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
Ask a Follow-up Question
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.
Shalom
64-0119 §35
Notice how infallible the Word is. Mary and Joseph... Now, to you my dear Catholic friends, that said Mary was the mother of God. Mary wasn't even the mother of Jesus, let alone being the mother of God. How could she be? Not one time did He ever address her as "Mother." Not at all. They come to Him one time and said, "Your mother and brothers wait outside." He looked out over His congregation, said, "Who is my mother? Who is my brethren?" Looked to His disciples, said, "The ones that does the will of my Father, tha...
From that time
61-0520 §5
And now, I'm not very formal because, you know, God's without form. The Bible said so. So we don't have nothing formal. Around our home we ... it's nothing formal. I have three lovely little ones at home, and Billy, my son, is with me. And we're just a great family of people that love the Lord with all of our hearts. I've got a little boy about ... yesterday he was six years old, and... Was six years before he came. The Lord told me I would have this son, and I should call his name Joseph. And the little boy is alr...
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §63
He created the womb that was in a woman. He had no womb to be born in; he had to borrow a womb. He created the earth and had not a place to be buried in; he had to borrow a hole in the ground to be buried in, Joseph of Arimathea, see. They had to borrow a place, yet He was God ... proved that He was God. Now, you understand? We are not... We are messiahettes, but not that Jesus. He is our Father; we're just anointed with his Spirit, and that's the reason his life... And that gets people. See, if you don't set and t...
Proving His Word
65-0426 §77
Father, God, You are the same God that proved ... when You said "The girl is not dead, she is asleep," then you had to prove it. Now You promised that just before the coming of the end-time that the Son of man would reveal Himself in the same manner He did at Sodom. You promised it, Lord. Now You've come to the earth in the form of the Holy Spirit and got among us tonight, we believing people, and have proved it. You have proved Your Word, like You did that day. Lord, we need no more proof. You're among us. We love...
But from the beginning it was not so
58-1002 §27
It reminds me of a story that I've just been reading this afternoon. It was the early life of our Lord, when He had been born in Bethlehem, and raised up there in Judea. And at the age of twelve there was a certain custom that the people kept. That was a feast. I think the feast of the Passover. And His people, Mary, His mother, and Joseph, His foster father, all went up to Jerusalem to keep this certain tradition. Just as lawful as they could. And while they were up there they got in a big way talking to their kin...