We continue having to defend the life of Christ and rumors about Him. The picture above comes from a piece of papyrus thought to be from the 4th century A.D. In it there is a line which reads, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'". So the question that is now being circulated throughout the world (again) is, "Did Jesus have a wife?" But I believe a better series of questions should be directed at the piece of papyrus, i.e., "Is this an authentic rendering of the first century life of Christ?" "Where did this come from?" "Who is its author?"
Harvard Divinity School historian Dr. Karen L. King has been the driving force in sharing this piece of papyrus to the world. But even though she has fueled the excitement fire, she is quoted to say, "that although this may be the first source from humanity’s distant past to mention Jesus having a wife, the text was most likely written long after Jesus had lived. Though exciting, the document is not proof that Jesus had a wife" (Prachi Gupta - Historian decodes ancient papyrus that says Jesus had a wife - www.salon.com/topic/jesus). Craig Blomberg, Denver Seminary's distinguished professor of New Testament said "(The papyrus,) even if a genuine 4th-century document, is likely a deliberate invention and distortion by an unorthodox Christian group 400 years later" (Electa Draper - Denver theologians weigh in on meaning of "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" - www.canoncitydailyrecord.com).
Before going any further I have provided the line by line translation of the papyrus. Each line is designated by a hyphen.
- the disciples said to Jesus
- deny. Mary is worthy of it
- Jesus said to them, My wife
- she will be able to be my disciple
- Let wicked people swell up
- As for me, I dwell with her in order to
- an image
(http://www.hds.harvard.edu/faculty-research/research-projects/the-gospel-of-jesuss-wife)
Do you notice that there are no complete sentences or thoughts. We have no way of knowing what the original author had in mind. What is presented to the world is only a small section of a much larger document. But I cannot help but continue the questions: Was the writer actually talking about Jesus Christ the Savior? Was this author an unbeliever that maybe wanted to stir people up? And on and on I could go. When we understand that these questions are impossible to answer we must therefore turn to another source that is complete to remedy the proposed dilemma. The only logical place to look for trustworthy remedies to these and all other inquiries about Jesus Christ is the inspired Word of God.
As I turn the pages of Scripture, I find not a single verse that even gives a hint to the idea that Jesus was married. What I do see is the purpose of Christ coming to this earth, and it was not about being married. The purpose of Christ coming to the earth was to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). He did not come to start a physical family with a wife called Mary. He does have a spiritual family called the church.
He came to be the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. All the prophecies of a Messiah, in the Old Testament, point to the purpose and life of Christ. Isaiah wrote, "Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12, ESV) One of the best known verses in the New Testament reads, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NKJV). Again, I don't see any mention of the wife that some want to convey on Christ.
This notion of Jesus being married is not new in our secular society. One of Hollywood's best selling movies, “The Da Vinci Code" put this issue in the minds of skeptics. The atheist, the agnostic, the unbeliever, the deceiver and the deceived will prolong this knavery of Jesus' life. This ancient papyrus has started the discussion once again. But when we are focused on God and His word as truth, then we have the way to put an end to all of this. Conclusion: Jesus did not have a wife!
