January 28
The Power of Context
“But what about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. ––Matthew 16:15-18
Oftentimes, when things are right in front of our face, or we are very close to a situation, we lack something that makes all the difference in the world: context. Miriam-Webster defines context as “the parts of a discourse that surround a word, phrase, or passage and that help to explain its meaning.”
Meaning and context are connected, but different. The meaning of a thing can be lost without context. Spoiler alert. … In The Sixth Sense, at the end of the film Bruce Willis’ character is revealed to be a ghost. Suddenly, things make sense: why he’s always dressed in the same clothes, and why you never see him talking with anyone other than the little boy played by Haley Joel Osmet. In this case, once we see the context—Bruce Willis is not a benign psychologist, but one of the ghosts haunting the poor boy—we understand the deeper meaning of “I see dead people.”
During the three years Jesus spent with His disciples, they struggled to comprehend exactly who He was. Without context, Jesus’ ministry years could be written this way: “A mysterious wiseman suddenly appears and becomes the rabbi to a ragtag group of drifters.” Technically, this is true. But it’s not an accurate or complete picture. For the disciples, experience led to context: As they lived and ministered with Jesus, they came to understand His true meaning: He was not a political leader who had come to deliver the Jews from Roman subjugation; He was, truly, the Son of God. Peter said it best (in today’s opening verse).
At every turn, Jesus’ words and actions were taken out of context, and the meaning twisted or lost. Go to your hometown to preach the Gospel? Get threatened with stoning and flee for your life. Preach clearly and powerfully to the religious leaders, quoting the Old Testament prophecies as proof of your divinity? Incite threats of death and accusations of blasphemy.
Do you struggle with being misunderstood? With people taking your words or actions out of context? You aren’t alone. Jesus understands. The Crucifixion and Resurrection are the epitome of context driving home powerful meaning: Jesus proved what He’d been telling the Apostles for years. His actions gave context to the meaning of His teachings. He did not just talk about being the Messiah, but proved it when the stone rolled away from the tomb.
If you are struggling with strained relationships, or if life has gone sideways because you’re intentions have been misunderstood, you are not alone. The path forward has already been cleared by the One who understands your frustration and who also lived through the pain of being misunderstood.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you cut through any confusion or chaos you are experiencing, and to give you His supernatural context for the more difficult situations and relationships in your life. We may see through a glass darkly, but He sees with perfect clarity.
Father, I sometimes struggle to see the meaning behind things that happen in my life—provide context and understanding where I otherwise struggle to find any.