Clarence L. Haynes Jr. – Contributing Writer – Updated December 02, 2024 – Bible Study Tools

My cmnt: I have edited this piece for clarity and space. You may read the original text by clicking the above link.

My cmnt: The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches hold to the perpetual virginity of Mary. Therefore, according to this extra-Biblical doctrine, Mary would not have had other children. Authorities in these churches argue that the word “brothers” could mean cousins.

Of the children born to Mary, obviously the most famous and most important one was Jesus. But while he was the first, he was not the last. Some denominational traditions, primarily Roman Catholics, hold to the concept of the perpetual virginity of Mary. This means she remained a virgin even after Jesus was born. As you will soon see, the Bible is clear that Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus was born.

For those who choose not to believe Mary and Joseph had other children together, one suggestion is those children were from Joseph’s previous marriage. This doctrine does not align with Scripture and reflects tradition and narrative rather than Biblical doctrine. There is no Biblical evidence that supports Joseph having a previous wife, nor is there support that says Mary remained a virgin after Jesus was born. Mary and Joseph’s marriage functioned like any other marriage after Jesus was born. This means they engaged in sexual relations and Mary gave birth to other children.

What Were the Names of Mary and Joseph’s Other Children?

“’Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3).

The Bible identifies the names of Mary and Joseph’s other children here in Mark 6:3 as well as Matt. 13:55. In both passages, James is listed first, which, according to tradition, would suggest that James is the oldest of the children Mary and Joseph had together.

There is nowhere in the Bible that mentions the names of their daughters. Neither do we know how many they had. Because both Matthew and Mark use the term sisters (plural) then we know they had at least two daughters, but it could be more.

It is safe to say altogether, Mary and Joseph had at least seven children. One which was conceived by the divine and miraculous power of the Holy Spirit and at least six who were conceived by natural marital relations.

What Was It Like Being Jesus’ Sibling?

I wonder what it must have been like to grow up in a home where Jesus is your older brother. Those are footsteps any sibling would struggle to walk in. However, his family was probably not much different from any other family. 

“Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind’” (Mark 3:20-21).

We don’t know much about Jesus’ childhood, as the Bible does not give us much insight into what that was like. That alone could imply that his childhood was most likely uneventful. We can discern from the account of Jesus in the Temple among the elders that we was wise beyond his years.

According to the Bible, Jesus was twelve years old when he first taught in the temple, as described in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2:42-52. 

Key points about this story:

• Jesus was separated from his parents during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 
• He was found in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. 
• The teachers were amazed by his understanding and wisdom. 

The Journey to Faith for Mary and Joseph’s Children

One thing that is easy to overlook when you think about Jesus’ brothers and sisters is they had to take that same journey we all must take to come to faith in Jesus as Messiah. Initially, his brothers did not believe in him. It might be safe to add his sisters into this mix as well.

“Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do.  No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his own brothers did not believe in him” (John 7:3-5).

This again reminds us of the difficulty of growing up in a household where Jesus is your sibling. Taking that step from Jesus being one who lives in your household to Jesus being the savior of the world is not an easy leap. Yet this is the reality we are all faced with. 

In Matthew, Jesus asked his disciple this question.

“’But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” (Matthew 16:15).

The question he asked of his disciples is the same question we must all answer. His family members had to do the same thing.

The Children of Mary and Joseph Became Followers of Christ

We know that during the life of Jesus, his brothers shifted from unbelievers to believers. The Bible does not declare when it happened, but we know it did. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus’ brothers are among the one hundred and twenty praying in the upper room.

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:14).

The Bible does not mention it, but I wonder if his sisters were among the women who were praying there. We know that Mary and his brothers were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and became contributors to the birth of this new church that was formed in the book of Acts.

The One Child of Mary and Joseph We Know the Most About

Of all the children of Mary and Joseph, besides Jesus, the one we know most about is James. Like his other family members, James started as a skeptic but became a follower of Jesus. He went from being a cynic to a champion, and became an influential leader in the developing church. By the time we get to Acts 15, James is standing and addressing the council at Jerusalem regarding how to address the Gentile converts who were coming to Christ.

