Jesus was adopted

Confession: I don’t agree that Jesus was adopted.

Sigh. Here we go. 

I think I have wanted to write about this topic for my entire life. I cannot tell you how many times I have encountered people in the church trying to make me feel extra special about being adopted by telling me that Jesus and Moses were adopted. Let’s do a quick recap on these Bible celebrities: Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Israelites out of Egypt and Jesus… well, need I say more? 

What I wish I could get clear on is what these people were trying to tell me by telling me that me, Jesus, and Moses all had adoption in common. That maybe I was adopted, “for such a time as this” (looking at you Esther, who, people like to remind me was raised by her uncle and therefore basically adopted too). Then again, maybe I don’t really want to know. 

First things first, please stop telling me that Jesus was adopted. Did Joseph adopt him as a son? I mean, kind of, I guess. Not in the same way that the Western world does it today. It isn’t like Jesus had a birth certificate that had God’s name as father and Joseph went to court to get it changed to his name. Obviously that did not happen. People simply mean that Joseph raised a son who was not from his sperm. Oh, ok. Valid. But was Jesus really adopted? Honestly, I vote no (written as I wrap my arms around my head and wait for the stones to get thrown at it). Here’s my reasoning: Jesus was not separated from His Father after being born. God the Father was with Jesus for every second of His earthly life, minus the moment that Jesus bore the sin of the world on the cross.

In most human adoptions, the biological parent and biological child are separated. The only biological parent of Jesus that I know of, is Mary. Since He was not separated from her or raised by a different human mother, then again, I am of the camp that Jesus was not adopted. 

There. I said the thing.