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 reproach for the cause of the Word
62-1223 §69
What a reproach to Mary ... (as we are closing). What a reproach to Mary and Joseph for His Word. It's Christmas time. (I was planning on holding just a little bit, but you'll hear much of it on radio, and among the pastors, and so forth.) What a reproach for Mary and Joseph to hold to God's Word of promise. Remember, now, and the scorn, that lifted up eyebrow, when they seen little Mary go by; seen Joseph; "You are marrying a prostitute!" And remember, Brother, adultery was death in those days. "Now you keep her f...
His wonders to perform
58-0112A §10
And if you'd just notice how it could've happened in another time. How God in His great, wise providence, how that He moves every cog just to hit at the right time! And that gives us faith sometime. When we think, "Oh, everything's all topsy-turvy and there's no way out." Don't think that. God is making it work just exactly according to His time program. And how that in this great time before the coming of the Lord Jesus to the earth, this little couple of ... young couple, of Joseph and Mary, being engaged, and so...
And when their eyes were opened, they knew Him
64-0416 §18
So God had no prophets in the land in that day, so God spoke to Joseph in the secondarily way---showing that if there isn't anything present that should bring it forth, God can work through anything, anything that He's promised. See, He could work a dream. If there was no prophet, then He could work a dream. So, no matter what our little gifts are, God can speak to us in any way He wants to; but it has to be with the Word, see. It has to be according to the Word. Now, we find out that his dream was according to the...
Birth Pains
65-0124 §50
One day---you know, didn't have television (thank the Lord) for that day. So they was down upon the hillside of Judaea. There was a baby born, a star appeared, and so forth. But after eight days the mother brought the little baby in, wrapped in swaddling cloth. It's swaddling cloth I'm told, that was a... They didn't have nothing to put on. It was a little rag off of a yoke of an ox, I'm told, that was this swaddling cloth. Here come Joseph and them coming in with this little baby. I'd imagine the mothers stood bac...
Questions and Answers on Hebrews, part 3
57-1006 §56
Now, when her children was to be delivered, they were twins. And when the twin... The first baby that was to be born, the old Jewish custom, the first child has the birthright, the first child to break forth. And that, remember, was her first child. None of the rest of the boys had had any children by her. She had never had a child till this time. And when her first child broke forth, it was just a hand. And the midwife put a scarlet streak around it, because a scarlet streak spake of redemption that the first son...