Abstract
M.A.
This script is all about interpreting and preaching that which happened and was
taught in Palestine during the first century A.D. The emphasis is not so much,
however, on what happened politically, but on what the socio-cultural
circumstances were that surrounded those incidences. It must be noted that the
political happenings had a tremendous influence upon the way people living in
that age viewed their world and conducted their affairs with others around them.
Their world was one that was wrought with political strife and continuous wars
that ravaged the countryside and impoverished its inhabitants. This
impoverishment led to resentment and deep hatred of the invaders that, in turn,
led to constant uprisings against those same people. This trend had continued
for many generations until the Romans came and brought some semblance of
peace and prosperity to the region. However, that prosperity was not available
to the ordinary man in the street. With the supposed prosperity, came a decline
in morals that went dead against the grain of the culture of the Jews in particular.
They reacted to this by withdrawing from society, and taking refuge in a strict
interpretation of the Law of Moses. However, this was the reaction of the
Scribes and Pharisees and not the populace who generally found the demands
placed upon them too strict. Despite all this, social relationships were
conducted at ordinary levels which accounted for some semblance of normality. and their group-orientated personalities and collective values bound them into a
unit.
Then came Jesus of Nazareth who captured the imaginations of many who left
what little they had and followed him around the country as he taught a radically
different way of dealing with existing pressures under the power of the God of
Israel. However, many others believed that he was no more than a charlatan
bent on organizing a revolt against the Roman authorities. Unfortunately the
presentation of Jesus by his followers was based on his theological significance
rather that on who he was as person living in first century Palestine, leaving no
concrete evidence pointing to his humanity. The movement that developed after
his death was viewed with as much suspicion as Jesus himself was, although
they were really only concerned with the restoration of Israel's true worship of
God. Matthew, or Levi, the tax collector was one of those who left what he was
doing to follow Jesus and it is to him that authorship of the Gospel of Matthew is
ascribed. It is contended that he wrote to present Jesus as the long-awaited
Messiah to the Jews. How much of an influence, however, his culture and
circumstances had on his writings is a matter of considerable debate as he only
recorded his version of Jesus' teachings some thirty years after his (Jesus')
death.
The question of relevance is one that of necessity, has to be addressed. A
paper of this nature would be incomplete if it was not done. It is a foregone fact
that modem societies have morals exactly as low as those in first century Palestine and that there too, exists the need to remind people that there are still
standards that do not conform to those prescribed by Godless men and women.
But there is a great gulf between ourselves and Matthew and his audience. This
gulf spans not only time, but culture as well. To begin with, the author wrote
within the confines of his own cultural context, to a specific group of people with
the intention of conveying a specific message to them. We stand outside of this
work: to be exact, two thousand years outside of it. Our culture is not the same
as theirs. So cannot hope to ever take what Matthew wrote and transpose it
directly onto our own societies; we are too conditioned by our own cultural
influences to do that responsibly. If, on the other hand, we sincerely wish to be
responsible in our interpretation and application of the Word, we have to
understand Matthew's and his audiences' context, keep it in mind all the time,
and seriously endeavor to suspend our own prejudices and presuppositions in
favour of letting the text "speak for itself'.