KINSHIP TIES IN MATTHEW’S MISSIONARY DISCOURSE: A WINDOW ON HOW THE CHRISTIAN FAITH HAS AND WILL ALWAYS AFFECT NATIONAL AND FAMILY TIES

Matthew 10 includes sayings in which Jesus is presented as demanding a loyalty that can create enmity among family relations. The statements create a picture of missionaries who are often rejected by their kin while also ministering to people who have been or are being alienated from their relatives. This state of affairs obviously prevailed among Christians of the first century to whom the gospel according to Matthew was addressed. The statements therefore give some insights into Christian family ties and fellowship during the first century. It is the contention of the article that the missionary discourse in Matthew 10 contains useful and still relevant insights about the Christian attitude about family and other kinship ties. It must at least be taken into consideration in attempts to formulate the Bible’s teaching about the family and the role of Christians towards their own people and nation