Abstract:
The article presented a panegyric reading of the Sermon on the Plain (Lk 6:20–49) in the
Malawian context. It observed that, unlike its Matthean counterpart (Mt 5–7), the Sermon
holds an insignificant place in African hermeneutics. Based on the Sermon’s structure and
content the article proposed the Greco-Roman panegyric, whose function was to inculcate
commonly held values, as a framework for reading of the Sermon. It argued that when read in
its original context as a Greco-Roman panegyric, the Sermon’s radical stance on poverty and
riches had significant implications for African and Malawian socio-economic realities. It
brought into light the complicated relationships between the poor and rich both among Luke’s
original audience and the contemporary Malawian context. The panegyric reading of the
Sermon also had a significant bearing on the application of the ubuntu philosophy in socioeconomic interrelationships in Malawi. The article posited that the socio-economic inequalities
in Malawi caused by corrupt, cronyism and nepotism not only challenge the majority Christian
status of the nation but also the foundations of the African values of ubuntu. As a panegyric,
the Sermon therefore challenges Malawian Christians to rethink their values and the
relationship between the rich and the poor.
CONTRIBUTION: The article provides a new perspective to the interpretation of the Sermon on
the Plain in African context. Against the background of its apparent neglect in African
hermeneutics, the article underscores the relevance of the Sermon on the Plain to socioeconomic discourse in Malawi in particular and Africa in general.