“The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. ‘Brothers,’ he said, ‘listen to me’” (Acts 15:12-13).

Even though there are many James’ mentioned in Scripture, this could not be the Apostle James because he had been killed by Herod. This James is also the same one who eventually wrote the book of James. He went from being a skeptic to being a servant while counting it joy to suffer trials and persecutions for the name of Jesus Christ.

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (James 1:1).

The Other Sons of Mary and Joseph

Outside of James, the other sons of Mary and Joseph became traveling ministers of the gospel.

“Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” (1 Corinthians 9:5).

We don’t know where they went or who they ministered to, but they proclaimed the message of the gospel as well. There was also one other author among the group. Judas (also known as Jude) was a half-brother of Jesus and wrote the book of Jude.

“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James…” (Jude 1:1).

Final Thought

While the story of Mary and Joseph’s other children may not have started well, it looks like it all ended well. They grew up with Jesus and, while they did not believe at first, they eventually came to know he was truly the Messiah and savior of the world. I wonder how they looked back on their childhood memories once they understood that truth.

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com. 

Did Mary have other children?

from GotQuestions.org

Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, has been the subject of much speculation, primarily because so little is known about her. But one thing the Bible clearly indicates about Mary is that she had other children. How many children Mary had is up for speculation.

Luke 1 records Mary’s conversation with the angel Gabriel, who told her she was to be the mother of God’s Messiah. At that time, Mary was a young virgin engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. Some have taught that, due to the sacred nature of the virgin birth, Mary had no other children and remained a virgin throughout her life. However, Matthew 1:24–25 seems to counter that teaching and imply that Mary had other children: “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” The key word that tells us that Mary had other children after Jesus is until.

Until means “up to the time of.” It implies that an action did occur after a prescribed pause. Matthew did not end the sentence by saying, “He did not consummate their marriage.” He says, “He did not consummate their marriage until. . . .” This wording indicates that the action (of consummating the marriage) did occur after the birth of Christ. Matthew also makes a point of telling us that Joseph “took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew’s readers would naturally conclude that Mary became Joseph’s wife in every sense of the word. There is no scriptural evidence to support the assertion that Mary remained a perpetual virgin or that she had no other children. In fact, the Bible tells us the opposite.

Mark 6:3 records people becoming angry with Jesus when He taught in His hometown. They rejected Him as a prophet and responded, “‘Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.” This passage indicates that Mary had at least seven children, including Jesus. There were at least thirty years between the time of Jesus’ birth and this encounter, which allows plenty of time for other children to have joined the family as Jesus’ siblings.

John 2:12 gives us another hint as we answer the question of whether Mary had other children: “After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples.” The fact that the words brothers and disciples are both used means that John was not referring to “spiritual” brothers but to familial relationships. The “brothers” and the “disciples” were different groups. Matthew 12:46 records a time when Jesus’ mother and brothers came to speak with Him. Mother and brothers, used as a phrase, implies a familial relationship. Scripture gives us no reason to think these were not the biological children of Mary.

Efforts to prove that Mary remained a perpetual virgin are not based on Scripture but on a misguided allegiance to a woman who was as fallible as any other human being (Romans 3:23). While Mary was chosen by God for the holiest of tasks, she was, in her own words, “a humble servant” (Luke 1:48). She obeyed the Lord with faithfulness, as did many other humble servants of the Lord such as Moses, Gideon, Elijah, and Hannah. For Mary to have had marital relations with her lawfully wedded husband, Joseph, would in no way have “defiled” her. Those normal relations would have likely produced other offspring who would have grown up with Jesus as their big brother (James 1:1; Jude 1:1–2). Mary is given no special place in Scripture, and any effort to exalt her to godlike status is man-made heresy.

So, the answer to whether Mary had other children is “yes.” How many children she had is unknown, but she probably had at least seven, including Jesus.

