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.
Mary's belief
59-0409 §36
Taking God at His Word... Mary, oh how she was rejoicing and patting her on the back, and Elisabeth patting her. And I can hear Elisabeth say to Mary, "O dear, I never seen you look so happy. It must be that you and Joseph are married." "No." "Well, what are you so happy about?" She said, "I know what you're happy about. Because that I'm to be mother." Said, "Yes, that's part of it; I knew you was to be mother." "Well," she said, "Mary, that's true. But I've hid myself for six months. And I'm kind of bothered, Mary...
Believest thou this?
51-0506A §16
And we lived together four years and God gave back another little lump of sugar... My little girl, little Sharon that was taken from me, He gave me a little Rebekah. And I love her with all my heart and I feel that God sent her. She's a very living image of the other little girl. And then, seemed like she was going to have no more children. Four more years have passed. And when I come back from overseas, I was reading in Cleveland, Ohio, or not Cleveland, but I believe it was Minneapolis, taking the Old Testament,...
The Identified Christ of all ages
64-0401 §39
That's what... That was the same thing with Joseph. He couldn't understand. He was a son of David, but he couldn't understand how that Mary could conceive. Now, no doubt when them big, pretty, brown eyes looked into his face and said, "Honey, I know we're engaged to be married. I got something to tell you. I've had a visit by Gabriel, and I've conceived by the Holy Spirit, he told me. And this thing that's going to be born will not be your son. It'll be the Son of God."... And now, Joseph wanted to believe that, bu...
Mary's belief
60-0311 §35
And Elisabeth saw her cousin, and she run out and threw her arms around her and began to hug her. She said, "Oh, Mary, why, the last time I seen you, you was a little freckled-faced girl, and here you are a beautiful woman. And I heard that you were going with that fine boy, Joseph." She said, "Yes, that is true, Elisabeth." "Well," she said, "I'm so glad to see you. Why, Honey, why don't you come sit down? Why, Joseph has gone to fetch some water so I can wash your feet. You must be tired, they're bleeding. Is the...
God is His own interpreter
64-0205 §11
It was so unusual until a good man by the name of Joseph, her husband, "being a just man and was not willing to make her a public example..." A good man in those days, how it must have been with Joseph when he was engaged, espoused to Mary. She was espoused. In that day, to break that, was just the same as committing adultery. And, of course, to Joseph, it seemed like that Mary was trying to use him for a blockade, or make him be a shield for her wrong, because here she was found to be a mother, not being married,...