| Was Jesus Gay?If Jesus behaved to today as he did then, he would most certainly be labeled gay. There are two other related questions, was his sexual preference male and did he have sex with males. These two are much harder to answer.
This essay is mostly based on a public post by Rafael Romero of Victoria BC.
Modern day Christians attempt to deter homosexuality by denying civil rights to gay citizens. This flagrantly violates the golden rule: Matthew 7:12, Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets, but that does not seem to put the slightest damper on any Christian's righteous indignation.
Ironically, there is some evidence that Jesus himself was gay. I am not claiming Jesus was necessarily sexually active, only that his natural sexual orientation was toward males rather than females. There is no explicit mention of him having sex with anyone in the bible. The very notion of homosexual is a rather recent invention. Every society has quite different attitudes and taboos about same sex affection and sexual activity. What I am saying is that if Jesus were alive today, people would label him gay. His behaviour might have been considered well within male behaviour norms in his day. This essay then is more about how society's standards of acceptable behaviour have changed since biblical times than about Jesus himself.
In other words, if Jesus came back today, the religious right would crucify him anew as a homosexual.
The Evidence
- Jesus was one of the gentlest people who ever lived. He was no John Wayne. Usually we label such gentle souls pansies no matter what their sexual preference.
- Jesus totally rejected the masculine code of valour and violence universally espoused in his time. Today such people are called commies, draft dodgers and queers.
- Jesus had plenty of opportunity to have sex with women, but he always avoided it. If a modern man did the same, we would assume he was gay.
- Jesus hung out with disreputable people, including hookers, and all manner of sinners, including sodomites. If a modern man kept such bad company, we would not assume he was 100% heterosexual.
- Jesus associated almost exclusively with men. He and his friends were physically intimate with each other, putting their heads in each other's laps to dine. If a modern North American male behaved this way, it might raise some eyebrows.
- Jesus and his male friends like to kiss each other, for example Matthew 26:49. We North Americans are rather inhibited about kissing each other, though Greeks and Russians do it with gusto. If a North American male did this, of course, we would assume he was gay.
- Jesus's "groupies" competed, each claiming to love Jesus the most.
- John 13:25 tells of John lying with his head on Jesus's breast. Straight men don't do that, at least not in our culture.
- A group of men met at the Council of Nicea and decided what to include in the Bible and what to censor. We like to assume their decisions were perfect and 100% divinely inspired. However,… There's a suppressed part of the Gospel of Mark quoted in a letter from Clement, Bishop of Alexandria, to Theodore, the priest of an early Christian community, c.95 AD, that goes like this:
“And thus they come into Bethany, and a certain, woman whose brother had died, was there. And coming she prostrated herself before Jesus and sayeth unto him, ‘Son of David have mercy on me’. But the disciples rebuked her.
And Jesus, being angered, went off with her into the garden where the tomb was, and straightway a great cry was heard from the tomb.
And going near, Jesus rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb. And straightway, going in where the youth was, he stretched forth his hand and raised him, seizing his hand.
But the youth, looking upon him, loved him and began to beseech him that he might be with him. And going out of the tomb they came into the house of the youth, for he was rich.
And after six days, Jesus told him what to do and in the evening the youth comes to him, wearing a linen cloth over nakedness. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God. And thence arising, he returned to the other side of the Jordan.’ |
