The Missing Piece: Reading Scripture with the Eyes of Context

Have you ever built a puzzle and realized—just as you're nearing the end—that one piece is missing? The image is almost complete. The colors connect. The edges align.You can see what it’s supposed to be… but something still feels off.And your eyes are drawn—not to what’s there—but to what isn’t.

That single gap ruins the whole picture. And you can’t ignore it.

For many of us, that’s what faith can feel like. You believe in Jesus. You trust the Bible. You know the stories — from Sunday school to sermons. But some of the pieces still don’t fit. You can see the shape of something beautiful — but something’s missing. And it’s not your passion. Not your sincerity. Not even your faith.What’s missing… is context.

In Scripture, like in a puzzle, a single missing piece doesn’t just leave a gap.It can reshape the whole image. Because without context, the Bible can sound good… and still mean something completely different. Without context, we can:

• Misapply Scripture (like turning Proverbs into promises).

• Create doctrines that contradict the heart of Jesus.

• Weaponize verses rather than letting them form us in love.

  
  

Reading a Bible verse without context is like hearing one line from a movie and assuming you know the whole plot. You don’t know the characters. You don’t know the conflict. You don’t know what just happened. Context is what fills in the picture and clarifies the meaning.

Or maybe it’s like misreading a text message.A friend of mine once sent his wife a quick message: “You’re impossible.”

He meant it playfully: “You’re so cute, I can’t even deal!”She read it as: “I’m done with you.”

Cue three hours of silence… and an argument about tone, timing, and intent.

Why? Because the message was read without context.No facial expression. No body language. No background — just text.

The Bible’s the same way. A verse without its surrounding story can sound comforting… or condemning. But without context, you can’t tell which. Reading Scripture without context is like reading a text with the wrong tone.It might sound right… but it’s probably wrong.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) isn’t about winning a championship or crushing a job interview. It’s about learning contentment in suffering.⁽¹⁾

This is why Proverbs says:

“The first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”— Proverbs 18:17⁽²⁾

Context is that cross-examination.

It doesn’t dismiss truth — it deepens it.It tests it. Sharpens it. Clarifies what was meant — not just what was heard. Because something can sound spiritual… and still be off.It can sound biblical… and still miss the heart of God.It can sound like a verse… and still be a version.

Context is what keeps us from shallow certainty.It invites us to slow down… to see the story behind the sentence, the setting behind the statement, the full heart of God — not just a fragment. Let’s take a closer look at one story we thought we knew.

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins…”— Mark 12:41–42 (ESV)

We’ve often heard this story preached as a lesson in radical generosity.But should we slow down and ask… was that really the point? Because just a few verses earlier, Jesus gives a chilling warning:

“Beware of the scribes… who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”— Mark 12:38–40

These leaders — the religious elite — are exploiting widows.And moments later, Jesus watches a widow give all she has…to the very system He just condemned.

Is this a story of praise… or lament? He says:

“This poor widow has put in more than all… She gave out of her poverty — all she had to live on.”— Mark 12:43–44

Notice: He doesn’t commend her.He doesn’t say, “Go and do likewise.”He doesn’t tell His disciples to imitate her. He just observes.

This isn’t a command — it’s a commentary.

Not a model of giving — but a mirror of a broken system.She gave everything… to a temple that was supposed to care for her. And what comes next?

“‘Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones!’Jesus replied… ‘There will not be left here one stone upon another…’”— Mark 13:1–2

The very next scene is Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple.The system that drained this woman would not stand.

This isn’t generosity. It’s injustice.She gave out of poverty, not overflow.And Jesus doesn’t call it beautiful — He calls it broken. This is what happens when religion loses its soul.

When temples become machines.When systems meant to lift up the lowly… crush them instead. Because true religion doesn’t drain people dry.It doesn’t prey on the desperate.It doesn’t ask widows for their last breath while the rich walk by untouched.

True religion lifts. True religion loves.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…”— James 1:27 (ESV)

The early Church didn’t ask widows to give.It appointed people to care for them (Acts 6:1–6).⁽³⁾

So any system that crushes the vulnerable isn’t Christian.It’s a temple on the verge of collapse.

When we miss the context, we miss the cry.And when we miss the cry, we risk calling oppression holy.

The Bible was written for us — but it wasn’t written to us.That’s what Michael Heiser reminded us.⁽⁴⁾

If we want to read Scripture faithfully, we must ask:

• Who was the author?

• Who was the original audience?

• What was happening historically? Politically? Religiously?

• What cultural assumptions were baked into the text?

  
  

As N.T. Wright puts it:

“If we do not read Scripture through the lens of its original purpose and setting,we risk making it say things God never intended.”⁽⁵⁾

This isn’t about being academic.It’s about being faithful.

Because the truth doesn’t just live in a verse.It lives in the story.

So here’s the call:

Let’s do the slow work.Let’s refuse shallow readings.Let’s love Scripture enough… to read it rightly. Because the truth isn’t hiding. It’s just waiting — for the missing piece.

Footnotes

1. Paul’s actual context in Philippians 4 is learning to be content in every situation — hunger and plenty alike.

2. Proverbs 18:17 (ESV).

3. Acts 6:1–6 describes the Church appointing deacons to ensure widows received daily food and care.

4. Heiser, M. (2015). The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Lexham Press.

5. Wright, N.T. (2011). Scripture and the Authority of God. HarperOne.