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The Bible says all people went to their home but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and came back to the temple early in the morning.

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. (John 8:1–2, NIV)

On another occasion Jesus said:

Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (Matthew 8:20, NASB)

What was his dwelling like? Where did He stay during his ministry?

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It's pretty clear from reading the Gospels that Jesus did not have a 'fixed abode' during his ministry. He moved around from place to place. He certainly stayed on some occasions with supporters. On other occasions it is probable he slept outside.

There are a number of occasions where Jesus is recorded as staying at the Mount of Olives, notably during visits to Jerusalem. It seems his preference was to come to Jerusalem only during the day, and to stay at the Mount of Olives (a short walk outside Jerusalem) for the night. The home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus was on the Mount of Olives, and he may have stayed there.

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  • Whoops. Edited in Luke 9:58 then realized that the OP had Matthew 8:20, which says the same thing. Jul 15, 2015 at 22:52
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    This doesn't mention the house in Caperna um which may have belonged to Jesus.
    – Bit Chaser
    Jul 16, 2015 at 5:38
  • @disciple I'm unaware of any indication that Jesus might have owned a house. It's certainly not a widely-believed view. if you have good evidence that this might be the case, please write an answer with it in. Jul 17, 2015 at 14:17
  • I've heard teachers suggest Jesus owned the house, but for no strong reason. Matt 13 1, etc has in the house and out of the house. Perhaps only called His in the sense He was staying there. Not sure if that identifies it as in Cap. But somewhere it does. If not owned by Jesus, still relevant as suggesting fixed location.
    – Bit Chaser
    Jul 19, 2015 at 9:53
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    Mt 4,13: "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:" "Dwelt" here is κατῴκησεν in Greek, which means "I dwell in, settle in, am established in (permanently), inhabit." This states that He did have a permanent residence in that village.
    – Wtrmute
    Mar 9, 2017 at 13:54
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Jesus stayed on the mountain called Olivet during His ministry.

37 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.

38 Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him. (Luke 21:37–38, NKJV)

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  • While this is relevant, note that it only describes what Jesus did for a small portion of his public ministry.
    – curiousdannii
    Jun 5, 2018 at 23:02
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Jesus did not necessarily need to own a house to have a "fixed abode." He could have stayed with Peter at his home in Capernaum during his stays. Although we don't know the exact length of his stays, we know that he lived there (Matt 4:13), it was referred to as his own city (Matt 8:1) and Mark referred to Capernaum as His home (Mark 2:1).

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