Did Jesus Marry Anyone? 

Jesus did not marry, nor did he have sexual relationships with anyone. The primary reason that Jesus declined romantic attachments stemmed from his pre-bestowal instructions regarding marriage. And he was faithful to this instruction.

When Jesus was nineteen years old, he received a marriage proposal from Rebecca, a young woman who had fallen in love with him. As he gently let her down, he invoked another reason that he couldn’t be tied to a romantic relationship. In the next year, he let his mother know that he would not be marrying; his life was so full that he had no time or inclination for marriage.

Speculation about a supposed romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene likely arose from a misunderstanding of the facts of her conversion and subsequent role in Jesus’ life.

Although Jesus did not enter into marriage, he assumed the role of a father figure after the death of his own father, Joseph. This responsibility made Jesus the leader of the household and a surrogate father to his younger siblings.

Jesus was a strong proponent of marriage and family life: he taught that marriage is the most ideal of all human relationships, the highest ideal.

Christ Michael (Jesus) received certain advice and instruction from his brother Immanuel before he started on his journey to earth to submit to being incarnated as the human infant who would grow up to be Jesus of Nazareth. Immanuel told Christ Michael that he was probably not going to be married. There was no prohibition against marriage, but it was forbidden for a Creator Son of God to leave children behind.

Rebecca, a young woman who lived nearby, fell in love with Jesus when he was nineteen years old. She subsequently proposed marriage to him at her seventeenth birthday party. Jesus thanked Rebecca for her admiration but gently declined her proposal, telling her that he could not enter into such a relationship. He told her that they could be friends, but not romantic partners. He further told her that he was responsible for raising his brothers and sisters; and even after that responsibility was over, he could not commit to a lifetime relationship such as marriage because he was a “son of destiny.”

Rebecca was heartbroken, and her distress was so complete that she begged her father to move away from Nazareth. Her father conceded and moved the family to Sepphoris. But Rebecca’s devotion never wavered. She never married, despite other offers. She followed the progress of Jesus’ ministry up to the end, and she was one of the few who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus breathed his last breath.

The story of Rebecca was whispered in Nazareth for a long time. Everyone knew that Jesus had rejected the marriage proposal of one of the town’s wealthiest and loveliest young women. And this knowledge prevented any other woman from daring to ask for Jesus’ romantic affections in marriage. The most any woman could hope for with Jesus was a relationship based on pure friendship and fraternal affection.

After his experience with Rebecca, Jesus and his mother, Mary, had a serious discussion about marriage. Mary asked him directly whether he would consider marriage if he did not have the responsibility of caring for the family. Jesus replied that he did not really consider it; he was too busy. And in any event, he told her that he doubted that he would ever marry. In his mind, and even at his young age, he already had decided that he would not have any children of his own, so the thought of marriage was not a consideration for him.

Speculation about the possibility that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a romantic relationship likely arose because of Mary’s extraordinary conversion experience and subsequent prominence as a spokesperson for the Women’s Evangelistic Corps during which she worked closely with the Master. This idea can be understood in the context of Mary Magdalene’s story of Jesus rescuing her from a life of prostitution and depravity in Magdala. However, her subsequent devotion to Jesus never crossed the line of pure friendship and gratitude to him.

Mary was first fellowshipped by the women, accepted by Jesus, and given a place in the Women’s Corps, where she eventually became a powerful teacher of the gospel. Because of her past, Mary became very cautious in her relations with men; she was wary and discreet towards all men. Her devotion to Jesus was pure, sincere, and never of a romantic nature.

In the early days of the Women’s Corps, a system was created to avoid all awkwardness or embarrassment when any of the women desired to speak privately to Jesus or one of the apostles. When such a meeting was desired, that request was taken to Susanna, the head of the Women's Corps, and along with one other member, she could then see the Master or one of the apostles. In other words, propriety regarding private meetings between any of the women and Jesus was maintained because of the customs of the times regarding the status of women.

Even though Jesus did not marry, he was a great proponent of marriage and family life. At one time, he spoke to the apostles regarding marriage, telling them that, “Marriage is honorable and is to be desired by all men. The fact that the Son of Man pursues his earth mission alone is in no way a reflection on the desirability of marriage.”

He went on to say that it is God’s will that men and women should strive to come together and create homes for the raising of children; and that this calling makes parents co-partners with God.