My dearest readers,

At this time, I’ll make a Bible study from a passage thereof that is indeed very controversial. However, as I take advantage of the non-sectarian nature of my university major in theology, I must assume that this shouldn’t be taken seriously, as the issue is found in v.18 of the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. However, it shouldn’t be something too serious, because the nature of the ABS is to promote Ecclesial Inclusion within Protestant faith communities at a glance. Protestant Christianity is beautiful (as the Bible is). And one should never depart from attending the assembly (Hebrews 10:25). Well, that may sound awkward because many Protestants (in my local settings) tend to preach that way.

But, what if this Bible passage (alongside Hebrews 10:25, which will be studied at another time) could encourage autistic individuals to attend Church from Monday through Sunday rather than reading God’s Word on their own?! Hence, the essence of Romans 10:14. The main purpose of the ABS is that every person with Autism can attend a Protestant Church without diving into controversy about which denomination is correct. I say this because many Autism organizations tend to be pledged toward wokeism. And even more, many Christian schools marginalize people with autism. Hence, the ideas for promoting Autism Theology and Ecclesial Inclusion within the Baptist church.

Now, focusing on this Bible passage, we will study St. Peter the Apostle. Let’s get into it.

What is the main idea of the text?

The following Bible passage, as stated above, contains some hypotheses about the Church’s foundation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Note two facts: The location and the question asked by the Lord in v.13. However, the most important thing surrounding theology is the question about who the Messiah is. All twelve disciples started responding, according to their own words, who was such a Messiah. In those stances, one of the disciples, Simon, responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (v.16).

Then Jesus responds to such a question by saying that Simon (the son of John) was a blessed man because the Father had called the Son to reveal the following, given that he was not given such a message from any carnal human being (v.17). Then, the v.18 is considered the principal idea of such a text that explains the origins of Our Faith: “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it”

Something beautiful about this passage is that Jesus instructs Peter about the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven which will be given to him. But what is the beautiful thing about this passage? Great question, the answer prevails in that whatever Peter could forbid on earth, it would be forbidden as well in Heaven! (v.19). After having said these words to Peter, our Lord told his original twelve disciples NOT to say to anybody that He was the Messiah (v.20).

What is the meaning of such a passage?

As we get into the main idea of the text, which is explained above, what can we say about this? Which church or Church was the one Jesus and His disciples were talking about? These are many questions that a neurotypical might have, and even worse, these questions can be sort of difficult questions by the disabled! For that reason, I lay into the biblical scholars who can say more than my thousand words.

“Jesus’ question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is’ marks a major turning point in this gospel. As their answers show, the people were still in the dark about the identity of Jesus […] Peter’s answer, however, was one target: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ (v.16). Thus, Jesus said, on this confession (“this rock”) he would build his church. The church has now come into full view of this gospel. Access (‘the keys’) into the kingdom of heaven would henceforth come through the church” (Sailhamer & Frees, 2011)

“No matter how much Satan attacks, the church will win, and he will lose. The offensive advance of the church exercising kingdom authority overrides hell’s attempts to stop it. But would Jesus accomplish his building program? Since Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, Jesus used his name in wordplay. In Greek, Peter’s name is Petros, which means ‘stone’. But when Jesus said, on this rock, I will build my church (16:18), he used the Greek word petra, which was a collection of rocks knitted together to form a larger slab. Jesus’s church, then, would be comprised of his unified brothers who confess him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, as Peter did.” (Evans, 2019)

An analysis of what this passage means in terms of disability and the church.

“I love the church. Those who know me well know that I am an apologist for the local church. I believe that thousands of years ago, Jesus made an outrageous prediction and promise that he would build not a place but a people who would be unstoppable, and because of that they would be handed the keys to his kingdom”. (Hardwick, 2021, p.7)

I couldn’t better begin with the analysis of what this passage means in terms of disability and the church than by citing an African-American, autistic pastor who, despite our theological and doctrinal differences, loves the church as told by him in his work Disability and the Church. The church herself is beautiful, and there’s supposed to be a welcoming place for everyone. And when I say everyone, I say people with disabilities as well as people of color and other ones. For me, it was not the case. Despite a certain reality that surrounds my being, I always wanted to get involved in any ministry inside my local Baptist church (both in Bogotá and here in Barranquilla). There is something I want to recall and is about the soul-winning ministry. In the beginning, I tried to win the souls of my paternal family who live in Bucaramanga (Santander, Colombia). However, there were two principal sources of avoiding: Economic resources and my false expectations that they would do the same as my maternal family did. But it was never the case. The thing is that God never wanted this. Instead, He wanted me to establish a special-needs ministry in my local Baptist church here in Barranquilla. At the moment, such a ministry hasn’t been started yet. Perhaps for the ruin that the church is or perhaps for the interests of the congregants, it hasn’t been started yet. However, when everything is lost, you realize that there are even some para-church organizations that focus on helping your church to make things happen. And yes, that’s the purpose of what para-church organizations are, to work with the church.