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Mat 13:56- And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? An exceedingly difficult question here arises—What were these “brethren” and “sisters” to Jesus? Were they, First, His full brothers and sisters? or, Secondly, Were they His step-brothers and step-sisters, children of Joseph by a former marriage? or, Thirdly, Were they cousins, according to a common way of speaking among the Jews respecting persons of collateral descent? On this subject an immense deal has been written, nor are opinions yet by any means agreed. For the second opinion there is no ground but a vague tradition, arising probably from the wish for some such explanation. The first opinion undoubtedly suits the text best in all the places where the parties are certainly referred to (Mt 12:46; and its parallels, Mr 3:31; Lu 8:19; our present passage, and its parallels, Mr 6:3; Joh 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10; Ac 1:14). But, in addition to other objections, many of the best interpreters, thinking it in the last degree improbable that our Lord, when hanging on the cross, would have committed His mother to John if He had had full brothers of His own then alive, prefer the third opinion; although, on the other hand, it is not to be doubted that our Lord might have good reasons for entrusting the guardianship of His doubly widowed mother to the beloved disciple in preference even to full brothers of His own.

(My cmnt: And JFB should have noted were at that time still unbelievers.)

Thus dubiously we prefer to leave this vexed question, encompassed as it is with difficulties. As to the names here mentioned, the first of them, “James,” is afterwards called “the Lord’s brother” (see on [1298]Ga 1:19), but is perhaps not to be confounded with “James the son of Alphæus,” one of the Twelve, though many think their identity beyond dispute. This question also is one of considerable difficulty, and not without importance; since the James who occupies so prominent a place in the Church of Jerusalem, in the latter part of the Acts, was apparently the apostle, but is by many regarded as “the Lord’s brother,” while others think their identity best suits all the statements. The second of those here named, “Joses” (or Joseph), must not be confounded with “Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus” (Ac 1:23); and the third here named, “Simon,” is not to be confounded with Simon the Kananite or Zealot (see on [1299]Mt 10:4). These three are nowhere else mentioned in the New Testament. The fourth and last-named, “Judas,” can hardly be identical with the apostle of that name—though the brothers of both were of the name of “James”—nor (unless the two be identical, was this Judas) with the author of the catholic Epistle so called.

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Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Matt 13:56

Is not this the carpenter’s son? – Mark says, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” Both these expressions would probably be used in the course of the conversation, and Matthew has recorded one and Mark the other. The expression recorded by Mark is a strong, perhaps decisive proof that he had himself worked at the business until he was 30 years of age. The people in the neighborhood would understand well the nature of his early employments. It is therefore almost certain that this had been his manner of life. A useful employment is always honorable. Idleness is the parent of mischief. Our Saviour, therefore, spent the greatest part of his life in honest, useful industry. Until the age of 30 he did not choose to enter on his great work; and it was proper before that time that he should set an example to the world of honorable though humble industry. Life is not wasted in such employments. They are appointed as the lot of man; and in the faithful discharge of duties in the relations of life, though obscure; in honest industry, however humble; in patient labor, if connected with a life of religion, we may be sure that God will approve our conduct. It was, moreover, the custom of the Jews – even those of wealth and learning – to train all their children to some “trade” or manual occupation. Thus Paul was a tent-maker. Compare Acts 18:3.

This was, on the part of the Saviour, an example of great condescension and humility. It staggers the faith of many that the Son of God should labour in an occupation so obscure and lowly. The infidel sneers at the idea that “He that made the worlds” should live thirty years in humble life as a poor and unknown mechanic. Yet the same infidel will loudly praise Peter the Great of Russia because he laid aside his imperial dignity and entered the British service as a “ship-carpenter,” that he might learn the art of building a navy. Was the purpose of “Peter” of more importance than that of the Son of God? If Peter, the heir to the throne of the Czars, might leave his elevated rank and descend to a humble employment, and secure by it the applause of the world, why might not the King of kings evince a similar character for an infinitely higher object?

His brethren, James … – The fair interpretation of this passage is, that these were the sons and daughters of Joseph and Mary. The people in the neighborhood thought so, and spoke of them as such.