How do you explain?

Question

In my many years of studying religions (christian as well as others) I have come across an anomoly in the story of the life of christ. It is said that christ never married. There are several problems with this. The most glaring of which is the name by which his diciples called him: Rabbi. You CANNOT be a rabbi and be unmarried according to Jewish law (which is what he and his parents practiced as christianity had not been established yet). During the wedding at Caanna (sp?) when christ turned water into wine his diciples came to him and said "Master YOU have held the best for last" this implies that HE was hosting the wedding, as the bride groom and it was his responsibility (according to jewish tradition) to supply the refreshments. Mary Magdeline was at his tomb wrapping him for burial. If christ were unmarried, that would have been the responsibility of his mother, who was present, but not performing it. How do you explain all of these things?

Answer 1

The bible never specifically said He was never married, it simply didn't mention it because it wasn't relevant. Also, it was written after His crucifiction, so if He had been married, and had kids, it could have put them in danger, as at that time, if a person was considered a traitor to Rome, their entire family could be put to death. I'm not saying He was married, just that the possibility exists.

At the wedding, they were talking about the fact that the wine He made was the better wine, hence He held the best wine for last. Certainly has nothing to do with it being His marriage considing they called Him rabbi before the wedding, so would be illogical according to what you said about rabbi's having to be married. The bible makes it quite clear that His mother asked Him to make the wine for the wedding, not because it was His duty, but because it was very important to be good hosts, and it would have made the family of the married couple look bad if they ran out of wine, not to mention would have been very embarrasing.

There were three women that went to wrap Him, Mary Magdalene was just one of them, but the one mentioned by name. If He had been married, it would have been when He was pretty young, so its doubtful it was Mary Magdalene, or it would have been mentioned.

Answer 2

they called him rabbi because rabbi meant teacher, not because he actually WAS a rabbi. If you remember, Jesus was a carpenter, not a rabbi. They also called him Jesus, Lord, and Messiah.

AS for the master part, you have to read the verses before it. John 2:7-10 "Jesus said to the servants, "fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he (the master of the banquet) called the bridegroom aside (the groom-not Jesus) and said, "Everyone beings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

A few verses before that it says that Jesus and his mother and disciples were invited to the wedding. Jesus' mother pointed out that there was no more wine and Jesus even said (2:4) "Dear woman, why do you invovle me?" Unfortunately skeptics like to segregate verses rather than reading the whole passage and so you would never know that's how the story really went. But it wasn't the disciples who said it and it wasn't said to Jesus.

As for Mary Magdeline and Jesus' burial...The Bible says that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemis wrapped Jesus body (John 19:38-41) it also said this was the Jewish custom.

I think maybe you heard some theories or something, but that's not at ALL what the Bible says. I love that you're thinking critically and outside the box about something so serious. It's awesome. Keep up the good work! I hope that stuff helped.

Answer 3

You have not recorded any of those things accurately.There is no teaching in the Bible that a teacher had to be maried. Jesus did not live by traditions of men but by the Law of God. How you could discern that 2000 years ago rabbis had to be married is not possible. Read the story of Jesus at the wedding and you will clearly see that Christ was not the bridegroom, in fact he did not even arrive at the wedding until a day or so into the feast. It was the head waiter that went to the bridegroom not the disciples to Christ. 9 "When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
Mary Magdelene did not treat the body of Jesus it was Joseph and Nichodemus. 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews"
Your reading comprehension is not very good. You misread what the Bible says, insert your own interpretation and then try and use that as an argument against the truth. Please at least read what you comment on, and even a little study might help some.

Answer 4

I don't know about the Rabbi part, but it was not His disciples who said He saved the best for last - it was the headwaiter.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom
10
and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."


It doe not say that Jesus was the bridegroom. It also says in verses one and two:

On the third day there was a wedding 2 in Cana 3 in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.



Why would He be invited to the wedding if He was the bridegroom?

And the last you mentioned, I will have to look that one up also.

