Abstract:
This article has located Jesus’ saying about homelessness in the context of the Roman Empire
as it was experienced in Galilee. Homelessness is part of a broader picture that translates
into loss of access to the resources of the land. The thesis is that in light of a theology of
land resulting from the development of Abrahamic covenant traditions and the prophetic
hope expressed especially in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Psalm 37, Jesus proclaimed God’s kingdom
as God’s rule over heaven and earth, which implicates restoration of equitable access to the
resources of the earth. The Lord’s Prayer, presumptions about the water of Jacob’s well in John
4 and the parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16 are used to demonstrate understandings
of violations of equitable access according to Abrahamic covenant traditions and the hope for
the restoration thereof.
