29th May, 2006

JIM REIHER

Dan Brown is not the first person to speculate that Jesus was married and had children. The Mormon Church have always taught that Jesus was married, to Mary Magdalene and to two other women as well - the sisters Mary and Martha of Luke 10 and John 11- (thus justifying polygamy). They go on to say that the wedding at Cana was Jesus' own wedding day!

Others have claimed to be descendants of Jesus from time to time, and even some Christian theologians have speculated on the possibility that Jesus was married. Stephen Twycross argued for a married Jesus, for example. He postulated that Jesus was married - to just one women - but not Mary Magdalene, rather Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha.

Twycross suggested this on the basis of the two stories just alluded to: Luke 10 and John 11. In Luke 10 the sister Martha requests Jesus to tell Mary to assist her in the food preparations. That was what a sister would need to do if the other sister was married: get the husband’s permission to use his wife’s help. And in John 11, Mary, staying in the house until Jesus called for her, showed her to be a submissive wife. This interesting speculation is not based on material outside the four New Testament Gospels and the bride is not Mary Magdalene! It is also a very flimsy argument. Martha asked Jesus if Mary could come and help her because Mary was listening to Jesus’ teachings and wanting to take her away from him. Also, it is just as probable - even more likely - that Mary did not run to meet the Lord at her brother’s tomb, (like Martha did) because Mary was angry at Jesus for not coming at their request to save her brother before he died. She would have been experiencing mixed emotions. I imagine she was annoyed, frustrated, deeply distressed, wanting to be with Jesus and not wanting to be at the same time, and generally very confused. Was Jesus married? No. There is no evidence in any ancient writing to say He was.

Jesus recommended celibacy for those who could cope with it. Paul seems to do the same in I Corinthians, chapter seven. Some of the apostles were clearly married (Simon-Peter being the classic example). Jesus and others (like Paul, I Corinthians. 7:8), however, were not. Celibacy is not required of anyone, but it is an option. And Jesus, knowing that He would be killed for the atonement of sin, probably chose not to marry and leave behind a widow and fatherless children.

Jim Reiher (BA (double major in history), BA in Theology, Dip Ed. MA in Theology (Hons)) is a full time lecturer for Tabor College Victoria, lecturing in church history and New Testament; and also has speciality interest areas in women’s ministry, creative ministry, and the New Age movement. His views are not necessarily those of other Tabor faculty members or of Tabor College.