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Asian Approaches To Reading The Bible

By: Avery Anders, Ally Trostle, and Brit Choate

The Story of the Merciful Father and the Sorrowful Son

11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ 20 So he set off and went to his father.

The Story of the Merciful Father and the Sorrowful Son

But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

Central Asia

Kazakhstan

• Main religion: 52% Sunni Muslim

• Government style: Presidential system

• Status of Christianity: Russian Orthodox is more accepted/has more freedom than any other claims

• Value of familial tradition: Christians often face rejection and disownment from their families despite an emphasis on traditional close-knit dynamics.

western Asia

Saudi Arabia

• Main religion: 85% Sunni Muslim (The two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are in Saudi Arabia)

• Government style: Absolute monarchy

• Status of Christianity: Christianity is illegal. Families and the government are the top two persecutors of christian converts. Public practice of any religion outside of Muslim is strictly prohibited by the government.

• Value of familial tradition: Status is very important in all sectors of Saudi society, so parents and elders are very respected among children. So, it is recognized that children’s responsibility is to care for their elders. This results in many families living together with extended family members to help to care for each other.

Southern asia

india

• Main religion: Hindu

• Government style: Federal Parliamentary republic

• Status of Christianity: Though it is not formally illegal, there is an extreme amount of religious persecution due to anti-conversion laws implemented by a radically Hindu Prime Minister. Only around 5% of the population are Christians, which is around 30-70 million of the 1.4 billion individuals that live there.

• Value of familial tradition: Loyalty and interdependence are stressed heavily.

eastern asia

china

• Main religion: Buddhism

• Government style: Communist

• Status of Christianity: Because of the government, the status of Christianity is very limited.

• Value of familial tradition: Extremely tight-knit and can be described as the “foundation for all social relations.” Thus, when conversion to Christianity occurs in the traditional Chinese family, it can be understood to be a source of high conflict and persecution.

Southeastern Asia

thailand

• Main religion: Buddhism

• Government style: Constitutional Monarchy

• Status of Christianity: 1.2 percent Christians, permitted and not necessarily looked down on, just rare

• Value of familial tradition: strong familial bond: often live with family even when married, meals are always eaten together, respect parents and elders model

Interpretation Theme 1: Forgiveness

Cultural Application: According to Buddhism, the primary religion of both the eastern and southeastern regions of Asia, Karma is viewed as the primary form of justice. So according to this view, rather than a warm homecoming, the son should get the worst of consequences. Spiritual Application: Rather than tending to the traditional view of Karma, the fathers actions in this story evidently display the forgiving heart of our heavenly Father. To a reader from one of these regions, the interpretation of this story would introduce a new idea of grace and mercy.

Interpretation Theme 2: Acceptance

Cultural Application: In the Muslim tradition, the primary religion for both central and western Asia, the honor-shame system guides culture. According to this view, the father's acceptance of his son was more valuable to him than the acceptance the father could have gained from society. Spiritual Application: Rather than holding to the traditional view of honor-shame culture, the father was willing to publically accept his son even after his mistakes and proceeded to invite the whole town to share in his joy.

Interpretation Theme 3: Hope

Cultural Application: In the Hindu culture that dominates the Southern region of Asia, much of the family structure is deemed by loyalty and interdependence. In this view, breaking a father’s loyalty in the Hindu culture would not be reconcilable. Spiritual Application: By keeping in mind the reaction and treatment of family in the Hindu culture, a father who welcomes their child back with open arms not only is extremely countercultural but also offers an overwhelming sense of hope to the child. Though the reality of the son in the story should not be hope for the future, the father offers it in abundance, which also allows hope to become our reality as sons and daughters of Christ.

Discussion Questions:

• Are there any individuals in your community who interpret this parable in similar ways due to their geographical origin? What differences have they presented in their interpretations of the story?

• How does knowing this information allow you to interpret this parable from a broader intercultural perspective?

Sources

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wuB6symx2ZAHrOIBXrmM01TBC62dgRhp/view?usp=sharing https://pitt.libguides.com/asiancountries/regionsofasia https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/ https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/?_source_code=WBPGGPG20B#country-list https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/indian-culture/indian-culture-family https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780127016306500150#:~:text=The%20family%20is%20particularly%20important,family%20(Chai%2C%201964b). https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/23/10-things-to-know-about-chinas-policies-on-religion/ https://tasteofthailand.org/respect-family-culture-in-thailand/#:~:text=Strong%20family%20bond%3A%20Like%20most,meals%20together%20to%20living%20arrangements. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/asia/thailand-thaksin-shinawatra-granted-parole-intl-hnk/index.html https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZR9JqPOBrQj2wb-gcGtrZ_geV-FmITaT/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rt5PQdxQ1SXiZbp289nh8pch0LBCUv3E/view?usp=sharing