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The Way Home Part 9: Scylla, Charybdis, and the Sacred Cows — Key Takeaways

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The Way Home Part 9: Scylla, Charybdis, and the Sacred Cows

Andrew SawyerMay 16, 2026

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Goodness as a fruit of the Spirit is the antidote to deceit — it speaks the full truth, keeps hands off what belongs to God, and trusts that nothing gained through deception is worth having, grounded in Ephesians 4:22-24 and modeled by Christ in John 12:46.

Key takeaways

Ephesians 4:22-24: 'Put off' is an active command, not a suggestion

Ephesians 4:22-24: 'Put off' is an active command, not a suggestion

  • The Greek imperative demands deliberate, decisive stripping away of cunning, selective disclosure, and self-serving half-truths.
  • 'Be renewed in the spirit of your minds' requires sustained exposure to truth — only divine light penetrates the self-deception we minimize.

Strategic silence erodes trust and forces you back through the same trial

Strategic silence erodes trust and forces you back through the same trial

  • Odysseus withheld Scylla's threat to prevent panic; the resulting low-trust environment made his crew act behind his back at Thrinacia.
  • Every shortcut through deceit lengthened his voyage and cost him every companion — the idol of achievement devours its own.

Goodness as Spirit-fruit cannot be manufactured by willpower

Goodness as Spirit-fruit cannot be manufactured by willpower

  • Grace frees us from editing reality to protect our image; truth forces us to see the pragmatic calculations we most want to deny.
  • Together they cultivate character no striving produces — Colossians 3:12 clothes the new self in compassion, humility, and patience.

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In this piece

  1. Introductory Poem: Discerning the Odyssey's Moral Arc
  2. The Strait of No Good Options: Circe's Warning
  3. Odysseus Chooses Control Over Candor
  4. The Cattle of Helios: Broken Oath and Divine Punishment
  5. The Duplicity Trap: Modern Parallels and Inevitable Collapse
  6. Goodness as the Antidote: Spirit, Scripture, and Christ
  7. Reflective Questions for Personal Application

“The end cannot justify the means, for the simple and obvious reason that the means employed determine the nature of the ends produced.”

— Aldous Huxley

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The nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) map directly onto the nine major episodes of the Odyssey, each fruit counteracting a specific vice that keeps the soul from returning to its true home.

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Each of Odysseus' nine major trials maps to a specific human spiritual failing answered by one of the nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

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