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 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...
The Seed is not heir with the shuck
65-0218 §69
Pentecost was as Mary. Pentecostal feast, look what Mary did. What did Mary do wrong? At a Pentecostal feast one time she was faced with a bunch of dignitaries, priests, when her Son, she couldn't find Him anywhere. And she went back three days journey. She had left Him like the modern church today. About three times five, or twenty-five, has the church left---about fifty years ago or seventy-five. Left Him at the Pentecostal feast. Mary went back up with Joseph three days looking for Him. She'd been looking for Hi...
Questions and Answers
59-0628E §87
Now, in Matthew 28:19, that's the last chapter and the last verse in Matthew. If you read a love story, and it said, "John and Mary lived happy ever after," who is John and Mary? Go back to the first of the book; find out who they are. See who John and Mary was that lived happy ever after. If Jesus said, "Go baptize in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost," and Father's no name, Son's no name, and Holy Ghost is no name, then what was He talking about? Who is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Go back to the first of i...