The gospels demonstrate the homelessness of Jesus lasting for the entirety of his public ministry. ^[1] He left the economic security he had as an artisan and the reciprocity he had with his family and wandered Judaea depending on charity. ^[2] Many of the people on whom he depended for charity were women. ^[3] Because his ministry took place in the vicinity of his disciples' hometowns, it is likely that the group often slept at the homes of the disciples' family members. ^[4]

Scriptural analysis

Of the Four Evangelists, Luke emphasizes Jesus' homelessness the most. ^[5] Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58 both record a statement by Jesus in which he describes his homelessness by saying that " foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head". ^[6] The implication is that the scribe who has just offered to become a follower of Jesus should also expect the same. ^[7] Theologian John Gill noted a parallel between this saying and the Jews' expectation of the Messiah: "if he (the Messiah) should come, 'there's no place in which he can sit down'. ^[8]

Interpretation

Sophiologists interpreted Jesus' homelessness as the homelessness of Sophia. ^[9] New Monastic writer Shane Claiborne refers to Jesus as "the homeless rabbi". ^[10] Catholic theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether discusses Jesus' homelessness in relation to the concept of kenosis, the voluntary renunciation of power in order to submit to the will of God. ^[11] In a book length study on the Gospel of Matthew, Robert J. Myles has argued that the homelessness of Jesus is often romanticized in biblical interpretation in a way that obscures the destitution and lack of agency that would have likely accompanied the situation. ^[12]

Representation in Art and Literature

Contemporary Art

Canadian sculptor Tim Schmalz created Jesus the Homeless, a 2013 bronze sculpture of Jesus lying on a park bench covered in a blanket with his wounded feet protruding. ^[13]

Contemporary Literature

Books addressing this issue are following:

• The Homeless Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. ^[14] A provocative look at the Gospel of Matthew that explores the dysfunction between Jesus and the homeless.
• Jesus Among the Homeless. ^[15] A book that identifies the problem of homelessness and applies strategies based on scriptural principles as a solution.
• Meeting Homeless Jesus: A Journey From Believing to Knowing. ^[16] A collection of true stories with a message about the Christian faith.

References

Bibliography

• Becker, Jürgen (1998). Jesus of Nazareth. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN  978-3110157727.
• Claiborne, Shane (2010). Follow Me to Freedom: Leading and Following as an Ordinary Radical. ReadHowYouWant. ISBN  978-1459607033.
• Denaux, Adelbert (2010). Studies in the Gospel of Luke: Structure, Language and Theology. LIT Verlag. ISBN  978-3643900609.
• Fiensy, David A. (2007). Jesus the Galilean: Soundings in a First Century Life. Gorgias Press. ISBN  978-1593333133.
• Jackson, Al (2010). Adam Greenway; Chuck Lawless (eds.). The American Dream or the Great Commission Resurgence?. pp. 245–264. ISBN  978-1433672163. {{ cite book}}: |journal= ignored ( help)
• Myles, Robert J. (2014). The Homeless Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Sheffield Phoenix Press.
• Perkins, Robert L. (2004). Practice in Christianity. Mercer University Press. ISBN  978-0865549302.
• Ryken, Philip Graham (2012). Grace Transforming. Good News Publishers. ISBN  978-1433534034.
• Stanton, Graham (2013). Studies in Matthew and Early Christianity. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN  978-3161525438.
• Theissen, Gerd (2009). James H. Charlesworth; Petr Pokorny (eds.). Jesus as an Itinerant Preacher: Reflections from Social History on Jesus' Roles. ISBN  978-0802863539. {{ cite book}}: |journal= ignored ( help)