Posts Tagged: Did Jesus want to be married
“What Jesus Gave Up for Us”
There are those of us who believe that Jesus was more than a prophet or a great teacher, though we agree that he was certainly those things too. We believe that he was God in the flesh, dying for the sins of the whole world. We frequently think and speak of Jesus as giving up his life for us.
However, we may miss some of the lesser, but still significant, things that Jesus gave up for us. I was reminded of this by a comment made by a gentleman who was part of a virtual Bible study in which my wife and I are participating.
The Bible study is about learning to walk in the same way that Jesus walked. In our first lesson, we were talking about ways in which the New Testament portrays Jesus living out his empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and how we could live in the same manner.
Jeremy, one of the leaders of the group, wondered if Jesus ever missed having a home, being married, having a “regular” life. Was he ever tempted by the lack of these things? I had never thought of the matter in this way, and I immediately thought of this little vignette from the Gospels:
“Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” (Matthew 8:18–20 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
https://accordance.bible/link/read/ESVS#Matt._8:18, accessed 04-27-2020)
I had always thought of Jesus as saying the bit about not having a place to lay his head in a very matter-of-fact way. He was simply warning the scribe what following him would involve.
But do I really know Jesus’ tone of voice? I do not! What if Jesus said this in a wistful voice? What if Jesus really would like to have had a regular home? What if Jesus really wanted to be married and have children? We do not make Jesus more divine by eliminating his humanity. We just make Jesus more inaccessible if we do that.
And I said to myself, “I get so excited about the cross, that I forget all the not-so-little crosses that Jesus bore all the time.”
Probably, Jesus wanted to live “a normal life” as much as anyone. But he didn’t. So, if life isn’t normal for you right now, you’re on in exceedingly good company.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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