The Weight of Context

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” – Romans 1:21-23

     One of the most difficult things in my reading of the bible has been trying to grasp context. It’s never as simple as we might think, but it’s always enlightening once we’re able to find our way into the shoes of those who first heard it and imagine how those words would impact our life. We can never fully comprehend all the nuances, but we can begin to live our lives in light of our newly acquired insight.

     It's a pretty amazing about bible passages. A quick glance at a passage can certainly have immediate impact. But it isn’t until we begin to uncover the story and learn how people lived and how they would have received such profound information, when it can have a significant impact on you and me.

     I’ve read this passage above many times. But in all of those readings I’ve always read them with 21^st century eyes. You can certainly gain a lot from that alone, but it doesn’t mean you understand everything that was being said. I don’t have to imagine people today who do not glorify God or give thanks to Him for anything because I know some. I don’t have to search hard or long to find people whose thoughts are futile and hearts are foolish. Again, I know some people like this. I’ve even witnessed people in my life make the deliberate choice to exchange the worship for the Creator of the universe for something much less and made by human hands. I think we all have. It’s not difficult to see things with 21^st century eyes because it’s very evident that this stuff still happens. It’s actually one of the beautiful truths of scripture in that passages that were written so long ago can still apply and impact us today.

     This post isn’t about exegeting the passage if that’s what you were hoping for (sorry if I mislead you).  My point in drawing attention about the importance of context is that we need to look at humanity the same way. I listen to people share their story with me quite often. I hear the pain they are in and I listen to their cries. It can be a very difficult place to be in sometimes, but I can’t always put myself in their shoes; at least not to the fullest extent. Sure, I have experienced my share of personal burdens, but in some way I can never fully understand with total confidence what others are going through. At times I find myself saying things like, “I totally understand” or “I know how it feels” and other ignorant statements such as these as I try to somehow comfort people. I realize that this isn’t exactly what people are looking for. I often focus on trying to help them get through their context and not enough time simply listening and trying to understand their context in order that they know that I’m there to walk with them. It’s often in my walking with them that God shows me what it means to truly understand context.
     There’s a lot to learn from a simple reading of a passage like this, but more to gain when you understand the context. Once you begin to do that you’ll often find yourself sitting with the weight of it. It isn't until then will you discover the deeper and profound truth that it has on you.