Celtic Odyssey

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people quote the Bible out of context. I know I should let it go but it's one of those things that can really change the way a person sees themselves, their neighbor, their enemy, and God. Context is a huge deal! And some of the worst culprits are those "daily verse" emails or books. I'm sure you've seen those. A "gift book" that has a single verse of the Bible for each day of the year. Maybe it's just me but I go to that verse and then read the whole chapter to see what the writer is trying to get across. Well, today, one of the worst verses popped up on my screen, a verse I see it all the time - 1Corinthians 2.9 : " No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (NLT). People respond to this verse by saying things like, "Yes!" or "Amen!" or "God is so good!" The idea, that is, the interpretation of this verse, is s...

John 3.14-21; CEB: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won't perish but will have eternal life. God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him isn't judged; whoever doesn't believe in him is already judged, because they don't believe in the name of God’s only Son. "This is the basis for judgment: The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. All who do wicked things hate the light and don't come to the light for fear that their actions will be exposed to the light. Whoever does the truth comes to the light so that it can be seen that their actions were done in God." Ah! John 3.16. One of the most famous passage...

John 2.13-22; CEB: It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins and overturned the tables of those who exchanged currency. He said to the dove sellers, “Get these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it is written, Passion for your house consumes me.   Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? What miraculous sign will you show us?”  Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up.” The Jewish leaders replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?” But the temple Jesus was talking about was his body. After he...

Mark 8.31-38; NLT:  Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man   must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “ Get away from me, Satan! ” he said.“ You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s .” Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “ If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose ...