The Gospel of Jesus' Wife?

Update: This fragment has been proven to be a fake.

There have been several reports lately that the “gospel of Jesus’ wife” is probably not a fake after all. Whether or not the manuscript is real, as in, whether or not it was written in the 8^th century, doesn’t really matter. The canon has been closed for centuries before that. Now, bear with me: The canon was closed because people knew which biblical manuscripts were truthful. In other words, people included the books of the Bible that they did because they fell under requirements for the canon (for a few examples, they must be written by either an apostle of Jesus or a disciple of an apostle).

So then, if the “gospel of Jesus’ wife” were written in the 8^th century, which would mean that it would have been written before that as well, because of the statements in the manuscript such as, “she will be able to be my disciple” implies that an eye-witness was with Jesus when He said that. Now, if you think about it, the writings of the New Testament are still around today because they exposed the truth about Jesus. There are even “embarrassing” statements found in the gospels, such as Mark 10:18, which reads, “’Why do you call me good?’ Jesus asked. ‘There is no one good but God alone.’” The fact that this verse is in the Bible gives strength that the New Testament writers were giving a truthful account of Jesus’ life, and they were not only writing about events that they thought would bring Him glory. They wrote about the truth.

People who were close to Jesus at the time would have recognized the truth that “the gospel of Jesus’ wife” lacked and discarded it. There are over 5,700 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, and only one of the “gospel of Jesus’ wife” manuscripts, which is only a fragment. The point is, we honestly have no idea what the real subject matter is on this false manuscript because it did not stand the test of time, like other manuscripts which are full of truth which caused people to choose to lose their lives over the message of the true gospel. The fact that people carried the message of the gospel to their deathbed reveals how serious these people were. This is why we have the gospel message today.

In John chapter four, Jesus was taking the long way home and was tired so he stopped in a town named “Sychar” near the well that once belonged to Jacob. There was a woman drawing water from the well and Jesus asked her if she would give Him a drink. She said to Him, “Sir, you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Men didn’t normally speak to women publicly because it would possibly lead to something dangerous and thus, they didn’t want to ruin their reputation.

Later on, beginning in verse 27, His disciples rolled in. They were surprised to find him talking with a woman! Yet, no one asked Him what He wants or why He was talking with her. Now, as alluded to above, it seems that someone should ask the question, “Why is it such a big deal that He was talking with a woman?” The reason is that the disciples thought Jesus would never need to speak with a woman, let alone lower His standards to speak with one. After all, He is God! The fact that she is a Samaritan woman never even comes up. The disciples were more concerned that He was talking with a female. Jesus’ disciples were in the middle of understanding that He loved all people (After all, they did go through Samaria), which is probably why they never verbally questioned Him.

Jews didn’t really get along with Samaritans and vice versa. Jews basically looked at Samaritans like they were less than Jews, because they were only half-Jewish, so to speak, because of ancestral foreign intermarriage. The fact that Jesus went through Samaria shows that He loved them as well (He also told the parable of the Good Samaritan), even though they were basically despised.

The thing is, the “Bride of Christ” is the church (the body of believers) and Jesus would not commit adultery on His bride (Ephesians 5:21-33). If Jesus did have a wife, it definitely would have been mentioned in the New Testament. After all, the gospels mention His birth and death record, and even a small account of His becoming-a-man record (Luke 2:41-52). None of the gospel writers were around when Jesus was a boy, so that is why His “becoming-a-man” record is so scarce. Otherwise, it would have been documented further as well. Marriage is also one of the four main rites-of-passage. If Jesus were married, it would have been recorded in the gospels. His disciples would have questioned why Jesus had two brides: His church and His wife.

Jesus is one with His bride, the church. He knew that “the two shall become one flesh” (see Mark 10:7-9). Jesus wants to be one with you, who, can be a part of the church—the body. Make a decision today whether or not you will submit to Jesus. All you have to do is confess that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23) against God (lust, idolatry, murder, theft, etc.), proceed to ask Jesus into your heart and say that He is Lord. Believe that God raised Him from the dead and you shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Breaking God’s Law requires justice (Romans 6:23). The punishment for breaking the Law is to be absent from God eternally in Hell (2 Thessalonians 1:9; John 3:36; Revelation 20:15; 21:8; et. al.). God must turn His back on sin (2 Thessalonians 1:9). He is the epitome of integrity. The Good News (which is what “gospel” means) is that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to take our sins away. Trust in Him alone (John 14:6) for cleansing of your sins and be one with Him.

Galatians 1:6-9: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (NIV)

Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus

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