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
- DTEB, “Getting Christ and Ourselves Back in Focus” November 11, 2024“Col. 3:1 ¶ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden […]
- “Search Me!” October 27, 2024“Psa. 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, English Standard Version) I am participating in a Bible study, and this is a prayer […]
- “Christian Speech” October 26, 2024“Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Foulkes, in his excellent commentary on the Book of Ephesians, writes the following, which I quote at some length: “29. Now the […]
- “God is in the Details” October 11, 2024“The devil is in the details.” (A general saying, often quoted by lawyers, reporters, and negotiators.) “God is in the details.” (Me, almost certainly not original.) “Luke 12:7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Jesus) God does not micromanage, but God […]
- “Grandma’s Pump” October 8, 2024When I was a little critter, I would stay at my grandma’s house for a night or two sometimes. I liked this for a lot for many reasons. One thing I liked about staying with her was that Grandma’s house was much more technologically advanced than ours was. For one thing, she had indoor water—sort […]
- “Wearing the #14 Wrong-Side-Out” October 5, 2024Pete Rose, #14, is dead. Many of the old guys with whom I play softball watched him play and appreciated him greatly. I do as well. He was one of the greatest players who ever played the game. Yes, he admitted (eventually) to betting on baseball. But many of us still regard him as one […]
- “Passing Along the Love (and a Link)” October 4, 2024Several years ago, a friend of mine put me onto a daily meditation by Richard Rohr and friends. I don’t read them all the time, but I probably should. They are good! I thought that today’s writing was especially good, and I also figured that this would be a good way to post something. I […]
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
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