Jesus: Image Master A Study of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22: 1-10)
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Date
2002-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Looking critically at the Gospel accounts, one can say that Jesus was a public
advertiser. Ile had an important product to promote. This commodity is not of physical
material which belongs entirely to the present world. It is the proclamation of the awaited
Kingdom of God that Jesus himself inaugurated in his public ministry. In order to
publicise the advent of the Kingdom, Jesus invested much energy and used various ways
of communicating his message. Jesus powerfully used many common images to catch the
attention of his audience. In so doing, he inspired his listeners to conversion who in turn,
accepted the message of salvation.
This thesis demonstrates how Jesus, as an Image Master, spoke relevantly to his
contemporaries. Through the Church, he has continued to address the same powerful
message of the Kingdom to us. By analysing Matthew's parable, "The Wedding Banquet"
(Matt 22: 1-10), we can discover how Jesus ingeniously reached out to his audience. He
used pictorial language to narrate the stories of daily life. The various practical images he
used imprinted in the mind of his audience the basic message that his audience would not
forget.
For a better understanding of this research paper, we have divided it into four
chapters. The opening chapter gives an overview of the nature, importance and meaning of the parables. With particular reference to Matthew's Gospel, this section also focuses on
Jesus' motivations in using the parable stories to address his flock.
The second chapter enters into the exegesis of the parable of the "Wedding
Banquet". It aims at scrutinizing some basic elements that may promote the understanding
of the overall meaning and movements of this parable. The third chapter is the
continuation of the previous one. It gives a detailed exegesis of the parable of the
"Wedding Banquet". However, the study of the story is considered as though it was
written for the video production. As a matter of clarity, the entire parable is presented in
seven sequences. Each sequence constitutes a completed section that ought to be easily
dramatised. At the close of this part, some theological insight is explained in connection
with Matthew's intention.
In the concluding chapter, the centre of attention is mainly on how we may apply
what is presented in the last two chapters. As such, three propositions are given, namely,
preaching, drama and video production. While preaching remains an essential element in
the proclamation of the Word of God, the emphasis here is laid on the way we use the
words. In connection to the development of the detailed exegesis of the "Wedding
Banquet", it seems that, in our modern world, there is an urgent need of preaching through
pictorial language. At the same time, there is need to actualise the message in the life of
the people. However, both drama and video production, as means of Evangelisation, are
meant to promote artistic teachings. Thus, we assert that the three possibilities, namely
preaching, drama and video productions, are relevant and need to be supported.
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Keywords
Jesus, Wedding Banquet, Image Master, Matthew 22: 1-10