How many siblings did Jesus have?

Now leaving the shores of Galilee, He goes to the area of Nazareth, His Own country, where it is emphasized that His kingdom is in reproach and rejection. In this return we learn in the blessed Lord Himself, how to accept this. The wisdom of His teaching is undisputed: people are astonished at this and at hearing of His mighty works. But instead of seeing by faith the reality of God's power in this, they dispute His right to possess such power! Where did He get this? they ask. Was He not only a carpenters son? Did they not know His mother, His four brothers and all of His sisters? Formal religion has claimed that Mary had no other children then the Lord Himself, therefore assuming that these were nephews or nieces; but Psalm 69:8 is conclusive, "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children." Mary had at least seven children after the Lord was born, for "all" His sisters implies at least three.

As the oldest of a family in which He had four brothers and, at least, two sisters, the Lord Jesus would have the responsibility of caring for the needs of the household after Joseph had gone, and He had succeeded him as “the carpenter.” It was perhaps natural that His brethren did not believe in Him (John 7:5), for the natural man does not receive the things of God. They were the constant witnesses of a life of perfection that glorified God, and must have brought rich benefits to all in contact with Him, but there was not faith to perceive the glory of the Person who was so near to them day after day. Yet how very blessed it is to see the working of God’s grace in Christ’s brethren after the flesh, for, in the upper room, where the apostles continued in prayer after the Lord’s ascension to heaven, there were with them, “Mary the mother of Jesus, and…His brethren” (Acts 1:13-14).

Joseph, obedient to the heavenly vision, took Mary as his wife, yet they refrained from all sexual intercourse until after the birth of her divine child, her firstborn, for she later had at least seven others (Ps.69:8; Mt.13:55,56).

In that carpenter's home at Nazareth our Lord was 'brought up'. It is almost exactly the same word which the Spirit uses of us, with our children, in Ephesians 6:4 (Trepho and Ek-trepho). "Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." However, of this we may speak later. But let us who are parents gaze for a moment on that 'bringing-up.' Never had there been such a child: never was He disobedient; never cross; never sulky; never rude; never self-willed; never untruthful. How very different to us, when we were children! How very different to the children we seek by His grace to bring up now! He had four brothers: James and Joses, and Juda and Simon, besides "His sisters." (Mark 6:3). In this verse He is called "the carpenter", and doubtless as a boy and a young man, He worked at Joseph's trade in the carpenter shop. Perhaps at this time Joseph was dead, as here our Lord is spoken of as "the son of Mary," and no mention is made of Joseph.

We know that for some time after He entered His public ministry His brethren did not believe on Him; and it is more than probable that the envy of Joseph's brothers (in that lovely story in Genesis), so different to their brother Joseph, was but a picture of the envy of these unbelieving brothers in Nazareth. This would make life hard for the Child; but how sweet to see that the one next in age, and perhaps nearest to Him, "James, the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19), was quickly won to be His loyal and faithful follower. Nor was James the only one of those four who were won by Him; for in 1 Cor. 9:5, we see "the brethren of the Lord" linked with Cephas. And we may well believe, (as we might expect), that each one of that family at Nazareth became earnest, true and devoted followers of their, and our, Lord Jesus Christ.

The author of this short epistle introduces himself at the beginning as Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James. There is only one Jude in the NT matching this description, one of the brothers of the Lord Jesus. The brothers of the Lord are mentioned by name in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3: James, Joseph or Joses, Simon and Judas. The Lord's sisters are mentioned there as well but not by name. At first the brothers (and relatives) of the Lord did not believe in him (John 7:5; Mark 3:21). But after his ascension we do find them with the other disciples in Jerusalem (Acts 1:14).

Christ’s Brethren after the Flesh

Although of the royal line of David, Joseph and Mary were poor and humble, circumstances ordered in the government of God to suit His purpose for the birth of His Son into this world. In Matthew 13:55, those around said, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” and in Mark 6:3 those who heard the Lord speak said, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?” This would seem to indicate that Joseph had been called to his rest before the Lord started on His public ministry, and probably shortly before, seeing that he was referred to as the carpenter, and Jesus as his son.

Now, in my judgment, the last two names are brought before us in the opening verse of our Epistle, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." But we further read in the same chapter of the Acts, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren" (ver. 14). Who these "brethren" are, we have already seen from Mark 6 James and Jude were two of the Lord's brethren. Simon and Joses were two others. But we do not need to dwell on these, because Scripture does not do so. Yet it says a deal about James; not so much about Jude. As already noticed, although they were unconverted all the time the Lord was on earth they were evidently converted after the Lord died and rose; so that there they were with Mary their mother, and the eleven, all living together and given up to prayer, and waiting for the promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is certain they were not unconverted now. Nothing would have been more contrary to their mind had they not been believers, but now they are believers for the first time. And very beautiful it is to see that God broke them down by the very thing that might have stumbled them for ever. The crucifying of the Lord might have entirely hindered, but God used that and the Lord's resurrection, not only to awaken their souls, but to bring them in, so that they were there, full of the same expectation of the Holy Ghost as the apostles themselves.

But James was not a "disciple"; he was one of the Lord's brethren who did not believe all the time the Lord was living here below; "neither did His brethren believe on Him" (John 7:5). "His brethren" were sons of Mary after His own birth. Of course we can understand that Romanists have been anxious to make out that they were sons of Joseph and not of Mary. But they were sons of Mary and of Joseph. They would like to make them out sons of a former marriage of Joseph. We do not know anything of a former marriage, nor do they. We do know that scripture is quite plain.

Take Mark 6:3 for instance, and there you will find that what I have just stated is fully acknowledged: speaking of our Lord, it says, "Is not this the carpenter the son of Mary, and brother" (not the cousin, you see) "of James and Joses, and of Juda and Simon?" We do not know what particular place God gave to Joses and Simon, but we do know that James and Judas, or Jude (it is the same name), were both called to an eminent service.

Now if we look at the first of Acts we get more. It appears there were sisters also, but we need not now pursue that subject. In Acts 1:13 we read, "And when they" (i.e. the apostles) "were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter and James" (that James is the son of Zebedee), "and John" (his brother), "and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James [the son] of Alphaeus" (that is, James the Little) "and Simon Zelotes" (to distinguish him from Simon Peter and from Simon the Lord's brother), "and Judas [the brother] of James."

One of the brethren of the Lord, Mark 6:3: called JUDAS in Matt. 13:55.

One of the brethren of the Lord. Matt. 13:55: called JUDA in Mark 6:3.