Matthew 8:20
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
By this Yeshua was bringing the reality that Yeshua was doing without. Even taking coins from a fish's mouth to pay tax.
Historically, V, that scripture does not have ANYTHING to do with homelessness...and it's reading into the text to assume so when considering the reality of homes within the scripture/Yeshua having places to live.
The Messiah was traveling, a person ran up to him and said, I will follow you! The Messiah responds, Foxes have holes, birds have nest, I don't know where I'm going to lay my head next.
Some of this seems to be quite simple. For one may have a residence in their hometown..or, for that matter, places they can chill when in their area. However, when on the Mission Field, there's a reason why they ask for support through things such as sponsors or believing God for providence when they're there. They may be Asia and continually traveling so much that they don't have time to work as extensively in ONE area/generate income as they may've done when they lived in one location. It'd be like having a man who owns a barbershop and desiring to go abroad to Cambodia....but knowing that there's not going to be consistent income week after week abroad as it'd be on his home turf. One would not say to that barber that they were just "poor" their entire lives. Rather, they'd understand that for a time/season they would need more extensive aid in a MOBILE ministry where you never know what may happen next.
THey may have had funding they stocked up when working consistently to take care of their families....and that money may've been placed away. But when they leave, they leave. I have seen this many times with missionaries...and its something I'm having to address as well concerning one of the programs I'm signing up for which (if I say yes to it) would require me to be in Asia for 2yrs while teaching and furthering education as I also seek to present the Gospel to others. Though they would pay for my apartment/food, the expenses it takes to live abroad are much ($14, 900), with me having to raise my own support through either paying directly out of pocket from the savings/resources I've been able to have while working here in the States....or choosing to write letters/have others sponsor me while I'm abroad. For one to look at me requesting support and saying "You MUST be poor!!!!" would be foolish since I live in the upper middle class. My asking for support when abroad simply means the dynamics of traveling away from your normal means of income makes a significant world of difference in how I normally generate income.
Likewise, that's what could have happened with Jesus when taking care of his mother/family in light of the loss of Joseph as the breadwinner---for He already died long before Jesus began ministry....and Jesus would have inherited the family buisness. Though He had the ability to multiply resources he'd need such as food or drink (as he did before), it was not something he could do like magic. He only did what He saw his father doing/allowing......and walking with the Lord in trust for provision. If he decided to leave to do missionary work, it would have caused a stir---especially when people, including brothers and sisters, didn't believe Him ( John 7:4-6 ) and thought He was crazy. They may've had HIGH expectations of Him to carry on the family legacy---but to simply get up/become a MINISTER when for 18yrs he seemed to be normal rather than radical.....
Its no coincidence that his family thought he was out of his mind after beginning to do ministry and go against the cultural expectations they may've had on him. ..and seeing the people he chose for his disciples.
Mark 3:13-18Jesus Appoints the Twelve
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”, 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
One could also say that they felt He was out of His mind in the sense of what He wanted to do with His life. For many already believed in the power he had....but to believe it wasn't for anything but helping others in bondage rather than fame/glory....that was hard for alot of folks. And when they saw Jesus beginning to gather his crew together/launch out, as what happens with ALOT of families that fear for those they feel are not mature enough to handle themselves in the real world/on a huge platform, it could've been the same with Jesus.
Perhaps His family thought the man was crazy for trying to start a full-time ministry so early after casting out demons/healing others on such a noticeable level----and also on one where the orthodoxy of the day was very much being shaken by his challenges. Kind of like the entire mentality that others have when a government is in charge that's off----where people know of others with radical thoughts/abilities and would rather have them remain "low-key"/"underground" rather than shake the boat and turn things upside down---that's possibly what could've been occuring with Jesus's family due to his challenging the Pharisees/religious leaders of the day and getting in their face......for to the leaders, they may've been thinking "Who does this hot young prophet think he is???!!!"
And at the threat given toward Jesus, the family thought "No, He didn't.....!!" and felt they had to go rescue Him from stiring too many waves/possibly getting killed. There's also the fact that Christ may have been going too fast when beginning to show signs of the miraculous. The text of John 7, shows how people were very much aware of the miraculous works He was doing, which none could deny....and even more interesting that it seemed that people were bothered by the fact that apparently he did not have any kind of formal schooling and yet spoke as if He did, alongside the issue of the track record he had----as he had already turned water to wine, healed an offical's son in John 4:43-54, and healed a crippled man on the Sabbath, and feed THOUSANDS with bread/fish in John 6 (and later, many of those same people rejecting Him when he said He was the bread of life/had to have his body eaten--with some saying it was a hard teaching, John 4:9 )
So when his family came for Him, they may have been again trying to protect Jesus. But Christ went forward anyhow.
