Kinship in the context of discipleship In the Gospel of Matthew : an exegetical and sociocultural study

Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between kinship and discipleship in the Matthean Gospel. New Testament scholars agree that kinship is perhaps the primary sociocultural domain of the circum-Mediterranean region and that discipleship is one of the major themes in the Gospel of Matthew. Some NT scholars have studied these two components of the Gospel as separate entities, while others attempt to connect them. In the Gospel, kinship appears to permeate relational expressions, and such permeation occurs in the context of discipleship in the following selected texts (Matt 4:18–22; 8:18–22; 10:5–42; 12:46–50; 19:27–30 and 20:20–23). This investigation notes an intersection of kinship and discipleship where the following sociocultural deviations occur: devolution of kinship nomenclature; abandonment of the family, inheritance, roles, and responsibilities; redefinition of a family; and breach of kinship customs and traditions. The deviations in the Gospel suggest a sociocultural crisis in the Matthean community. This investigation employs an exegetical and sociocultural analysis in examining the intersection of kinship and discipleship in the selected texts. Chapter 1 proposes the intersection of kinship and discipleship. Hence, it delineates the statement of the problem, methodology, purpose, significance of the study, and delimitations. Chapter 2 discusses kinship as a sociocultural domain, the conceptual background of kinship, and discipleship. Chapter 3 is the exegetical and sociocultural analysis of the study. Chapter 4 is the summary, conclusions, and recommendations of the study. This study offers, first, a sociocultural interpretation of the selected texts in Matthew and better reflects his usage of kinship and discipleship notions which convey the intersection. Second, it shows that Matthew developed the intersection of kinship in the context of discipleship thematically. Third, the research also concludes that the tension between the two components is due to the itinerant type of discipleship Jesus adopted. Fourth, it also finds that Jesus’s form of discipleship reminisces the itinerant prophetic ministry and the Qumran lifestyle of figurative brotherhood. Fifth, the study concludes that the factors leading to the departure from one’s family cannot be applied generally but on a case by case basis. Finally, Jesus honored family and marriage but demanded absolute allegiance from the disciples, which subordinated kinship.