A good example of this is Joni and Friends. Yes, the top disability Christian non-profit, whose outreach point is the disabled. However, as you realize, there are even pastors/ministers inside my denominational line that oppose para-church organizations. One good example is a Reformed Baptist pastor (2020) from Bogota (Colombia). He says the following respecting para-church organizations:

“A para-church organization is an organism that exists on a parallel [and different] form to the church, which pretends to fulfill some function God only commanded to the church.

These organizations are not under any specific local church (although they take advantage of their closeness to many of them) and are managed by particular people who can be Christians or church people, but who do not hold or depend on these. On the contrary, they would be supervised by the church, supervised by their pastors, and supported by a local church.

The issue is that today, there exist tons of para-church organizations (universities, colleges, evangelism groups, benevolences, worship groups, evangelists, coalitions, etc.), that often confuse with biblical/ecclesial ministries, that use/subordinate the local churches, to absorb their resources, use their staff, they make stronger and robust delimiting gifts and resources that God gives to His church to fulfill His function. That is why we see today enormous, elegant, and powerful para-church ministries and at the same time, weak churches as weak and as puny as ever.”

Let me tell you that I took the course “Beyond Suffering” in Spanish, and I’m writing the Autism Bible Study using the “Exegetical Project” sketch for writing down this and the other resting Bible studies embedded in my blog. So, do you know why I chose to study theology at a non-sectarian, secular university? It is because I wanted to watch myself out of bibliolatry, just assume that the Theology Program is to prepare for the leading of the Lord, but in reality, it isn’t.  It is instead, a professional program that is a product of Liberal Theology. You know, Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, etc. Fortunately, I managed to stay firm in my faith because I had done some internships with my Baptist pastor, indeed. There are many para-church organizations that indeed, stand up for the local church to the stick column of truth. In some instances, I must say that while churches are exclusively houses of worship, para-church organizations are indeed part of the commerce institution (in my understanding, of course).

So, what do these themes have to do with the passage in question? I am saying this because of the essential topic of this passage that comes from one of the New Testament Gospels. Please note that the Gospel of Matthew is the first book listed in the New Testament embedded in our Bibles.

My life and ministry in the church

If Jesus Christ founded the institution of the Church so the gates of hell do not prevail in Her, what has happened to the modern church? What is the problem with working with people with disabilities? Let me remind you that if the schools aren’t prepared to handle an autistic child, don’t wait for the church to be prepared either.

It must be said that the modern-day church has forgotten the essence of what disability might have in many of us. This reminds me of an author who had said that the Early Church, indeed, was so inclusive towards people with disabilities:

“People with disabilities were a priority for the early church. And they were a priority because of the church’s prioritization of and commitment to caring for the poor. ‘Disability’ appears in their writings not as a one-off topic but as part of their larger in their writings not as a one-off topic but as part of their larger interest in the materially and socially poor. Working from the teachings of Jesus, the church fathers saw it as part of their Christian vocation to live charitably towards those the world ostracized.” (Brown, 2020, cited by Hardwick, 2021, p.49)

If the world ostracized the disabled in that time, I’m sorry to say that is the church today that is indeed, the one who ostracizes all those in society. In reality, they behave as the Levi and the High Priest of the parable of the Good Samaritan, and even worse, they judge you! Still, they judge you and want you to stay still in the church. So much hypocrisy among them! Using as a pretext the Bible (Heb. 10:25), as a way to insist that those who want to get away from the hell they live in church.

I must assume, if you are a Christian in crisis and think that your faith can be fixed by entering and embracing the Christian left, let me tell you that you are not alone, you are accompanied by the demons. Because you are a poor ignorant.

“Keys symbolize access. When Jesus announced his intention to create a gathering of his followers, he framed the birth of his kingdom with the expressed intent of inclusion. The church was born to give humanity access to God’s Kingdom, a kingdom whose ethics and ideals are not only inclusive but eternal”. (Hardwick, 2021, p.39).

My dearest Christian communities. Suppose you see a new congregant gathering in your church who is indeed a disabled individual. Would you open the door so they can be visible in their communities in case they have strong interests? I always keep thinking about leaving the special-needs ministry position in my church to a “Bible-minded” autistic individual whose explicit obsession is the Good Book. However, I am still in the process of implementing a special-needs ministry in my local Baptist church. My pastor is still waiting on it.

