Was Jesus HOMELESS?
Christ was a carpenter up until the age of 30; his erstwhile neighbors in Nazareth recognized him by his prior occupation (Mark 6:3 & Matthew 13:55). The Greek word for ‘carpenter’ is tektón (TEK-tohn), which refers to a craftsman, carpenter or artisan. Tektón is where we get the words tectonic and architect. In 1st Century Israel a tektón was a general craftsman who worked with wood, stone or metal in building projects, small or large. In other words, Christ did more than make tables & chairs.
Quality carpenters/builders/architects today make good money, as do people of any profession that takes skill and is in demand (Proverbs 22:29). Imagine how skilled the Messiah was as a builder since he created everything that exists (Colossians 1:16-17)!
Scholars say that families involved in a trade in Israel back then would’ve at least been of lower-middle income status. Tradition suggests that Christ’s’ stepfather, Joseph, died a few years before he entered public ministry at the age of 30 and thus, as the eldest son, Jesus became the one primarily responsible as the family breadwinner. His four brothers would’ve worked too of course.
After entering fulltime ministry and serving as a traveling minister, there’s indication that Christ had a home in Capernaum (Mark 2:1). In John 1:38-43 we observe John & Andrew visiting Jesus’ abode with Andrew wasting no time encouraging his bother Peter to come over as well. Mark 1:29 shows that Peter lived in Capernaum. Did Christ own this home or rent it? How long did he have it? The Bible doesn’t say.
It’s true that Christ said “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20 & Luke 9:58), but ‘Context is King’: Who was the Lord talking to, what statement was he responding to and what exactly did he mean by his answer? Let’s read the full passage:
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Matthew 8:18-20
The Messiah was explaining the cost of being a disciple to a well-to-do scribe who claimed “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” In this particular case, following the Lord wherever he went meant traveling from town to town throughout Israel & points nearby, staying at the homes of hospitable people and such (Luke 10:3-7). Think of it in terms of modern musicians or entertainers who go on tour for months on end. It’s a challenging lifestyle, to say the least. How much more so if you’re constantly ministering to the spiritual & physical needs of people?
Yet Christ & his disciples weren’t poor when they traveled in ministry. Part of their wages was the places they stayed and the food provided for them (Luke 10:7), but they also received constant donations, which were gathered in the ministry’s money box (or bag), aka their treasury (Luke 8:3 & John 13:29). So much money came in that Judas regularly stole from the treasury without being detected (John 12:6).
So Christ was never ‘homeless’ in the sense of living on the street and begging for food. Rather, Jesus ministered to such people (e.g. Luke 18:35-42). So should we.
Lastly, sleeping on the ground or on a bench for a night or three doesn’t constitute homelessness. I’ve done both several times and I’ve never been homeless. This isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with the Homeless Jesus statue (pictured at the top) because it drives home the point that the Lord has compassion on those suffering this condition and wants to help them & deliver them (Psalm 145:9 & Isaiah 25:7-8).
Related Topics:
Provision, Money and “Prosperity”
The Gist on Giving and “Tithing”
The Left’s Unbalanced View of Christ & Christianity
Understanding “the Right” and “the Left” from a Biblical Perspective
comments powered by Disqus