Jesus

For all the noise about what Christianity says regarding homosexuality, one question often gets overlooked: What does Jesus actually say about it?

The answer may surprise people. Despite living in a world where exploitative same-sex practices existed—temple prostitution, pederasty, and gender variance—Jesus never once addresses homosexuality. Not directly. Not indirectly. Not at all. Instead, his focus is overwhelmingly clear: love over legalism, mercy over judgment, and inclusion over exclusion.

This page explores what Jesus did say, what he didn’t, and why that matters for those seeking to follow him today.

Why It Matters

If Jesus is who he says he is (God himself), then shouldn’t his WORD carry ultimate authority? The Bible says that Jesus IS the Word of God. When we’re trying to understand what the Bible says about anything, we can’t ignore the one the whole story points to, the one that teaches us how to interpret the law, the one that teaches us how to be God’s children, how to follow him, and how to enter the Kingdom of God.

Which sins does Jesus mention?

The following is a list of the sins that Jesus

• Pride – Exalting oneself, spiritual superiority, self-righteousness (Luke 18:9–14)
• Hypocrisy – Pretending to be righteous while hiding sin or exploiting others (Matthew 23)
• Hard-heartedness – Refusal to repent, change, or receive truth (Matthew 13:15; Mark 3:5)
• Greed / Materialism – Loving money, hoarding wealth, neglecting the poor (Luke 12:15–21; Matthew 19:21–24)
• Abuse of Power – Especially religious or social power used for control or status (Mark 12:38–40)
• Exploitation of the Vulnerable – Devouring widows’ houses, burdening the poor (Luke 20:47)
• Unforgiveness – Holding grudges, refusing mercy (Matthew 6:15; Matthew 18:21–35)
• Judgmentalism – Condemning others harshly while excusing yourself (Matthew 7:1–5)
• Neglect of Justice and Mercy – Obsessing over rules while ignoring human need (Matthew 23:23)
• Dishonesty – Deception, false witness, spiritual showmanship (Matthew 6:1–6; John 8:44)
• Unfaithfulness – To God, covenant, or one another; includes adultery, lust and betrayal (Matthew 5:27–32)
• Lukewarmness / Apathy – Going through religious motions without love or passion (Revelation 3:15–16, though not directly from Jesus in the Gospels, it’s his voice in Revelation)
• Idolatry of Religion / Law – Worshiping the rules rather than the heart of God (Mark 2:27)
• Legalism – Believing salvation or holiness comes through rule-keeping (Matthew 23)
• False Piety – Performing righteousness to be seen by others (Matthew 6:1–18)
• Leading Others into Sin – Causing “little ones” to stumble (Matthew 18:6)
• Injustice – Ignoring or enabling systemic wrongs (Matthew 21:13; “den of robbers”)
• Violence / Hatred – Even internal anger is equated with murder (Matthew 5:21–22)
• πορνεία (porneia – sexual immorality), an umbrella term for all sexual sin, is mentioned only 3 times, an it references unfaithfulness and evil thoughts:
  • Matthew 15:19/Mark 7:21–22 are the same event: Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ focus on external rituals by stating that defilement comes from within, from the heart, from evil thoughts.
  • Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9: both times Jesus speaks on divorce and mentions that sexual immorality is a reason that someone can get divorced.

Which sins does he not mention?

It is interesting to not that Jesus does not mention any same sex activities, even though it was prevalent in his day, and not in a good way either in our personal opinion. It was present in temple prostitution, abuse, and pediastry. So we actually wonder why he didn’t mention it. But there it is. He didn’t. He didn’t say anything about gay people, didn’t mention lesbians, didn’t mention transgender people, and didn’t mention bisexuals. We know they existed. They are documented over 2000 years before Jesus. But he never mentions any of this.

One thing we notice, is that he doesn’t shame sexual sinners. When a woman got caught in adultery, which we know is on the list for Jesus, he still defends her against public condemnation (Luke 7:36–50)

What does Jesus focus on?

Jesus seems to focus more on how to love, forgive, and treat others, especially the vulnerable, than on policing sexual behavior. When he does address sexual sin, it’s usually as part of a larger call to integrity and faithfulness, not a standalone obsession. Kinda radical for our western conservative Christian world to consider.

