Guest Christology or theology of welcoming is an important development in African theology.
As a guest to Africa, he comes with gifts like other guests. These gifts include, the charismatic
gifts (1 CorithianI2). He welcomes strangers, outsiders, the Gentles, the pagans;48 outcasts, sinners and the diseased. 149 As Mugambi (1995:90) says, he identified himself with people of all cultures in Palestine, and in a wider sense with all people on earth. His uniqueness, above other ordinary guests in the African context, is seen in his emphasis on the need to rise above ethnic, racial, class and hierarchical barriers, as above implied. He therefore showed no discrimination.
He welcomed all thereby becoming their unique and special guest. In particular, he came into contact with Samaritans, Roman soldiers, Syro-phoenicians, tax-collectors like Zacchaeus, prostitutes, peasants, fishermen, Scribes, the powerful, the destitute, women and children (see Mugambi 1995:90). The fact that Jesus was not a respecter of rank or position or wealth shows that a theology of hospitality is closely connected to confronting all kinds of social, racial and sexual discrimination. Thus as Healey and Sybertz (1996:188) says, hospitality as an African cultural value and a deeply Christian value challenges the pervading individualism, selfishness and exclusivism of the contemporary world.
As a guest, Christ could celebrate. He went to the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee (John 2) where he turned out to be the bringer of the missing gift-that is- additional wine! This miracle of turning water into wine was to assist in the provision of hospitality on the wedding day. At meals and social gatherings, he freely mixed with all kinds of people (Luke 7: 36-50). He told parables about banquets and feasts (Matthew 22: 1-4). As a unique guest, he broke with traditional Jewish practices by eating with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9: 10-11).
In eating with sinners (Matthew 9: 10-11, Luke 7: 36-50), and introducing the meal ministry as evidenced by feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14: 13-21), Christ emphasised the importance of symbolism of meal, which is a common phenomenon in Africa. This shows that his theology and praxis of his ministry reflect the basic values of African hospitality (Healey and Sybertz 1996: 188). The Kenyan priest- anthropologist John Mutiso-Mbinda emphasises the importance of the meal when he says,
148The meaning of this word has shifted over the centuries. Today in Africa, it has a negative, even pejorative meaning. Now the preferred term is "member of an African traditional religion"
The chapters and verses of the scriptures that shows these acts of Christ have been variously mentioned in our
A meal is perhaps the most basic and most ancient symbol of friendship, love and unity. Food and drink taken in common are obvious signs that life is shared. In our (African) context, it is unusual for people to eat alone.
Only a witch or wizard would do that. A meal is always a communal affair.
The family normally eats together. Eating together is a sign of being accepted to share life and equality (Mutiso-Mbinda 1984:1-5).
One of the African names for Christ therefore is "our Guest". Through the incarnation, he became the most important Guest of all time. The writer of Philippians says that though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God but emptied himself taking the form of a servant, being born in likeness shows how he so much loved humanity such that he joined the human race thereby becoming our permanent guest and a friend from personal level to communal level (Mutugi 2000: 53). St Luke tells us that he grew like us, underwent intellectual, physical, spiritual and social growth. Likewise, we should learn from him and grow like him (Luke 2:52).
As a good African guest, Christ brings gifts. One of the best gifts that he brought is reconciliation between humanity and the maker-God. St. Paul stresses this point by saying, " If anyone is in Christ, he (or she) is a new creation everything old has passed away: see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5: 17). He is that guest who in reconciling us to our maker makes us new and better creation. As unique and ideal guest, Christ stays with human beings and remains with them forever (Matthew 28: 20). He is unique guest who is the good shepherd (John 10: 11) who knows his people whom he has visited (John 10: 14). Having been privileged to have such a unique guest who cares so much over our welfare, the African challenge now is as St. Paul advised, " welcome one another just as Christ has welcomed you, in order to bring praise to God" (Romans 15:7).
As African guest, Christ comes as the "healing guest". This is seen from his first sermon that he delivered (Luke 4: 18-20), where he announces his mission-healing the world from its sickness- economic mess, oppression, blindness and bringing forth a fulfilling life. This therefore means that by relating with Christ, we expect our healing miracle in our daily encounter. He says,
"people who are well do not need a doctor but only those who are sick" (Matthew 9: 12). He is that great healer of all seasons. The greatest healing that he administered to us is healing us from death; thereby making death not to be a serious bother. As Martin Luther King captured this idea,
Death is (now) not the end. Death is (now) not a period that ends the great sentence of life, but a comma that punctuates it to a more lofty significance, Death is not a blind alley that leads man into life eternal... (King 1986:101),
These words get their affirmation from St. Paul's (Philippians 1: 21) words when he says, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain .. ,." Thus Christ, the African guest brings many gifts including the gifts of healing us from death, thereby making it necessary to receive him with great anticipation.