The Bible Undressed

            Most people would answer this question quickly: Of course he was! It has become an integral part of the Jesus story: he was born poor and lived as a poor mendicant preacher. Here is a meme I saw this week on Facebook:

This image indeed is how many people think of Jesus. The Mighty Son of God humbled himself and was born in a stable, laid in a manger, and grew up in poverty, to become a wandering homeless preacher to others who were poor and downcast. It certainly goes along with his message that people are more important than possessions and that wealth is a hindrance to righteous living and a stumbling block to salvation.

            But is this image of Jesus as a homeless poor man accurate?

            Let’s go back to his childhood. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus grew up in Nazareth. That village has been excavated and it was indeed a one-donkey sort of town. There were no public buildings. Jesus’ father was said to be a carpenter. Surely a carpenter in the small town of Nazareth would be living on the edge of poverty, right? So Jesus grew up in poverty, of course. Actually, Nazareth is only an hour’s walk from Sepphoris, the capital city of Galilee that was in fact called the “Jewel of the Galilee.” There is an early Christian legend that Jesus’ mother Mary was born into a wealthy family in Sepphoris. (This is mentioned in the Proto-gospel of James, that was cited in post #27.) So Jesus’ family may have been well off, in contrast to common belief. Of course, this did not make its way into the Bible; what does the Bible itself say?

Partial excavation of Sepphoris, atop its hill, overlooking Nazareth.
Was Jesus thinking of Sepphoris when he used the imagery of a “city set on a hill?”

            Joseph was called a ‘tekton’ in the Greek (Mark 6:3), meaning a craftsman. Buildings in Galilee were typically constructed of stone, not wood, so it is more likely that Joseph may have been a stonemason or other artisan. But that would still mean poverty wages, right? Within walking distance of the small town of Nazareth was the sizeable city of Sepphoris It was a wealthy administrative center and also a Jewish scholarly center with significant buildings like a theater and a synagogue. That would be more likely to be a source of work for Joseph rather than tiny Nazareth. That does not mean he was wealthy by any means, but it may have provided a steady income, what we would think of as middle class rather than poverty level. (It also suggests the possibility that Jesus had a source for religious and philosophical education that he could not find in Nazareth.)

            This may be a minor point, but let me recall the story of Jesus having his feet washed by a woman at a dinner party. In Luke’s version of the story (Luke 7:36-50) Jesus rebukes his host, because when he entered the home he was given no water for washing up, he was not greeted with a kiss, and he was given no oil for his head. This sounds to me like Jesus knew what to expect from the host of a dinner party. Jesus wasn’t uncouth: he knew the proper protocol for welcoming guests at a dinner party. There also are other stories in which Jesus seems quite comfortable dealing with the wealthy, the religious elite and even Roman soldiers. Of course the faithful believe it is because he had divine wisdom, but it could also be an indication that Jesus grew up among such people and therefore knew how to interact with them.

            Yet at some point, typically thought to be about 30 years of age, Jesus left home and began an itinerant preaching ministry in Galilee. So, he was thereafter living in poverty, right? Not so fast. Jesus still had a source of income:

Some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. Luke 8:2, 3

‘And many others.’ Jesus collected enough money from people that he could support himself and twelve followers as they traveled around (and possibly some number of women, too; see Mark 15:40, 41, etc.). They even needed a money box to store it all (John 12:6, 13:29). That Gospel even says there was enough for Judas to be able to embezzle some of it! I am not suggesting Jesus was living in a Joel-Osteen-caliber mansion, but neither was he without income. Small contributions add up when there are ‘many’ giving.

            But, he was still ‘homeless’ wasn’t he? Well, consider this:

When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. Mark 2:1

They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” Mark 9:33

After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days. John 2:12

Now that last verse does not specifically mention a house, but it does say that Jesus and his family and his disciples all stayed there for a few days. Either they had a house, or they were able to rent a house, or they knew someone whose house was large enough to accommodate this significant entourage. That certainly does not suggest homeless poverty.

Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee
Wouldn’t you like a home with a lake view?

            And here is a point that I suspect most people overlook from the crucifixion story: Jesus had clothes that were nice enough that the soldiers gambled to see who would get them. In fact, in John 19:23 it says this: “…the tunic: now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.” In other words, not the usual stitched-together tunic one might expect; it was worth noting its quality. This doesn’t sound like rags worn by a pauper preacher (or a mendicant monk, for more alliteration).

Soldiers Gambling For Christ’s Tunic,
Monogrammist H. C., 17th Century

            Now, I’m not suggesting that Jesus was wealthy, but I am not sure that portraying him as a destitute homeless man is accurate either. He may have had a ‘middle class’ upbringing. He had significant support during his ministry, enough to support a band of thirteen-plus. He had a home in Capernaum. At his execution he was wearing desirable (enviable?) clothing. How does that read to you?

           And that’s just the ‘historical’ Jesus. If you believe in the divine Jesus then you definitely cannot classify Him as poor. He could turn water into wine. He could feed 5,000 people at a time. He produced a coin in a fish’s mouth (Matt. 17:27). In other words, Jesus could miraculously produce whatever He needed. That’s like having an unlimited bank account! And that does not meet any definition of poverty.

            There is no mistaking Jesus’ take on wealth and greed, however. He repeatedly warned of the danger of riches, even suggesting that they could keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23, Luke 16:19f, etc.). And I don’t know of any possessions that Jesus took on his travels other than the clothes on his back. I don’t think we should begrudge him a decent set of clothes to wear.

            And you may be thinking of Jesus saying this: “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20). Well, to be clear, he had a home in Capernaum in addition to the family home in Nazareth and was often welcomed into other people’s homes, like Simon the leper (Mark 14:3) and Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38). Still, I can see Jesus rightfully expressing that he felt that he had no safe and permanent place to call his home. But that’s not the same as huddling under a blanket on a public street.

            Like Buddha before him Jesus may have looked out upon the suffering and poverty in the world and rejected wealth and comfort for himself, instead choosing an itinerant ministry, preaching what he believed to be the needed Word of God in a troubled world. I admire his attempt to lift up the poor and downcast in a world that favors the wealthy and powerful. But I don’t want to make the mistake of molding Jesus into an unrealistic image of abject poverty. The actual story is striking enough.

Thinking exercises:

1. Jesus said, “None of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33). Is this realistic? If you consider yourself a Christian, have you given up all of your own possessions?

2. If all Christians gave up all their own possessions wouldn’t they then need help from the non-Christians? You know, since the Christians wouldn’t have anything left with which to help one another?

3. Would there be anything wrong with thinking of Jesus as a middle-class person? Do you have to be poverty-stricken in order to teach and preach about poverty and wealth? If you can preach about wealth without being wealthy, can’t you also preach about poverty without being in poverty?

(Look below to submit questions and comments.)