Expert: Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine - 8/3/2006

Question
i am a Christian and a lesbian. You notice i put Christian first. my question to you is very simple.....where in the Bible does it state...
Jesus says it is a sin to be a homosexual. I know that people will quote Lev. and Romans, but neither places is Jesus talking. Could it be that Jesus wasn't against Homosexuals?

Answer
Hi Deb...
Great question/point!

Absolutely! And not only wasn't Jesus against it, neither was Moses (in Leviticus) or Paul (in Romans).

There is not a single scripture anywhere in any of the 66 books of the Bible opposing homosexuality in a Christian (or Jewish) context, not one.

There are however a couple of references in the Bible supporting it (David and Jonathon's marriage being the major one).

As for what Jesus taught on the subject, like everyone else in the Bible he was mainly silent. Considering that homosexuality was practiced throughout the Roman Empire however, his silence shows that at the very least he didn't oppose the idea.

He did have a useful point concerning eunics however:

Matt. 19:
10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

There are lots of people who believe this is a reference to gay men (mainly because "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb"), Personally, I don't believe this is speaking of homosexuality but of celibacy. For some people celibacy is VERY difficult, for others its the easiest thing in the world (it has never been a big deal to them and so living a life of celibacy in order to be a missionary -- which is the context -- was easy for them). I think the phrase is a figure of speech. By the way, there are LGBT AND heterosexual people this is true for.

It is, however, a very good counter position to the "Adam and Steve" argument, i.e. that unless one marries an opposite gendered person one is not in God's will or design.

Here Jesus clearly says that there are those who renounce their sexuality and dedicate themselves body soul and mind to God and that this is a good thing (this by the way is part of how the Catholic Church supports the idea of a celibate priesthood; personally I think they take this idea a bit too far, its a noble option, a personal choice, not a requirement).

Paul goes even further with this idea: "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn" (I Cor.7:7,8).

Paul renounced married life after his conversion and lived as a celibate missionary. That lifestyle, he believes, is the best, however realizing the power of human sexuality, he grants that it is better to 'marry than to burn' in ones sexual needs. Such people should not become 'eunics for the kingdom' in other words.

By the way, I too place my relationship with God before everything else in my life. The way the English language works however, I identity as a "Welsh American" (even though I spent very little time in Wales and most of my life in the US.) Likewise with "African Americans," "Italian Americans," and so on. I think therefore that grammatically (and biblically) its fine to be a "GLBT Christian," a "gay Christian," a "lesbian Christian" etc. ;-).

Peace, love and grits,
~John of AllFaith