Jesus lived in several places. Before His time on earth, Jesus was with His Father in heaven. In John 17:5, right before His crucifixion, Jesus prays for God to glorify Him in His presence with the glory He had with Him before the world started.

Jesus’ birth.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem when he came to earth, as told in Luke 2. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth but had to travel to Bethlehem for a census. They had no immediate family in Bethlehem, so they had nowhere to stay. It’s unknown how long the family remained in Bethlehem, but we do know that the three wise men visited them there.

However, by the time of their visit, the family was living in a house, not the stable where Jesus was born. When King Herod heard of the wise men’s visit, he tried to kill Jesus as a potential rival. Based on the time the wise men gave Herod regarding the star, he ordered the death of all boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem, two years old and under.

Due to Herod’s plot, an angel warned Joseph in a dream to move the family to Egypt, so they stayed in Egypt until Herod died. However, we still don’t know how long that lasted. Secular history sources say that Herod died in 4 BC, meaning that shortly after Jesus’ birth, Herod died, and the family could safely return to Israel. When they returned to Israel, Joseph moved his family back to Nazareth, where he and Mary started. Bethlehem was in Judea, but Nazareth was 90 miles north of Galilee. Jesus was often called “Jesus of Nazareth” because Nazareth was His hometown, where He grew up.

Jesus’ time in Galilee.

After starting His public ministry, Jesus moved to Capernaum, also in Galilee, on the Sea of Galilee’s shores. He wasn’t far from His hometown of Nazareth, as it was about a day’s walk away from Capernaum. From Capernaum, Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem. Many occurrences reported in the gospels happened in Jerusalem. His first miracle, turning water into wine at the Cana wedding, happened in Galilee. Jesus called His first disciples to become “fishers of men” from the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew, James, Peter, and John were working as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called them to be His disciples.

Luke 9:57-58 gives us a slight hint of Jesus’ specific living quarters. In this verse, a man told Jesus he would follow Him wherever He went. Jesus told the man that birds have nests and foxes have dens, but the Son of Man doesn’t have a place to lay His head. This verse indicates that Jesus didn’t own a home and had no property of His own. There’s no doubt that Jesus stayed with friends as a guest occasionally, as he did with Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus and His disciples might have camped wherever they were as He carried on His ministry. The biblical evidence doesn’t support claims that Jesus was rich and that He also wants His believers to be wealthy. Seven hundred years before Jesus walked in Galilee, the prophet Isaiah saw the region as the gateway of peace and salvation for the nations through Jesus’ preaching. Isaiah 9:1 says those in distress will no longer be in the gloom. It also says in the past, Jesus humbled Naphtali and Zebulun, but He will honor Galilee of the nations in the future by way of the sea past the Jordan.

We can assume that the person discussed here refers to Jesus because this passage is mentioned in Matthew 4:13-15, applying to Jesus. Zebulun and Naphtali were devastated by the Assyrian army but were honored in the Messiah’s presence and loving ministry, bringing joy, light, and salvation to the world’s people.

Did Jesus have a home?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Then His parents moved to Nazareth in lower Galilee, but Jesus didn’t have a home that was ever identified, even saying that “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” It should also be noted that Jesus often spent the night at Mount Olivet, as detailed in Luke 21:37. The next verse says that people came to Jesus at the temple early in the morning to hear Him.

If Jesus had a home, why would He sleep outside so often? Was it because people were afraid to invite Him into their homes for fear of being put out of the temple? Or was it because Jesus spent most of His nights praying, so He didn’t want to wake those sleeping in their house? Luke 6:12 tells us that these days, Jesus went to the mountain to pray and continued praying to God all night. By Luke saying “in these days” in chapter six, we can understand that it’s early in Jesus’ ministry. In Luke 21, it was later in His ministry, and He was sleeping outside at both times, so we can assume it was His habit.

We can understand that Jesus slept and prayed outside numerous nights, so it’s no wonder He said He didn’t have anywhere to lay His head; it was the truth. There aren’t many passages that say Jesus slept in someone’s house. There might be one or two occurrences, but that’s it.

His heavenly ascension.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He ascended to heaven, where He sat beside His Father. Jesus’ natural home was in heaven with the Father, and your home could be with Jesus. Wherever God is, that’s where heaven truly is. If you trust in His name, Jesus is preparing a place for you, as He told the disciples. He also told them, “Where I am at, you may also be.”

If you believe in God, you will have an eternal home with Him. However, there won’t be any sleeping. You will be doing God’s work in the kingdom without needing sleep. You’ll never be tired, and it will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Jesus temporarily made the earth his home to secure a place for us in His Father’s home. One day, those who believe in Him will bask in living in His presence.