Ok. Found this: First, Jesus was not technically a rabbi, nor did he portray himself as one. The apostles addressed him as such to say he was their teacher, not because he held any kind of official Jewish office. The Jews asked Jesus 'by what authority' he did certain things because he did not hold any kind of formal office within Judaism. He did not have an official position that would have permitted him to do things like act within the temple (Mark 11:28). As far as the Jewish leaders were concerned, Jesus had no recognized role within Judaism. Attempts to suggest that any of the many women associated with his ministry were, in fact, his wife are empty speculation. This includes the woman with the alabaster container who anointed Jesus (read Luke 7:36-50). This woman's act was shocking and would not have been nearly so surprising had she been his wife.

Darrell L. Bock is Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas

Answer 5

Can you please tell me where you got the information from that says a Rabbi must be married,this was not a law in the time of Jesus, I have read volumes on Jewish society in my time and have never seen this law,Rabbi means both; my Master and Teacher and was the title given to any Jewish male learned in the law.
In the Gospels it states that there was a wedding feast at Cana and Mary the Mother of Jesus was there and that Jesus and His disciples were also invited,now surely the Host of a wedding does not require an invitation if he is hosting it, but just to make it clear the Gospels state that the head waiter approached the Groom and said the words,`you have kept the best wine till last`
Finally Mary Magdalene was given this singular honor by Jesus because she had the humility to anoint his head and feet before the proud Pharisees and for this He told her to keep the rest of the oil for His burial,again the Gospels state that Joseph of Aramathia and Nicodemos wrapped the body of Jesus in the shroud and it was on the first day of the Jewish week(Sunday) that the Women(and not just Mary Magdalene)who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus.
My intention here is not to attack you but I really would love to know where you got all this fanciful information from.

Answer 6

"Christianity was the ultimate product of religious syncretism in the ancient world. Its emergence owed nothing to a holy carpenter. There were many Jesuses but the fable was a cultural construct. Nazareth did not exist in the 1st century AD – the area was a burial ground of rock-cut tombs. Following a star would lead you in circles. The 12 disciples are as fictitious as their master, invented to legitimise the claims of the early churches. The original Mary was not a virgin. That idea was borrowed from pagan goddesses.

Scholars have known all this for more than 200 years but priestcraft is a highly profitable business and finances an industry of deceit to keep the show on the road. "Jesus better documented than any other ancient figure" ? Don't believe a word of it. Unlike the mythical Jesus, a real historical figure like Julius Caesar has a mass of mutually supporting evidence."

Answer 7

Not sure (I admit) about the "rabbi" thing, however I'm sure you will get the correct respose from someone

Wedding - Jesus told the host's servants to bring him the water - which they then took to their master. It was the master who asked the bridegroom - "why did you save the best to last"... Since Jesus was INVITED to the wedding, he was obviously not the groom, the host or anything but a guest.

Mary Jesus' MOTHER and probably her daughters helped to wrap Jesus at the tomb.
Mary Magdeline may or may not have been there to help (very likely she was - since by then she would have been so close to the ministry that Mary Jesus' mother would have welcomed her)
Mary Magdeline came to the tomb on the third day to annoint him, cause they didn't have time to do it on the day he died because of the passover.'

edit
I asked an expert I know about your "rabbi" comment, and he suggested that nowhere in the Torah is it mentioned that Rabbi's must be married in order to be called Rabbi. That being said, Jesus' followers referred to him as Rabbi because to them, he was their teacher. It's not because he professed any prominent position within the the Jewish synagogue.

Answer 8

First, where do you get your information? Christ was not married. At the time rabbi meant a teacher and a teacher isn't required to be married. Rabbi wasn't a religious position at the time as they still had the temple and the Priests. The wedding at Cana he and his mother were guests. She asked him to help out. Evidently they were friends of the family and it was the Steward who went to the groom, not Jesus, and said something about the quality of the wine. As an unmarried man his mother would have been helping as there were several there people preparing the body because they had to hurry as sundown was the start of the holiday. Besides, his mother had just lost her son and I'm sure she was distressed.

Answer 9

while interesting you are incorrect. The groom did not host, a friend did (that tradition carries through to today by the way, or do you not know where bachelor parties came from). Secondly, He was married. Have you not heard of the church as the "bride of christ" and his return referencing the wedding feast.

Answer 10

As it says nothing in any of the four gospels about being married, nor in any other part of the bible do they mention a marriage or a wife, I will go with what the bible says outright as opposed to what people may be reading into things not particularly relevent. And since Jesus' married status has nothing to do with him being the son of God, dying for our sins, or his resurrection, I say "who cares?".