Claim #1 by the Catholic Church:
The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was a perpetual virgin because she and Joseph never consummated their marriage. Therefore, all references to Jesus' brothers and sisters in Scripture were not Mary’s and Joseph’s biological children but a different Mary’s children, Jesus’ cousins or close relatives, or Joseph’s biological children from a previous marriage. I have detailed each of these proposed theories below:
Theory #1—A different Mary’s children: The Catholic Church asserts that two of Jesus’ brothers listed in Matthew 13:55 (James and Joses) were not Mary’s biological children but another Mary’s offspring. For reference, this verse says of Jesus, “Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?”
Their claim that these men were not Joseph's and Mary's biological children is based on two parallel verses: Matthew 27:55-56 and Mark 15:40. It says in Matthew 27:55-56, "And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons." Similarly, Mark 15:40 says, "There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses."
Based on the content of these two passages, the Catholic Church concludes that Jesus' two brothers listed in Matthew 13:55 (James and Joses) were actually the sons of a different Mary who was mentioned in Matthew 27:56-57 and Mark 15:40, further confirming that Jesus' mother, Mary, never consummated her marriage to Joseph.
Theory #2—Jesus’ close relatives: Another theory the Catholic Church presents to disprove that Jesus had siblings is the Old Testament’s use of the word “brother” for relatives. For example, Laban referred to his nephew, Jacob, as his brother in Genesis 29:15. Likewise, Abraham referred to his nephew Lot and all their herders as brothers in Genesis 13:8.
Therefore, the Catholic Church proposes that Jesus’ brothers in Scripture were either cousins or close relatives but not siblings—further evidencing that Mary and Joseph never consummated their marriage.
Theory #3—Joseph’s biological children from a previous marriage: The last theory the Catholic Church presents to support Mary’s perpetual virginity and disprove that Jesus had siblings is based on John 7:3-4. It reads, “His brothers therefore said to Him, ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’”
The Catholic Church claims it was improper for younger siblings to advise older ones in that culture. Therefore, they theorize that the brothers who spoke to Jesus in John 7:3-4 were not His younger brothers but older stepbrothers from Joseph's previous marriage.
THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE:
Regardless of the Catholic Church's multiple attempts to undermine the Bible's clear and consistent message that Jesus had siblings, Matthew chapter one unequivocally confirmed that Mary and Joseph consummated their marriage after Jesus' birth. This truth is ascertained from its context and content and substantiated by an understanding of historical Jewish marriage.
In historical Jewish culture, marriage consisted of three stages: engagement, betrothal, and the wedding feast or ceremony. The betrothal (“a pledge to be married”) made a couple’s engagement official and binding and required a divorce to be undone. Betrothed couples were also considered husband and wife but did not live together until after their wedding ceremony. Once officially married, couples would consummate their marriage.
Given these historical facts about Jewish marriage, Matthew revealed to his Jewish audience that Jesus’ supernatural conception occurred during Mary’s betrothal to Joseph, not after they officially wed. He wrote in Matthew 1:18, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”
Additionally, since Matthew’s gospel was written years after Jesus was born and Mary and Joseph were officially married, he precisely specified the timeline of Jesus’ miraculous conception to ward off any suspicion that Jesus was the biological product of Mary and Joseph. Hence, his words, “before they came together.”
Matthew also recorded what transpired after an angel told Joseph in a dream not to be afraid to wed Mary because her pregnancy was supernatural and not the product of adultery, as he presumed. He penned in Matthew 1:24-25, “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.”
Given these facts about Jewish marriage in that culture and the information Matthew provided, Matthew 1:24-25 clearly conveyed that Joseph fulfilled his betrothal to Mary by officially marrying her (verse 24) but waited to consummate their marriage until after Jesus' birth (verse 25).
There is nothing in these passages or their context to suggest that Joseph and Mary remained betrothed for life or Mary maintained her virginity after she and Joseph officially wed and Jesus was born. Rather, they confirm that Joseph and Mary completed and fulfilled their Jewish marriage in every respect.
Another irrefutable fact that confirms Joseph and Mary consummated their marriage is the Bible’s references to Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Matthew 13:54-56 states, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”
These verses are very telling because Matthew recorded the Jews' response to Jesus' wisdom and authority as He taught in the Synagogue. Obviously, these Jews were perplexed about how Jesus acquired such things, given His humble upbringing among His immediate family, whom they specifically identified as His father (Joseph), His mother (Mary), His brothers (James, Joses, Simon, and Judas), and His sisters.
Therefore, to conclude that the brothers and sisters cited in Matthew 13:55-56 were not Jesus' siblings is unfounded, especially given the inclusion of Joseph and Mary in the list of His family members. (Additional examples of Jesus' siblings mentioned with His mother are Matthew 12:46-47, Mark 6:3, John 2:12, and Acts 1:14.)
Next, the Catholic Church’s claim that “James” and “Joses” cited in Matthew 13:55 were not Jesus’ brothers but another Mary’s offspring is explicitly false. Multiple people in the Bible shared the same name but originated from different families—Mary included. For example, Scripture reveals at least five different women named Mary: Jesus' mother (Mary), Martha and Lazarus' sister (Mary), Alphaeus' wife (Mary), John-Mark's mother (Mary), and Mary Magdalene.
There are also three men named James in the New Testament. One was the son of Zebedee and Salome and was a disciple of Jesus (see Matthew 10:2 and 27:56). Another, (“James the Less”), was the son of Alphaeus and Mary and was another disciple of Jesus (see Matthew 10:3 and 27:55-56, and Mark 15:40). The third James was Mary’s and Joseph's son and Jesus’ brother who became a leader in the Jerusalem Church and authored the New Testament book of James (see Matthew 13:55-56, Mark 6:3, Galatians 1:9, 2:9, Acts 15:13-21, and James 1:1).
The same is true of the name Joses in the New Testament. One Joses was the son of Alphaeus and Mary and was James the Less’ brother (see Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40). Another Joses was a Levite from Cyprus whom the apostles nicknamed Barnabus (see Acts 4:36). A third Joses was Mary’s and Joseph's son and Jesus’ brother (see Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3).
Therefore, the Catholic Church's conclusion that James and Joses in Matthew 13:55 were not Jesus' siblings nor Mary’s biological children but a different Mary's offspring is unsupported. Or, to put it another way, their assumption that Alphaeus' and Mary's sons, "James the Less" and "Joses" in Matthew 27:55-56 and Mark 15:40 are the same "James" and "Joses" cited as Jesus' brothers in Matthew 13:55 is as illogical as claiming every Mary in the Bible was Jesus' mother.
Lastly, John corroborated that Jesus had siblings based on his divinely inspired use of an emphatic phrase after Jesus’ identity was challenged. John recorded Jesus’ younger brothers telling Him to go to Judea during The Feast of Tabernacles to reveal Himself to the world rather than stay “hidden” in Galilee if He were truly the Messiah. It says in John 7:3-4, “His brothers therefore said to Him, ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’”
John immediately followed that recorded encounter with, “For even His brothers did not believe in Him” (John 7:5). This emphatic expression about Jesus’ brothers’ unbelief conveyed how even those who grew up with Jesus and had insider knowledge of Him still did not believe in Him. Hence, these brothers were not another Mary’s children, Jesus’ cousins or close relatives, or Joseph’s biological children from an alleged previous marriage but Jesus’ bona fide siblings.
