Browsing by Author "Mbure, Caesar"

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    The Exegesis of the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt. 22: 1-14) and Its Relevance to Christians Today.
    (Tangaza University College, 2001-02-07) Mbure, Caesar
    When one reads the parable of the wedding feast (Matt. 22: 1 - 14) many themes emerges. Different people understand it in different ways and emphasise a particular theme from it. But my main concern in this paper is to verify how the rejection of Jesus' message by Israel led to its acceptance by others who were not born Jews into the people of God and the relevance of the parable to the Christians today in Africa. The parabolic language used by Matthew may be confining and may make a reader of the pericope to miss this point. Most people who read this parable do not understand the real meaning of it. They ask themselves what does the evangelist want to tell us? Matthew uses a culturally based stylistic device to communicate to his community a specific message. The message is contained in the parable itself and in a way it reflects the situation of his community. He expresses different theological points which are affecting his community. The main issues are why is the Gospel being preached to people who are not born Jews and secondly why does the early Church regards itself as the new people of God? To answer these two main questions, Matthew addresses the issues of rejection of Jesus' message and its consequences. Israel in the person of her leaders has rejected its Messiah who was to liberate them. Other people who were not born Jews have accepted him and has adhered to his message. As a result they have inherited the promises of God to Israel and have become part of the people of God. Matthew's attitude is universalistic and he does not restrict himself to a particular tribe or people: Whoever believes in the message of Jesus the son of God and the Messiah who was promised to Israel has become a member of the people of God. This acceptance by the Gentiles was much possible because of the rejection of Jesus' message by Israel. Though one has become a member of the new people of God, this does not guarantee heavenly inheritance or the kingdom of God. It demands the believer to work hard and attain the promises of Jesus to those who believe in Him. Therefore the parable is a warning and a promise to the new members of the people of God. Even Christians can reject Jesus' message if they do not remain faithful to their vocation. A Christian should not assume that just because one has become a member of the new people of God, he/she will inherit the kingdom of God. This is the message to Christians today in Africa. An African Christian may think that because the Gospel has been preached to him/her, the person does not need to work for one's own salvation. Some may even think that there is no real difference between the God of our ancestors and the God of Jesus Christ. Therefore this parable is a challenge to the Christians in Africa to rethink their perspective of Jesus. It also challenges them to reflect on different ways in which they reject Jesus' message and opt for something else. It also asks them to try and understand Jesus as one of them so as to respond positively to his message. An African Christian is requested to try and understand Jesus' message in his/her socio-cultural situation in order for it to bear some fruits in one's life. This is what Matthew's community did and is what we are requested to do. Instead of rejecting Jesus' message out right as foreign, we should try our best to understand and apply it in our new situations as Matthew's community did. This would discourage indifferentism among African Christians. The Christian community should ask itself how can we appropriate the message of Jesus and remain who we are? In order to address these issues mentioned above this work is divided into three main sections. A proper understanding of the parable, its theological meaning and its application to the present situation in Africa.