You can reach me at religiontheo062022@gmail.com

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia

Cited Works

Castañeda, J. (2020, July 13). ORGANIZACIONES PARAECLESIALES. Retrieved March 03, 2025, from Facebook.: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15pJsKpa9U/

Evans, T. (2019). Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Holman Bible Publishers.

Hardwick, L. (2021). Disability and the Church: A Vision for Diversity and Inclusion. InterVarsity Press.

Sailhamer, J., & Frees, D. (2011). NIV Bible Study Commentary. ZONDERVAN.

Hi there, everyone,

This is Bro. Angello Forero, and behold, I come with another Neurodivergent Bible StudyOnIn this occasion, we’ll talk about the disability champion parable of Jesus: The Big Supper! This parable, indeed, is part of Jesus Christ’s parables to teach pity to the Pharisees and all those who listened to Him. Indeed, there is something special this parable has in common with disability, though.

My name is Angello Forer,o and welcome to another blog post.

What is the main idea of the text?

            The following parable is somehow related to disability, ty given that the main idea of this passage has to do with whom we invite to certain events, and indeed, they come up with some good excuses. However, something curious that I find in the Beyond Suffering Bible is that this parable has a lot to do with the Messianic Banquet, which means the banquet for the Second Coming of Christ (in my own understanding, though).

The following passage begins with a man who was sitting at a table in the crowd of those who were hearing Jesus’ messages. He then exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the kingdom of God!” (v.15). Can you guess what then? Jesus replied with the objective parable we are currently studying in this blog!

The parable tells the story of a master who had prepared a great feast, sending out many invitations! Vv.. 16-17), Those invitations were delivered by the master’s servant. So, can you guess what they did? They started to make excuses (vv. 18-20). The first one said he had bought a field and should therefore inspect it. The second one had supposedly bought five pairs of oxen and shamelessly wanted to try them out. And the third one was getting married, and couldn’t go, indeed.

Furthermore, something that is the knowledge point we are getting to go approaches to Jesus Christ, saying:

The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more. ’ So, his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. None of those I first invited will even get the smaller taste of my banquet.

(vv. 21-24)

            When the servant had told his master the made-up excuse brought to him by those he was guesting, immediately, his own master was some kind of furious and wanted to force those who were crippled, poor, lame, and blind. The pretty curious thing is found in v.24: For none of those I first invited will even get the smaller taste of my banquet.

So, what are the meanings of this parable? How could we invite those with our same disability to our churches, even when they refuse to go with us? This parable can have a lot of meanings just like the parable of the Rich and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31, more specifically, v.31). So, go ahead and consult with our friendly Bible scholars in regards of this passage!

What is the meaning of this parable?

“In this parable, observe the free grace and mercy of God shining in the Gospel of Christ, which will be food and a feast for the soul of a man that knows his own wants and miseries. All found some pretense to put off their attendance. This reproves the Jewish nation for their neglect of the offers of Christ’s grace. It also shows the backwardness there is in closing with the gospel call. The want of gratitude in those with slight gospel offers, and the contempt put upon the God of heaven thereby, justly provoke him. The apostles were to turn to the Gentiles when the Jews refused the offer, and with them, the church was filled. The provision made for precious souls in the gospel of Christ has not been made in vain, for if some reject, others will thankfully accept the gospel. The very poor and low in the world shall be as welcome to Christ as the rich and great; and many times, the gospel has the greatest success among those who labor under worldly disadvantages and bodily infirmities. Christ’s house shall at last be filled; it will be so when the number of the elect is completed.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, n.d)

“As our Lord’s words seemed to hold forth the future ‘recompense’ under the idea of a great Feast, the thought passes through this man’s mind, how blessed they would be who should be honored to sit down to it. Our Lord’s reply is in substance this: ‘The great Feast is prepared already; the invitations are issued, but declined; the feast, notwithstanding, shall now want abundance of guests; but not one of its present contemners who shall yet come to sue for admission shall be allowed to taste of it’. This shows what was lacking in the seemingly pious exclamation of this man. It was Balaam’s, ‘Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his’ (Numbers 23:10), without any anxiety about living his life; fondly wishing that all were right with him at last, while all heedless of the precious present” (Jamieson-Faussett-Brown Bible Commentary,n.d)

