Did Jesus bless a GAY couple?

For many centuries before Matthew and Luke wrote their Gospels, the Greek word pais was commonly used to refer to the younger partner in a same sex relationship. The younger partner was often an adult male but was sometimes a teenager

The use of pais in this social and historical context leads some to believe that the story of the Roman centurion and his pais in Matthew 8 and Luke 7 tells the real story of the day Jesus met and blessed a gay man. Although this understanding of the text is controversial, it is important for us to discuss and understand it in our conversation about the BIBLE and HOMOSEXUALITY.

As we begin our study of this true story about a gay Centurion, from Matthew 8:5-13 & Luke 7:1-10, it is important to remember that we are two thousand years removed from these events. For that reason, traditionalists cannot prove their contention, that the centurion and his pais-servant, were not same sex lovers. It is equally impossible to prove to everyone’s satisfaction, that this was a gay centurion and his pais-beloved-gay lover.

If we cannot prove, to everyone’s satisfaction, that this story is about a gay centurion, why bother discussing this controversy?


The short answer is that scripture is important and what we believe, based on scripture, is important. For centuries, the organized church has insisted gay people are never presented in the Bible in a positive light.

Many Christians refuse to believe that God would include a positive story about a gay Centurion in the Bible. In recent centuries, many openly gay Christians have been excluded from the spiritual life of the church.

Our goal is to examine the available evidence. If the evidence and a faithful, believing approach to scripture supports the understanding that this story is about a gay centurion and his pais-same sex lover, that dramatic fact should be public knowledge.

While it may be impossible to prove to the satisfaction of everyone, that this is a story of a centurion who was GAY, it is certainly possible to make a principled judgment based on the weight of the evidence.

The Roman Emperor Augustus instituted a ban on heterosexual marriage for serving Roman soldiers, before the birth of Christ.

The Roman marriage ban lasted until AD 197, when Septimius Severus ended it, because they believe that it may have encouraged SAME SEX RELATIONSHIPS in the first century Roman Empire!

Those who believe that the Centurion’s pais was only a servant and not the same sex partner of the homosexual Centurion, cite Greek lexicons to prove their case. Since most biblical Greek lexicons do not mention beloved or same sex lovers, as possible meaning of pias  most nongay Christians insist same sex lover could not possibly be the meaning of pais.
Is there cultural, historical and linguistic evidence which indicates that beloved or same sex lover is the probable meaning of pais in Matthew and Luke’s story of the centurion?

Pais conveyed the idiomatic meaning of same sex lover. The idiomatic meaning of words derives from the way a particular culture uses a word. First century Greek and Roman culture often used the word pais with the meaning of "same sex lover."

Idiom refers to a way of using words that is natural to native speakers of a language but which does not convey the literal meaning of the words. An idiomatic expression uses a word in a way different than its literal meaning, such as using the word for servant to mean something more than servant, like same sex lover. Servant is a literal meaning. Same sex lover is the idiomatic meaning. For example:

1. We say ‘I’m going to keep tabs on’ a person. We don’t mean literally putting tabs on someone. We mean we are going to observe or track the activity of the person.
   
2. We say ‘Get lost!’ meaning Leave me alone, not literally to become unaware of one’s location.
   
3. If we’re feeling sick, we say we’re “under the weather” yet the idiomatic expression for feeling sick has nothing to do with weather.
   
4. If someone dies, we say he “bought the farm” or “kicked the bucket”yet dying has nothing to do with literally buying a farm or kicking a bucket.

Just so, the Greek word pais carried an idiomatic meaning for native Greek speakers for many centuries prior to Matthew writing his Gospel. The well-known, widely recognized idiomatic meaning of pais was "beloved or same sex lover."

That Matthew and Luke possibly used pais with the meaning of same sex lover raises the interesting possibility that Jesus met and blessed a gay centurion who was honest enough to tell Jesus he was gay.

Remember, in our story, the Centurion uses the word pais to describe his sick "servant." He is an utterly honest man and refuses to insult Jesus by asking for healing under false pretences. The gay Centurion openly admits to Jesus that he is a gay Centurion by using the Greek word pais to describe his servant.

What would you do in Jesus' place?  

What if you were in Jesus' place and the gay Centurion came to you, asking healing for his pais-beloved-partner?

Would you get in his face and tell him "You're going to roast in hell like a marshmallow if you don't stop being gay?"

Would you tell him "Sure I'll heal your partner if both of you promise to join Exodus International and become Ex-Gay"?


Or would you do like Jesus did and simply heal the beloved partner of the gay Centurion and affirm his remarkable faith in God?

We conclude that God can and does bless loving homosexual relationships like the one between a gay Centurion and his pais-beloved, as long as those relationships are within the Biblical moral framework - committed, faithful, non-cultic.