walked before me knew the truth no matter what version they were given, context or not. Jesus sees us as we are and takes us as we are, not because we earned it, or we put on an act, but because of grace. He sees us as we truly are, and He loves us anyway. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ” –Galatians 3:28
July 2019, Deb Kunze, Counselor