Did Jesus talk about homosexuality?
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| The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah, a painting by John Martin (painter), died 1854, thus 100 years. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
There is nothing recorded in the four Gospels were Jesus specifically mentions homosexuality the way Paul did in 1 Cor. 6:9. But, He does condemn it indirectly by affirming the Old Testament standard of heterosexual marriage as well as citing Old Testament references of condemnation where homosexuality was involved. Let's take a look at some of the things he said.
- Matthew 10:15, "Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city."
- Matthew 19:4-6, "And He answered and said, 'Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.'”
- Matt. 19:9, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
- Mark 10:11-12, "And He said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.'”
- John 5:46-47 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
We see Jesus' condemnation of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15), and we know that homosexuality was involved in those two cities. We see Jesus confirming the heterosexual marriage pattern by citing where God made Adam and Eve, male and female (Matthew 19:4-6). Jesus mentions divorce in the context of male and female (Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11-12)--not male and male or female and female. And, Jesus supported the teachings of Moses (John 5:46-47) in which a clear condemnation of homosexuality is taught in such verses as Leviticus 18:22; 20:13.
So, even though Jesus did not specifically mention the act of homosexuality, He supported the Old Testament, including its condemnation of homosexuality and reiterated that marriage is between a man and a woman. So, did He condemn homosexuality? Yes, He did, by affirming heterosexuality as the norm and the God ordained definition of marriage.
