John Avanzini — Quotes Examined

"Jesus had a nice house! You don't think Jesus had a nice house? You think he was homeless? ... Jesus had a nice big house! ... Jesus wore designer clothes!"

John Avanzini's claim that Jesus was wealthy, lived in a 'nice big house,' and 'wore designer clothes' is a fabrication with zero biblical or historical support. Jesus explicitly stated He had nowhere to lay His head. The seamless tunic soldiers cast lots for was a simple garment, not luxury fashion. Avanzini rewrites history to justify greed — turning the humble Savior into a prosperity icon.

"Jesus was handling big money. The Bible says that Judas was a thief. If you only have a few bucks, you don't need a treasurer and you don't need a thief."

John Avanzini argues that because Judas was a thief, Jesus must have had significant wealth to steal. This logic is absurd. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver — hardly the actions of someone with access to 'big money.' Jesus explicitly said He had 'nowhere to lay His head' (Matt 8:20). The disciples left 'everything' to follow Him (Luke 5:11). Jesus was 'poor' so we might become rich spiritually (2 Cor 8:9). Avanzini invents a wealthy Jesus to justify his own prosperity theology, but this Jesus is a fiction.