Was Jesus Married? Part 7—Points to Consider (Pro-Marriage)

More from the Wiki Answers discussion.

Don’t Make Assumptions

Just trust what the bible [sic] said and if it is not recorded, then just don’t make your own assumption base [sic] on other facts.

In other words, if the Bible doesn’t say Jesus was married, we can’t assume one way or another that he was or wasn’t married. I would tend to agree with that . . . to a point.

Just because a the Bible doesn’t mention that Ezekiel saw an unidentified flying object doesn’t mean he didn’t see one. Don’t believe me? Check out Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10. Perhaps I’ll give my take on these verses one day.

There are many things that can be gleaned from the scriptures that aren’t explicitly stated in modern-day terms. Also, there are many things that can be alluded to by inference from other parts of the Bible, as we shall see.

Rabbi or Teacher Status

It is well established that Jesus was regarded as a Rabbi, even by the religious leaders of his day, although he received no formal training, as did the Jews.

But what does this mean?

In an article entitled, “Are rabbis required to marry or can they remain celibate?”, the author states:

My own inclination is that because marriage itself is a positive commandment, historically the ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Sage’ would have been subject to the same rules. In Rabbinic literature — that is Talmudic literature — there are numerous statements endorsing marriage positively and at the same time commenting negatively on celibacy (TB 29 b; TB Yev. 62b, 63a;). Lastly, marriage was so important that if finances were at stake, one should sell a Sefer Torah in order to marry (Meg. 27a).

Further in Jewish law, the European gloss of R. Isserles on the Shulchan Arukh OH 581:1 states that only one who is married may lead the congregation in worship — note that this is the Hazzan/Shaliah Tzibbur and not the Rabbi whose function may only have been to teach. (Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner)

We know that Jesus taught in the temple. We also know he taught, or at least was invited to read a scripture, in Nazareth. And, of course, Jesus spent three years teaching to numerous congregations, some numbering in the thousands. The Rabbis of the day didn’t seem to object to his teaching, only the subject matter of what he taught.

Does any of this prove Jesus was married? No, but it lends belief to the idea that he was likely married, according to the Jewish Rabbinic tradition.

Why Would Jesus not be married?

If he is holy, why would he not partake in what the Christain [sic] Bible and and Jewish Torah says is the most holy act between a man and women?

Yes, and that is a good question. And here is a good answer.

What was the first commandment given to mankind?

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. (Genesis 1: 26-28; emphasis mine.)

Jesus also said he came to fulfill the law. Was he speaking of the Law of Moses or some greater law? Or both? You decide:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosover therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5: 17-19.)

It sounds as if Jesus is talking about the laws of the kingdom of heaven and not the Law of Moses, as the entire Sermon on the Mount was aimed at supplanting the Law of Moses with his higher law. His doing so was in direct fulfillment of the Law of Moses; i.e., from a mechanistic lower, ritualistic law to a higher spiritual law.

Sufficient to say that the laws of the kingdom of heaven also includes that very first commandment of which I have spoken: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.”

So, did Jesus fulfill that law, or did he break it, making him less than the perfect Lamb of God he is portrayed to be? Was he, indeed, the perfect Sacrifice, or did he have a chink in his spiritual armor or righteousness? To me, the answer is obvious.

Silence Speaks Volumes

Although almost all scholars of all religious persuasions take this as strong evidence of the singleness of Jesus [i.e., no mention of a wife], a few have proposed that, in fact, Jesus was married. In 1970, for example, William E. Phipps published Was Jesus Married? The Distortion of Sexuality in the Christian Tradition. In this book Phipps argued that the silence of the New Testament about the marital status of Jesus indicates that Jesus was in fact married. Why? Because virtually every Jewish man in Jesus’ day did marry, especially those who were considered to be Rabbis.

What this points out is that marriage was so common and ordinary in Jesus’ day, particularly among Rabbis, that it would be redundant to even mention it. It was simply expected and accepted. So why make a big deal out of it?

So, in this case, I believe, silence does speak volumes. Yet, the scriptures may not be as silent as you might imagine.

And, remember, there may have been other reasons why an entourage of women followed him around other than to supply his and and his twelve disciples’ needs.

Stay tuned.