Jesus’ Association with Jews and Gentiles in Matthew’s Gospel:A Comparative Study
John Appiah
Issue: Vol.6 No.2 March 2020 Article 1 pp. 94-104
DOI :https://doi.org/10.32051/ERATS.2020.031
© 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This paper compares, discusses and evaluates Jesus’ association with Jews and Gentiles. It argues that Matthew balances off Jesus’ affinity with Jewish and Gentile elements throughout his gospel. Even though Matthean Jesus went beyond the established barriers of the Jewish culture of the time in his dealings with Gentiles, he maintained a balanced affinity with his Jewish culture. Jesus’ attitude is normative for Christians in their transactions with people of other ethnic groupings in contemporary societies, and in maintaining a cordial relationship with one’s culture. The church should create an enabling environment for peaceful co-existence among people today. It should champion tolerance and good neighbourliness in contemporary societies. The church should educate her members to promote their cultural heritage that does not conflict with biblical principles; respect the culture of people other than one’s own; and treat people of different cultures with dignity and respect. This paper provides a detailed analysis of Matt 1:1-17; 2:1-12; 8:5-13 and 9:1-8; 10:5-15 and 28:18-20; 14:13-21 and 15:32-39; and 15:21-28 as the basis to determine Jesus’ Jewish-Gentile interactions in Matthew’s Gospel within the socio-cultural context of his time.
Keywords: Jesus, Jews, Gentiles, Ethnicity, Matthew’s Gospel
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JOHN APPIAH, PhD is a Senior Lecturer of New Testament at Valley View University – Oyibi, Accra, Ghana. Email:john.appiah@vvu.edu.gh
Appiah, John. “Jesus’ Association with Jews and Gentles in Matthew’s Gospel: A Comparative Study.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 6, no. 2 (2020): 94-104. https://doi.org/10.32051/ERATS.2020.031
© 2020 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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