Was Jesus Married?

Could Jesus have been married? Is it possible to think that this is true and still be a ‘Good Christian’? Would Jesus being married have changed what he did? Would it matter if a single man or a married man died for our sins? Would he not be as able to give us the wisdom that he did? We know that many of the Disciples were married, most notably Peter who is seen as the ‘rock’ or ‘cornerstone’ of the church. Catholicism even recognizes Peter as their first Pope.

Facts for the Argument

Let’s first take a look at the wording. In numerous places throughout the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) Jesus is referred to as ‘Rabbi’, the actual Hebrew translation meaning teacher. What did it mean to be called Rabbi in early first century C.E.? You had to have had a certain amount of lineage, you had to have studied, and you were held to the Jewish traditions. We know that Mary, his mother, was from the house of Benjamin, a very strong house to belong to, and Joseph was from the house of David even stronger and necessary to the ascension of a Messiah. He had more than enough lineage. As far as studying he would have been expected to have studied with the lineage that he had.

Mary came from prominence meaning that Joseph would have had to have had money and standing of his own to have been betrothed. Jesus would have been very well learned. Lastly, holding on to Jewish laws and traditions, we see in multiple instances where Jesus talks about the laws, he would have held to the customs of the day or not taken seriously. These traditions would have been upheld or he would have been ostracized at an early age. Males in the Jewish community would have been allowed to marry at the age of 16; not only would they have been able to marry, they would have been set in a prearranged marriage by their parents from their early childhood. Certainly good parents of a son that had the lineage that Jesus had would have followed the Jewish laws of marriage. Jesus as well would have honored his mother and father as the Ten Commandment had told them. These were the facts of the day and age.

How Would It Affect Us Today

In Jesus' ministry it would not have mattered at all. In today’s world however, the belief that Christ was married would stand organized Christianity on its collective ear. Most every form of Christianity holds to the belief that Jesus was a single man and never took a wife, some also stating that his abstinence was part of what kept him holy. Looking at the facts we can make an argument both ways. In the end we can restate the questions from above. Does it change what he came to do? Does it lessen the teachings? And for the Christians that believe, would a married man not be able to die for your sins? It is very possible we will never have hard facts one way or the other, this is just one of the newest differences in disagreements for Christians to squabble over.

Could this have been the case?

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds