Jesus was Homeless

Whatever Jesus’ economic state during his young adult years, by the time of his ministry Jesus appears to have taken on the status of a homeless itinerant preacher. When someone offers to follow Jesus, he summarizes his status by saying, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). While in ministry Jesus did not have a fixed place of residence, though he may have had a home he could have returned to later (as did Peter after the crucifixion – John 21:3). He certainly had a home early in his ministry (Mark 2:1-2), but he likely left behind his possessions as a model of the ministry he called the twelve (Mark 6:8-11), the seventy-two (Luke 10:4-8) and others (Mark 10:21) to pursue. Using today’s terminology, we might call Jesus street dependent, rather than technically homeless, though most of us use the word to refer to people who may in fact have a regular room at a shelter or elsewhere. During his travels, at times Jesus relied on those who would allow him to stay in their homes for a time. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are most frequently mentioned here (Luke 10:38, John 11), but there are others. With the ancient emphasis on hospitality, it is not surprising that those who lacked a home themselves would find somewhere to stay in individuals’ homes as opposed to our modern convention of a homeless shelter. At other times, however, Jesus and his disciples appear to have slept outdoors on the mount of olives (Luke 21:37). As a whole, the evidence suggests that Jesus spent much of his ministry without a fixed place to live, often sleeping outdoors, and depending on the generosity of others.

Jesus was homeless. He was also God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.