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.
Show us the Father and it'll satisfy
56-0422 §43
...in an awful shape, sure enough." I said, "I want to ask you something." You know Mama always told me, an old saying, "Give the cow enough rope and she'll hang herself." And that's right. Said, "I want to ask you something. Will you admit now that He had a mother, according to the Scriptures?" "Yes, Mary was His mother." "But it's impossible, for ... be a Creator-Being, see, that created Him, He had to have a actual contact with a earthly father, which you claim was Joseph or some other man." Said, "That's exactly r...
Having conferences
60-0608 §72
Friend, death does not change a man; it just changes your dwelling place. I've got a wife, a very sweet wife, sitting right there. I've got three little children, two little girls and a little boy, and Billy Paul. I want to live for them, but my first purpose is to live for Christ, for my ministry. The second, I'd like to live long enough that I could see my little Joseph, sitting there, become a minister, take the spirit that I shall leave him. May my spirit come upon him. When I dedicated him to God, standing the...
For him will I accept
52-0718 §39
Now, God help us tonight to believe. Help us to lay aside every shadowy weight, and just move right in now with perfect virgin, unadulterated faith, Lord, and be healed, every one. For we ask it in His Name. Amen. [Gap in the audio] Symptoms arise, see it's all by feeling then. Next morning when the symptoms arise, you say, "Oh, I--I've lost my healing. That's the way it is." See, but when you know where you're standing, you got a platform. You can reach right back to Jesus said to Satan, "It is written..." It ain'...
Mary's belief
60-0311 §28
There she took out for this fellowship. The heart calls for it. Up over the hills I can see her going, her little cheeks a-blushing and them little eyes sparkling, as she thought, "I'll keep this a secret from Joseph. I just can't wait, I've got to go." And up in the hills she went, on up into Judea, up at the house of her cousin. And Mary, before she got to the house... Elisabeth, her cousin, had hid herself, because she was very worried because little John in the womb of his mother was six months, and no life had...
We have seen His star and have come to worship Him
63-1216 §47
Now, a prophet, or seer, doesn't go to sleep, he sees the angel standing here. The other man just goes to sleep, and he sees the angel. And the angel said, "Now, Joseph, there ain't no riddle, there's nobody there can interpret it for you. So, I'm going to tell you about it. I'm going to make it real to you, 'cause there's nobody there can make it real. Now don't fear to take Mary, thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Then when Joseph rose from his sleep, oh, how his heart must have b...