The importance of the reading site in liberating exegesis : Mark 6 - 30-44, an illustration

Abstract

Reader-response methodology insists upon the importance of the reader in the act of interpretation. It is argued that the reading site, the perspective of the reader, in large part determines the meaning elicited from the text. This thesis employs liberationist readings of the New Testament to illustrate this point and to respond to the following question: When we read Mark's account of The Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mk.6;30-44) from the reading site of the oppressed and marginalized, what do we see? An emphasis on giving and an implicit critique of systemic injustice emerges from an exegesis of this narrative and provides relevant meaning for those located in a situation of poverty, oppression and injustice. The implications of such a liberationist reading for various social groups serves to further demonstrate the important role of the reading site. Clearly, our response to the question is a liberating one.