The Godfather and the Sermon on the Plain
Sometimes, we forget that we live in a world that’s very different than the first-century. Not only did first-century folks live differently than we do, but they also thought differently than we do. This means that they structured their world—politically, religiously, economically, etc.—as a Roman Household, what historians call a patron-client relationship. So, even when Jesus is talking about love, we can’t ignore this dynamic. Fortunately for us, The Godfather movies can help us translate.
The Bottom Line: To love, to do good, and to lend—even to your enemies—hits at the heart of the social world of the first-century.
Takeaways
Takeaways
- The Roman world—and the Roman household—is structured around what we call a patron-client relationship. The opening of The Godfather is a perfect example of how this worked.
- A patron would do favors (in Greek, χάρις or “grace”) for his clients, who, in turn, were expected to be loyal (in Greek πίστις or "faithful").
- To love (ἀγαπάω) is properly understood as “attachment” to some group: your family, your village, your ethnic group, or to the patron-client relationship. It was not an internal, psychological state as we think of it today. It should always be understood as “group” language.
- Likewise, doing “good” or “lending” (in Luke 6:31-36) should also be understood within the context of the patron-client relationship.
- In Luke 6, Jesus is not just talking about being a “good person” or being “kind” to those you don’t like. Instead, he’s reorienting our entire outlook on life, including how we make our living. It’s a challenge to live our lives in such a way that God is our patron and we completely walk the Way by depending on him.