THE GOSPEL OF JESUS' WIFE

I just heard about this discovery on the news tonight and decided to address it before the heated protests begin. A small piece of papyrus has come to light declaring Jesus’ mention of a wife. It reads: “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife -‘” and “she will be able to be my disciple.”

Though the document was proven to be authentically written in Egyptian Coptic in the time of the early Christian church, this merely proves that they debated the possibility that Jesus had a wife just as much as we do. It does not prove that He had a wife. This is no different than any of the other Gnostic Gospels, which were not included in the Bible for a reason. They do not hold scriptural truth.

Historian Karen King admits that the text bears similarity to the Gospels of Thomas and Mary and another second-century Greek text. The truth is that we have no way of knowing from where the document came, who wrote, and if it bears truth. Therefore, we should not give it much merit unless/until we learn more about it.

I’m glad I heard that news report. It serves as a reminder just how little we know about the Bible and how mysterious God is. However, we have in Scripture all we need to know. Since there is nothing in Scripture about Jesus having a wife, then Jesus did not have a wife. He is the son of God, a sinless (not to mention homeless) man who was focused on his purpose of spreading the Good News. Though there is nothing sinful about marriage, a wife would have hindered His purpose. Jesus came here to show us God’s love and faithfulness to his children by offering us a chance at salvation. End of story.

There was no wife.

Let us focus on the important things about the Christian faith.

God is love.

Amen.