When on the Mission field in ministry, he may not have had the same kind of living styles that He was accoustomed to....and in that sense, one could say that He left all behind (i.e homes, houses, job, etc). However, Jesus always supplied abundantly. There were many baskets of leftovers that were taken up after Jesus blessed and multiplied the fish and bread..showing that even when on the mission field/supported by others----as Luke 8:1-5 notes---he still was in connection with the Father and had the means to supply where there was lack since later in Luke 9:10-27 it shows where he's able to feed thousands. The apostles didn't go back to Jesus and say, "Whew! Man, we barely made it! That last scrap of bread just barely fed the very last person." They had more than enough.
prior to his brothers saying he should go to the World
Showing he could provide for himself didn't equate to his family automatically trusting him, of course. For after the beginning of his ministry, even His own brothers encouraged Him to make a name for Himself rather than stay local. So to a degree, one could say they came to believe in Him....but perhaps no more than it was for the people who many times "believed" in Him when seeing his miracles/following Him and yet turning later on ( John 2:22-24, John 8:30-32, Matthew 12:38-40, /Mark 8:10-12 , Mark 8:11-13, Luke 11:15-17 ,Luke 11:28-30, etc) due to superficial faith and a "belief" that wasn't based on seeing Him for who He was fully---but believing only in His abilities/not His Mission or His Work.
With the family of Christ, its also possible that Mary never told them outright what God had told her of Christ....as the scripture say that many things she was told she kept to herself/pondered them ( Luke 2:10-20 , Luke 2:39-52 , etc ). Some things even she did not fully understand when it came to Jesus....and the brothers and sisters of Christ may have been kept ignorant of it...and if they grew up not seeing his power, its understandable as to why they may have had doubts about who he was. There's no record that they knew Jesus was God.....even though he showed in ministry he could be taken care of and provide for others in wonderful ways. But its still interesting when considering how their complaints about Christ may not have been valid if assuming they lived well....and scripture seems to show this. Considerhow Joseph himself was described. For the Lord was part of a very extensive family and His earthly father lived long enough to teach Yeshua a trade:
Mark 6:1-5
3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
Jesus had four brothers and an uncounted number of sisters. Luke 2 doesn't mention these siblings when Jesus was missing at 12yrs of age....though some of them had been born already. Some of them could've easily be YOUNG teens whom Jesus had to look out for as the eldest. With the women in his family, this would have especially been the case and has happened with some where one can have a big family with the oldest in their early 20's and the youngest being 8yrs of age. One may think it odd since having young children when Christ was older/Joseph was gone would have meant that Joseph was very old when raising his family.......and he could have passed early on. Many familes have had that dynamic, so its not impossible for the same to be the case in the family of Christ.
For more information, it seems that in Jewish society, men were often much older than the virgins they married. Often they'd go off to make a suitable home then they come back to get their bride. Dowries had to be paid as well to recieve a bride. Thus, Joseph could have been in his late twenties or early thirties before marrying the 15 to 16 year old Mary. By the time Jesus was in His thirties, Joseph could have been in his fifties or sixties.
By the time Christ was an adult, Joseph was no longer on the scene. However, there was no mentioned of this family being destitute since they were known to these people by name and were not anonymous beggars. Jesus had to have supported His family as a carpenter for some time at least -even though when he moved on, it didn't seem as if His family didn't seem to be hurting for money when Christ was busy with His ministry. As he also had younger brothers, they could have also been trained in the family buisness/trade as well and able to handle things while Jesus went/did his own thing. If Joseph died not too long before Jesus went into to ministry, then it'd not be counter to the concept of Jesus having a job that could bring home finance. For Joseph's status in the society is similar to that of some bosses and their families where the man has his sons as part of the business, all share-holders in the corporation. If the father died, All the hardworking sons could hold things down..with the oldest calling the shots/determining as did his father how things would be run....delegating. Jesus would have been responsible to ensure his family was taken care of---and it seems that its more than reasonable to assume that Christ's brothers held d a respectable and comfortable status within the society.
When He began His ministry, Christ attended a wedding party with His mother, brothers and disciples. One has to wonder who was getting married that they should be there. ...and what's interesting is that Mary apparently had enough authority to tell the servants what to do so she was surely an honored guest. That's hardly the profile of a humble pauper. At old age, she seemed to be quite spirited in the way she handled things.......as seen in how she spoke to Christ and how he protested but still honored her request.
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B]John 2:1-10[/B]
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”