Unlike the religious leaders, who prohibited certain “unclean” and “unqualified” people from coming to the temple and even eating with them, Jesus was big on reaching out extra to them. He went out of his way to those with physical defects (seen as a matter of sin), the Eunuchs (sexually different and not allowed into God’s space), women who couldn’t have babies (a curse), or men had not be circumcized (a matter of salvation).

People who were outside of the parameters of “God’s Law and his temple” were suddenly accepted by God himself, Immanuel. An unexpected radical political and spirtual whiplash for the disciples, Jesus called them – not to create a kingdom and conquer the Romans – but to care for the marginalized and oppressed, and stand up for justice and care for the poor, sick, and sinners. Throughout scripture, Jesus stands in solidarity with all those who were pushed aside by society as “unclean”. 

“But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’
you would not have condemned the guiltless.” Jesus (Matthew 12:7)

What does Jesus say about gay marriage?

Jesus neither gives a command for a two gender marriage, nor a prohibition for a same sex marriage. The only time he mentions a male and female marriage was when he quotes a creation verse in Matthew 19. He was responding to a question the Pharisees were trying to trick him with about divorce. In his response, he focuses on faithfulness with a creation quote. He goes back to a creation quote in order to explain that God’s original plan was faithfulness, a purpose established before sin, before culture, before the law, from the beginning.

What commands does he give us?

• Jesus tells us to not keep people out of the kingdom of heaven:  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 23:13

• Jesus tells us to take care of the person that others think is unclean, an outsider, across social and religious divides (Luke 10, Matthew 18, Matthew 25, Luke 17:11, Luke 10:38-42).

• Jesus tells us to reconsider rules that are harmful to people (Matthew 12)

• Jesus tells us to help people who’ve been rejected by religious leaders (John 9).

• Jesus tells us to restore the dignity of people that were rejected by their families, society and the church (Mark 2)

• Jesus tells us to advocate for justice for the oppressed (Matthew 23:4)

• Jesus tells us to not burden the people with rules (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus vs Paul

In 1963, the Baptist faith officially stated that “all scripture must be read through the criteria of Jesus Christ”.

In 2000, they officially removed that statement.

Theologians like John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and the Gospel Coalition have all played a role in shifting evangelical churches away from a Christ center hermeneutic (understanding what the Bible teaches).

Although they say Jesus is central, they hold that Paul interprets Jesus. Therefore, Paul’s teachings end up having more weight than the direct interpretive role of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus is central in that we are saved through him, but it’s through Paul that we understand to apply his teachings.

There is a sermon video of Don Horban, pastor of Cedarview Community Church, where he says that “it is wrong to put Jesus’ teachings above Paul or any other words in the Bible”. Mr. Horban says we should not interpret scripture through the lens of Jesus.

Paul’s words have been used to trump Jesus’ teachings for years. They have also been also used to support slavery, oppress women, and keep minorities away from the Kingdom of God, but people don’t seem to mind that part.

Did Jesus prepare the way for Paul?

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Some religious leaders today are treating Jesus like the warm-up act to Paul, the headliner.

• “I can’t worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.” Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Church, controversial pastor)

• “You can’t interpret the gospels [Jesus] rightly until you understand Paul.” John MacArthur

• “We need Paul to understand the cross. Jesus predicted it, but Paul explains it.” R.C. Sproul

• “This is law [the gospels], not grace. The true gospel is found in Paul’s epistles.” The Scofield Reference Bible

• “We start with Paul and fit Jesus into Paul’s framework, rather than the other way around.” Theologian N.T. Wright

• “I’ve had pastors tell me, ‘You can’t run a church on the Sermon on the Mount.'” Greg Boyd

• “The epistle to the Romans is the true masterpiece of the New Testament and the very purest gospel.” Martin Luther

• “Turning the other cheek doesn’t work in the real world.” Pastors speaking against pacifism

• “We don’t need more forgiveness—we need justice.”

• “Turning the other cheek is weak, giving them your cloak is for loosers.”

• “You can’t run a government on that.”

• “Jesus said love your enemies, but that doesn’t work when they’re trying to destroy our country.”

• “Jesus’ teachings are not complete, too weak, and we need Paul to complete the teachings, to explain the truth”

• “Do unto others as they do to you? Bless those who curse you? That is not the way of the real world.” Military and political conversations.

