To answer the question whether Jesus spoke in tongues, I have this to say:
Jesus did not speak in tongues and if He did, God concealed it from us for a good reason. The Bible does not tell us whether Jesus spoke in tongues which leaves us with only speculations. The surest way to know if Jesus spoke in tongues is to ask Jesus Himself.
I have thought about this question more than once since I got baptized with the gift of speaking in tongues.
I also know some people who once argued about whether Jesus spoke in tongues or not. The truth is that the Bible does not tell us whether Jesus spoke in tongues or not.
All we can do is speculate and draw our own conclusions. But the most important thing is not whether Jesus spoke in tongues or not but rather that He brought us salvation.
Therefore, no matter what you believe at the end of this article, know that speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit and Jesus is the only one who can save us from death.
Indicators that Jesus Spoke in Tongues
1. He was God
Jesus was and is God. It was only that He had taken a human form. Since God has the ability to do anything, speaking in tongues cannot be hard for Him, can it?
The Bible tells us that whoever speaks in tongues speaks to God and no one understands him. The fact that tongues are spoken to God and He understands means that God too can speak in tongues.
How can you understand a language you cannot speak?
I have witnessed God send messages in form of tongues and someone interpreted them. I have interpreted tongues myself before.
With this, I have no doubt that God can and does speak to us in tongues. This is not a conclusive reason that Jesus spoke in tongues while on earth but it goes to show that Jesus had the ability to speak in tongues.
2. He had other Gifts of the Spirit
Speaking in tongues is only one of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus demonstrated gifts of the Holy Spirit during His ministry on earth.
He performed miracles which we know is a gift of the Holy Spirit. He spoke in parables which we know is a result of the gift of wisdom.
Jesus knew the heart of everyone and didn’t need anyone to give him a report. Was that not the gift of knowledge?
Since Jesus operated in a number of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it makes sense to conclude that He spoke in tongues too.
Why would He be able to operate in some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and not others?
3. He was filled by the Spirit
Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is clear that the Spirit of God filled Him on the day He was baptized.
Since Jesus was full of the Spirit, what makes us think He could not speak in tongues?
Gifts of the Spirit are available to anyone who is filled with the Spirit of God. All a person has to do is exercise them.
Having the Holy Spirit guarantees that someone has the ability to speak in tongues. The person may choose not to exercise the ability but it is there.
Jesus, being full of the Spirit, was certainly able to speak in tongues though He may have chosen not to do it.
Indicators that Jesus did not Speak in Tongues
1. It is not written
The fact that there is no single Bible verse that explicitly says Jesus prayed in the spirit, chances are that He may not have spoken in tongues.
If the Bible has recorded Jesus operating in other gifts of the Holy Spirit, why would they omit the gift of speaking in tongues if Jesus operated in it?
When the Bible does not give information about a matter, it usually means the matter did not happen or it was not important.
We know that the whole purpose of the Bible is to help us believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing in Him we may be saved.
A lot about Jesus has not been mentioned but we are told that what has been mentioned is sufficient to help us believe in Him.
Jesus speaking in tongues may have happened but it was insignificant or it may not have happened.
2. He was sworn to Hardship
Jesus humbled Himself to live as men do and suffer what we suffer. Jesus came to live through the pain that we live through.
Since speaking in tongues makes praying easy. Jesus may have opted not to speak in tongues so that He experiences the hardship of praying in understanding.
We know Jesus chose to live a life of poverty and suffering. Praying in understanding as opposed to speaking in tongues fits into the lifestyle that Jesus chose.
Jesus praying in understanding as opposed to speaking in tongues also fits into Him taking the human form. Since men didn’t speak in tongues at that time, it would only be fair for Jesus to pray as they did for Him to be considered fully man.
The Most Important thing about the Case of Jesus Speaking in Tongues
There is definitely a good reason why God chose to conceal the truth about Jesus speaking in tongues. We can speculate all day long but the surest way to know is ask Jesus Himself if He spoke in tongues.
Unless someone has asked Jesus and gotten an answer from Him, we treat all information on this subject as speculation.
This is certainly a ‘luxury’ in matters of salvation. You don’t need to have a stand on this matter for you to receive salvation or even the gift of speaking in tongues.
If you speak in tongues and advocate for the gift, don’t claim that Jesus spoke in tongues just because you want it to be that way. Even if you are right, we truly don’t know. Let’s admit it.
For those who think Jesus didn’t speak in tongues, it is foolish to have a hard stand on the matter if you have no witness from Christ Himself.
Let’s not create our own religions out of this matter just to pamper our ego. If you love speaking in tongues, enjoy it because it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. If speaking in tongues doesn’t sit well with you, mind your own business because it is your free will.
Let us spend our energy on building our faith in Jesus. It is our faith in Jesus that shall save us.
Peace!