There Is History That Joseph Was a Widower with Four Children. Can You Prove That the Children Attributed to Mary Were Not Indeed Inherited?
1) Direct Answer
Yes. The “widower with four children” story is not Scripture. The Bible presents Jesus’ brothers and sisters as Mary’s own children born after the virgin birth.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Psalm 69:8 says of the Messiah, “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.” John 2:17 and Romans 15:3 apply Psalm 69 directly to Jesus. Now notice, it says “my mother’s children,” not “my father’s children.” That fits the virgin birth and shows Mary had other children.
- Matthew 1:25 says Joseph “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.” “Till” shows normal marital union followed the birth of Jesus, and “firstborn” points to more children afterward.
- Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3 name His brothers—James, Joses, Simon, Judas—and mention His sisters as present among them. The people said, “Is not this the son of Mary… and his brethren… and his sisters…?” That is natural, household language.
- John 2:12; Matthew 12:46; John 7:5 show “his mother and his brethren” moving and standing together as one family.
- Galatians 1:19 and 1 Corinthians 9:5 speak plainly of “the Lord’s brother.”
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The Bible never says Joseph had previous children. That’s a later story, not the Word.
- The Messianic Psalm settles whose children they are—“my mother’s children.”
- “Till” and “firstborn” align with Mary and Joseph entering normal married life after Jesus’ birth.
- Jesus giving Mary to John at the cross doesn’t deny other sons; at that time His brothers did not believe (John 7:5). He entrusted her to a believing disciple present.
4) Reinforcing Statement
We don’t build doctrine on tradition. We stay with the Scripture: Jesus had brothers and sisters, Mary’s own children, born after His virgin birth.
Existing Follow-Up Answers
- Every "thing" God Ever "borrowed" Was Paid Back with Interest. Would It Not Be Inconsistent of God's Character to Borrow Mary's Womb and Not Repay?
1) Direct Answer No inconsistency at all. God did not "borrow" Mary's womb; God created a body by His Word and overshadowed a virgin. Then He hon
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The impersonation of Christianity
57-0127A §6
And so then we knew we was going to have a baby, so we wondered. And someone said, "Is that Joseph?" I said, "I don't know." I said, "But we're going to have a Joseph." I said, "I kind of believe it is." And when it was born, it was a girl. Oh, you talk about razzing me. Everywhere I got letters said, "Oops. Your vision lied." It never lied. I said, "Joseph is coming." And so when the doctor delivered the little girl, he said, "Oh, Mr. Branham," he said. "So thin," he said, "We should do something about this." He s...
Being led of the Holy Spirit
56-0219 §56
..... Mary says to Elisabeth, said, "How are you getting along?" Said, "Just fine." And they went to talking, you know. And after a while I can hear her say, "You know, I hear that you're going to have a baby." She said, "Yes, that's right." But she said, "You know, I'm worried about it?" She said, "The baby's six months now as it is, and I'm kind of disturbed about it." And Mary said, "The angel of the Lord who told me that, the great angel Gabriel, who met me, and he told me I was going to have a baby, too." "Are yo...
The Identified Christ of all ages
64-0617 §43
But the Word always straightens the error. He was the Word, a twelve-year-old boy. Where did this wisdom come from? Remember, right there she denied her testimony. She said God was his father. And here she said, "Your father and I [Joseph] have sought you with tears." He said, "Don't you know that I must be about my Father's business?" If He'd been with his father, Joseph... Joseph would have been his father, He'd have been making cabinet doors, and things. But He was about his Father's business, straightening out...
The Expectations
58-0508 §37
Watch, there's a little girl not over eighteen years old, and she's standing with a baby in her arms. And the rest of the women are keeping their distance from her, because she had a bad name: the child was born out of holy wedlock---so the world said, so the church said. Mary was to be mother before Joseph married her. And the child... The women along, the rich women, they had their little babies in fancy needlework of pink and blue, with little lambs to offer for their purification; but this little lady, poorly d...
Shalom
64-0112 §47
Notice how Mary is so wrong, but His Word is so perfect. She said to Him when she found Him in the temple, at twelve, discussing with the theologians... He astounded them, as a twelve-year-old boy; not even in school, or, if it is, we have no record of it. But a twelve-year-old lad confounding the sages in the temple, at His wisdom. She said, "Thy father and I have sought thee with tears." "Thy father!" The mother herself, supposingly, said, "Thy father, Joseph, and I have sought thee with tears." What did He say t...