The church has seen it before. Christians who no longer see the usefulness or importance of Jesus’ teachings. Turning the other cheek and giving to the poor are antiquated niceties that no longer apply. And championing these virtues is a guarantee to get you labeled as a communist or socialist. Those who are encouraging the church to get back to the teachings of Jesus and charity are often condemned for losing their way and bowing before the woke swamp. Christians are forgetting who and what Jesus was and his very words, fact-checking is practically a lost art and is non-existent.

Was Jesus Weak?

Jesus is seen as weak by many, especially compared to Paul.

Jesus’ words of inclusivity and love, on the other hand, have been mocked and said to be weak.

Were his teachings weak? Let’s

• He interrupts corruption with violent symbolism and righteous fury (Matthew 21:12–13, John 2:13–17). Jesus storms into the temple, drives out the money changers, flips their tables, and lashes out with a whip he made himself. Telling people they are robbers.

• He dares to call out the religious leaders on their lies and hyprocitucal lives (Matthew 23), and even calls them harsh names in that culture. This was a dangerous thing to do in that culture, and he was risking his life.

• He welcomed and invited women to follow him and his discioples (Luke 8:1–3, John 4). Unlike the culture of his day, Jesus treated women as equals, taught them theology, and let him sit at his feet (a rabbi’s position for male students).

• He deliberately broke the top commandment of the day: doing something on the Sabbath (which was condemnable by death). He expose the hypocrisy of legalism.

• He was not afraid of death. Stressed because of what was coming? Yes, but he walked right into it like a lamb to the slaughter (in silence). He predicted it. He didn’t hide. He stood in front of Pilate and, without flinching, said: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:11). He was courageous.

Jesus wasn’t safe. He wasn’t passive. He confronted systems, sin, hypocrisy, and oppression head-on—with power, love, and truth.

There is a famous quote from Narnia, where Lucy asks the Beaver about Aslan:

• “Is–is he a man?” asked Lucy.
• “Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion–the Lion, the great Lion.”
• “Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he–quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
• “That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver. “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
• “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
• “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.

Shall we follow Jesus or Paul?

Paul himself tells us to follow Jesus and not him: “One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:12–13

The early church didn’t die for Paul, they died for Jesus. They were called “followers of the Way”, not “followers of Paul.” (Acts 9:2). Their loyalty was to how Jesus lived and taught, not to an institution, not to a theological system.

If Jesus is God, and he calls us to follow Him, him alone, above all others. What do we do? If we follow Jesus and his teachings above all, that includes understanding all teachings through His words, rather than understanding Jesus words through others.

No human being should ever be seen as completing Jesus teachings. We interpret man’s teachings through Christ’s teachings, not Christ’s teachings through man’s teachings.

Jesus is the clearest voice of God, the foundation of our faith, and his teachings are life itself.
Everyone else—including apostles, pastors, theologians—are at best: secondary interpreters.

The words of Jesus should be the highest authority for us though. Jesus should be the center of our ethics, theology and discovering God’s will for our life.

“So then, no more boasting about human leaders!”
1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Tearing Down Walls

Jesus didn’t come to reinforce a system of exclusions—he came to tear it down. He did not spend his ministry reinforcing purity codes, but inviting outsiders in. He didn’t list sexual orientation as a barrier to the kingdom of God; instead, he warned against pride, judgment, and keeping others out. In a world obsessed with policing boundaries, Jesus widened the circle. And yet today, many Christians have inverted his priorities—using Paul to silence Jesus, wielding verses out of context, and building walls where Jesus built tables.

If Jesus is truly the clearest picture of God—the Word made flesh—then his words, his actions, and his silence all speak volumes. He defended the condemned. He elevated the rejected. He stood against religious gatekeeping. And he reminded us that the greatest command is not to be right, but to love. That’s the gospel. That’s our center. And if Jesus didn’t condemn LGBTQ+ people, we should be very slow—and very humble—before doing so ourselves.

“We Christians have always been good at building walls, at finding ways to people out of the temple. We’re good at making mountains out of our ideologies, obstructions out of our theologies, and hills out of our screwed-up notions of who’s in and who’s out, who’s worthy and who’s unworthy. We’re good at getting in the way.” Rachel Held Evans