Neurodivergent Analysis of what the Great Feast means

“The point of this story about serving others is that it’s as much for the person throwing the party as it is for the person with a disability sitting at the table. The Church needs those with disabilities just as much as those with disabilities need the Church. That’s why Luke 14 says Do this and you will be blessed like that restaurant maître d’ who was so blessed because he went the extra mile to help me. It’s a lesson to remember as you and your church reach out to those with disabilities. It may take extra work and a little creative thinking, but as you do it, your church will be blessed” (Beyond Suffering Bible, 2016)

Mrs. Eareckson Tada points out something special for us as people with disabilities: Hebrews 10:25:

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

This may sound eschatological sometimes, but in that same case, each of us must gather in a local church, whatever the issue. Just take me for example, as the church where I attended was not prepared at the time when I started to be a member, many of those involved in the Church committed lots of mistakes that in some cases made me discomfort. Amid those things, you must really congregate in a church as a duty for God and not for man. “I’m not going to Church unless I please you.” Great mistake. I certainly say unto you, my dear listeners, that I have all the scruples to say that when you please an autistic person to go to Church, the Holy Spirit will doubly reward you when you die. There’s nothing to decipher in this statement, given that you are going to please the Lord Himself each time an autistic person invites you to the Church.

The second key principle of this parable is pointed out in Matthew Henry’s Commentary on this issuing passage: “This reproves the Jewish nation for their neglect of the offers of Christ’s grace”. His commentary seems to be aimed at Exodus 32, which tells the story of the golden calf, or even the Book of Judges, when every time there was no audience or a human political leader, behold, the Israelite nation was corrupt, whatever the issue was. In my own understanding of this parable, perhaps the most important thing is to remind us about the issue we had towards inviting our family members to the Church, which, in some cases, they said, “Enough! I am a Cathol.” “I’m sorry, we are not of that”. Furthermore, there is something I also want to figure ou, and it is the issue of not inviting those who are on the same page; they will even regret it more than those who are not on the Lord’s path. This happened a lot to me. In this context, I was enrolled in a disability non-profit in Bogota (Colombia) for many years, and unexplainably, I was enrolled in a Christian school that wasn’t prepared at the time, and in the same way, I lasted there for seven years. But Mr. Forero, where are you going with all these extensive tenses? Well, I want to say that, amidst those obsessions, I always forgot that those within the disability facility (both staff and families) needed more of the gospel! And now that I picked up from the capital city of Colombia and live far away from it, I understand the waste of time! It is hard, but disabled individuals (more specifically, those with developmental and intellectual disabilities) need to understand better the gospel and be saved than those of your family, including the neurotypical people you see on the streets!

The third principle is completely found online. 24:

None of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet

(New Living Translation (NLT))

Let’s admit it. In the foundation where I’m interning, a Reformed Baptist Church is gathering on Sundays. That same congregation is filled with neurotypicals! What has caught my attention is the beautiful bond between such a faith community and the foundation! Where am I going with this? Is in the sense of cooperation between a Church and a disability foundation!! Perhaps we judge people without knowing them (this frequently happens to me). In my local context, indeed, the Roman Catholic Church, despite being an unbiblical church, has provided a lot to the disability community of Colombia, as it has partnered with tons of local foundations, non-profits, corporations, businesses, and associations in providing assistance toward the disabled Catholics. So, if the “Great Harlot” has done so much with the handicapped, what about the Church of Christ that Luther reformed through the Bible? It’s October, and iitthenth of the Bible. I know many of us don’t read it, but what about laying through her through a lectionary? There is no need to implement a Bible course in a U.S. public school, given that there exists a lectionary!

How can these three principles relate to the neurodivergent’ life and ministry in their Churches?

Behold is the principal topic I’m going to explain about these principles in relation to the parable of the big feast: Ecclesiastical Cooperation!

There are many types of inclusion: Educational Inclusion, Social Inclusion, Financial Inclusion, and Work Inclusion. Amid those, there must be a new one that lineages with Christianity: Ecclesial Inclusion! As neurotypicals have closed the door to the Gospel, the neurodivergent can open the door. All this depends on the families and the environment. Most of them could be closed, but some are open to cooperate with us in a beautiful sense of belonging.

The parable of the big feast is a reflexive approach to the Second Coming of Christ. Perhaps this parable is adequate to start up the Putting Faith to Work (PFTW) program in Colombia! We’ll see what happens.

If you have the chance to talk to a person with a disability, invite them to the Church!

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia

References:

Beyond Suffering Bible. (2016). Tyndale Bible Publishers.

Luke 14 Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2024, from Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb/luke/14.htm

Luke 14 Matthew Henry’s Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/luke/14.htm

Pulpit Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/luke/14.htm