Scripture
COMMENTARY
I’m not a religious person, and I don’t follow any denomination. But with everything going on in the world, I’ve found myself thinking more about religion than I used to. The following are some scriptures I’ve come across that seem relevant to the times we’re living in, especially when it comes to empathy, mercy, and how we treat other people.
This list will keep growing over time because I’m new to scripture and have only recently picked up a Bible for the first time. I’m also interested in learning about teachings from other religions, not just the Bible, so there will likely be more added as I continue reading and learning.
I may even consider adding non-religious quotes. For example, in Immigration I have included this one: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-to’st to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door”.
Counterfeit Christianity
John 9:41 “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains”.
Luke 6:22-26 “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. But blessed are you when people revile you and hate you and speak all manner of evil about you on account of my name, for this is how they treated the true prophets”.
Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves”.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”.
Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?”
Matthew 7:23 “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Matthew 7:23 “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”.
Matthew 12:24 (example) “It is only by Beezlebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons”.
Matthew 12:31-32 “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come”.
Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”.
Matthew 23:1-4 “For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger”.
Matthew 24:24 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect”.
Matthew 25:41-43 “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition”.
Empathy & Mercy
Exodus 33:19 “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion”. (Quote: It is not up to us to police the borders of God’s grace…and it’s not up to us to be offended when God’s mercy reaches farther than we expected).
Luke 10:36 “Who was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?” Luke 10:37 “The one who showed him mercy”. “Go and do likewise”.
Mark 12:31 “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
Matthew 5:1-12 “Blessed are the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart and the peacemakers”.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others”.
Forgiveness
John 8:7 “Let the one who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her”.
Greed
Luke 18:25 “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God”.
Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36-37 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Mark 10:25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”.
Matthew 16:24 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.
Homosexuality
Interesting Article: Barna (Sept 21, 2007) “A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity” A new study among 16-to-29-year-olds showed a greater degree of criticism with a growing theme: “Christianity in today’s society no longer looks like Jesus” and the first thing that comes to the mind of participants was “anti-homosexuality”.
Scripture often cited by those who condemn homosexuality: Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romas 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
Important distinction when the book of Leviticus was written: in that time, same-sex activity was often associated with power dynamics such as slavery, pederasty, ritual acts to worship fertility gods, and humiliation of defeated enemies. Much of what’s talked about in Leviticus is also in a section that discusses incest, child sacrifice, bestiality and adultery and/or ties practices to those rituals, NOT modern consensual adult relationships (which were not a recognized social category at the time).
Books AI recommended during my research (yes, I used ChatGPT to search for these and no, I haven’t read them) William Loader — The New Testament on Sexuality John Boswell — Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality Martti Nissinen — Homoeroticism in the Biblical World Jacob Milgrom — Leviticus (Anchor Yale Bible Commentary) Tikva Frymer-Kensky — Studies on fertility cults and goddess worship Mark S. Smith — The Early History of God (Canaanite religion)
Acts 10:13-15 “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”.
Exodus 33:19 “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion”. (Quote: It is not up to us to police the borders of God’s grace…and it’s not our place to be offended when God’s mercy reaches farther than we expected. God’s love has never been about qualifications).
Immigration & Racism
America (Emma Lazarus wrote for the Statue of Liberty) “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-to’st to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door”.
1 John 4:20 “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen”.
John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”.
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt”.
Leviticus 19:33-34 “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God”.
Mark 12:31 “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”.
Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”.
Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink”. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me in. I needed clothes, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.”
~~~ “Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or needing clothes, or sick, or in prison?”
~~~ “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Lifestyle
Exodus 20:8-11not to work on the Sabbath day “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but he seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God”. CONTRADICTION: Jesus worked and healed during the Sabbath Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.
Leviticus 11 – Deuteronomy 14:3-21 – Exodus 23:19 food laws, dietary rules, and holiness CONTRADICTION: Mark 7:15 “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him”. Mark 7:19 “Jesus declared all foods clean”
LOVE
1 Corinthians 13:2-3 “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing”.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”.
Mark 12:31 “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
Poverty
Luke 4:18-19 quoting Isaiah 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”.
Matthew 6:19-21 “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink”. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me in. I needed clothes, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.” “Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or needing clothes, or sick, or in prison?” “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God”.
Tuning Out, Turning a Blind Eye, Burying One’s Head
Matthew 7:13-14 “Broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”.
Where to file this?
Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.
Hebrews 4;12 “The word of God is living and active”.
Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these”.
John 16:12-13 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, come, he will guide you into all truth”.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching”.