Hans Harmakaputra, Visiting Assistant Professor in Comparative Theology and Muslim-Christian Relations at Hartford Seminary & Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow
Abstract
The parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25: 31- 46 perplexed Christians because of its ambiguity. The text does not clarify who is the Son of Man and who are the sheep and the goats. For Christians who read the Bible literally and believe in the coherency of the Bible, in the sense of no contradiction exists between texts, this text is not their most favorable passage for explaining the salvation of Christians and non-Christians. On the other hand, the passage underscores the importance of human action in attaining salvation, which can be useful for more inclusive interpretations regarding non-Christians.
In the paper, I will focus on how different interpretations of the passage circulated within Indonesian Christian communities. As a minority living in the biggest Muslim population in the world, Indonesian Christians utilize the text creatively as a way to shape their identity as well as to define their relationship with non-Christians, especially their Muslim neighbors. In that regard, the Muslim popular understanding of Jesus/ʽĪsā as an eschatological judge informs Indonesian Christian interpretations too. Thus, the meaning of the sheep and the goats becomes a site of contestation between Indonesian Christian groups. In this contestation, its locus range from the ecclesiastical discourse, through sermons, Bible studies, and daily meditations, to the public sphere, such as Muslim-Christian debates, religious educational material in schools, and interfaith dialogues. The survey of different interpretations of the passage will convey how their status as a minority living among Muslims influence Indonesian Christians’ hermeneutical lens toward the Bible, perception toward non-Christians, especially Muslims, and their sense of identity.
Thank you for a very thought-provoking paper, Hans. It raises very important questions about how our contexts and our agendas drive our interpretations of Scripture.
I would very much like to know how far your observations from Indonesia might be echoed in, for example, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. And in what ways does the Islamic context of Indonesia affect Indonesian readings of other parables?
Hello Ida, I cannot pretend to know the situation in other Southeast Asia countries because we are very different, including languages, so I have to admit that in Indonesia Christians only know little about Christians and Christianity in those countries. However, the main criterion to observe the relations between Christians and non-Christian neighbors is, I believe, whether Christians are the majority or not. In country like the Philippines, where Catholicism is the staggering majority, my observations might not apply. But in Malaysia, where Christians are minority, similar observations can be made. Christians in Malaysia are no longer be able to use the word "Allah" to call God in the Bible, which shows a huge dissimilarity with Indonesia because Christians and Muslims alike use the name "Allah" in religious vocabulary (except for a tiny portion of Christians who think Allah and YHWH are two different deities). Your second question requires more elaboration, which I believe I cannot justly respond here in brief. There is a tension among Christians between openness, as required in our country's ideology (and Bible too!), and maintaining unique identity, which asserts a degree of superiority over people of other religions and necessity to convert them to Christianity. For now, an example I can think of is the ways many parables are interpreted from the lens of converting non-Christians. Kingdom of God is understood as the expansion of Christian churches and the parable of the lost sheep is often used to emphasize the importance of converting non-Christians. I will try to ponder about your question more. Thank you.
Hello Hans. I can speak Indonesian and I would like to get involved in interfaith dialogues in Indonesia. Can you offer any suggestions for someone wanting to get involved in interfaith dialogues in Indonesia? Also does the Quran have any passage that is similar to Matthew 25: 31- 46 ?
Craig and Hans, could you continue the conversation about interfaith in Indonesia on chat or elsewhere? We want to keep the Forum for discussion on the papers. Thanks!
Hello Craig, As Ida suggested, feel free to reach me at hharmakaputra@hartsem.edu and we can talk more. To my knowledge, there is no passage similar to Matthew 25:31-46 in the Quran. In one of the hadiths, there is a famous hadith Qudsi where God says this line "0 My slaves, all of you are hungry except those whom I feed, so ask Me for food and I will feed you. 0 My slaves, all of you are naked except those whom I clothe, so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe you." It is part of a longer hadith that prohibits oppression. Sahih Muslim has it and also you can find it in the hadith collection by Imam Nawawi (no. 23). If you are looking for passages about the return of Isa/Jesus as a judge on the day of reckoning, I believe more can be found in hadith than in the Quran. Thanks!