EXEGESIS AND IMPLICATIONS OF MATTHEW 5:38-48: ANTITHESES FOR RELATIONSHIPS BUILDINGS AMIDST CHIBOK CHRISTIANS’ RESPONSES TO PERSECUTIONS IN NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Christian Persecution is a growing wonder worldwide that had great effect on the relationship building, religious, economic and social life of North-eastern Nigeria especially in the Chibok area. Matthew 5:38-48 offers guidelines for building relationships in suffering Christian communities. Most scholars maintain that Matthew 5:17-48, which is situated in a larger narrative popularly known as the Sermon on the Mount, encompasses Jesus’ account of the New Law, which have been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Besides, they agree that the passage provides an antithesis to the Mosaic Law, yet Jesus was inspiring his followers to build non- violent and non-retaliation relations as well as striving for cordial relationships that empower them. However, the antitheses constitute an interpretive challenge, which causes confusion in Chibok area due to the Islamic Boko Haram militia attacks. The issue is on whether they engender suitable ground for resolving affected relationships. The motivation for applying Matthew 5:38-48 in relation to the context of Chibok Christians’ responses to persecution; reinterpreting the antitheses for relationship building, which the antitheses’ encourage was motivated by increased violence amongst the Chibok area in North Eastern Nigeria which is alarming despite the several Kibaku’s traditional efforts applied to mitigate the broken relationship building in the context. Matthew 5:38-48 contains cultural hints, which may either inform or deconstruct the culture of masculinity, which leads Chibok Christians to view the antitheses as inspiring cowardliness, which contradicts the logic of Jesus. The findings will argue that the Chibok Christians in persecuted context in Northeast area will make use of the outcome of this research on nonviolence. This will then lead to an effective reconciliation and sustainable peace is realized. The study will reflect on societal relationships building in the antitheses, which should inform the building of the same in Chibok’s situation. The study will demonstrate the importance of the antitheses in curtailing the challenge of frigid relationships in the Chibok area. It is expected that various bodies of peace buildings will use the findings of this paper to enhance contemporary efforts of fighting against cultural beliefs of manliness that hindered Chibok Christians from fully adhering to the antitheses in relationships buildings.