Homelessness of Jesus
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The gospels suggest that Jesus lacked a permanent home during the period of public ministry that occupied his last years.[1] He left the economic security he had as an artisan and the reciprocity he had with his family and wandered Judaea depending on charity.[2] Many of the people on whom he depended for charity were women.[3] Because his ministry took place in the vicinity of his disciples' hometowns, it is likely that the group often slept at the homes of the disciples' family members.[4]
Of the Four Evangelists, Luke emphasizes Jesus' homelessness the most.[5] Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58 both record a statement by Jesus in which he describes his homelessness by saying that "foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head".[6] The implication is that the scribe who has just offered to become a follower of Jesus should also expect the same.[7] Theologian John Gill noted a parallel between this saying and the Jews' expectation of the Messiah: "if he (the Messiah) should come, 'there's no place in which he can sit down'.[8]
