The Exegesis of the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt. 22: 1-14) and Its Relevance to Christians Today.
Date
2001-02-07
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
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.
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Keywords
Exegesis, Parable, Wedding Feast, Christians, mathew, External Tension, Internal Tension, Jesus