Did Jesus have any brothers or sisters?

The Bible tells us Mary was Jesus’ mother, and God was his father, (not Joseph). Matthew 13:55-56 and Psalms 69:9 indicate that Mary and Joseph had four sons and several daughters after Jesus was born. Because they all had the same mother, these siblings were half brothers and sisters to Jesus.

“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” Matthew 13:55-56

JESUS’ SISTERS

It is unclear exactly how many half-sisters Jesus had, although we believe it was more than two. Here’s why: Matthew 13:55 says, “…and his sisters, are they not all with us?”

Greek scholars tell us that if there had only been two sisters, the word “all” would have been “both.” (Example: “…and his sisters, are they not both with us?”) The word “all” could indicate 3 sisters, 7 sisters, 10, etc. This is why we believe he had “several” half-sisters.

JESUS’ BROTHERS 

We learn the names of Jesus’ four half-brothers because Matthew 13:55,56 (NIV) records someone saying, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?…” 

 There are more Scriptures to indicate Jesus had brothers: 

Mark 3:31 (NIV): “Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.”

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

JUDAS, JUDAH, OR JUDE?

Some translations of Matthew 13:55 list the name of Jesus’ half-brother as “Judah.” Some say “Judas.” Yet our modern Bibles call the book of the Bible he wrote “Jude.” How do we reconcile this? 

This common Greek name, Judas, when translated into English, can be either Jude or Judah.

Here are some explanations regarding the name Jude by Greek scholars:  

Both “Judas” and “Jude” are English translations of the Greek name Ἰούδας, which was a very common name in the 1st century. Jude (alternatively Judas or Judah) is one of the brothers of Jesus (Greek: ἀδελφοί, romanized: adelphoi, lit. ‘brethren’) according to the New Testament. He is traditionally identified as the author of the Epistle of Jude, a short epistle which is reckoned among the seven general epistles of the New Testament – placed after Paul’s epistles and before the Book of Revelation – and considered canonical by Christians.

(Source: Wikipedia “Jude – Brother of Jesus”)

Eusebius of Caesarea refers to Jude as the brother of our Lord in two different places in his monumental work called The History of the Church. 

THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF JUDE

Jude 1 identifies the author of the Book of Jude as Jude, a brother of James. This likely refers to Jesus’ half-brother Jude, as Jesus also had a half-brother named James (Matthew 13:55). Jude likely does not identify himself as a brother of Jesus out of humility and reverence for Christ.  (Source: gotquestions.org)

WAS JESUS’ HALF-BROTHER, JAMES, ONE OF THE 12 APOSTLES?

Galatians 1:19 (NASB): “But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” 

Let us not get confused by this Scripture which seems to say the Lord’s brother was one of the 12 Apostles. The Greek word for apostle means “one sent forth to represent the sender.” James was an apostle, or one sent forth by the church in Jerusalem. In a similar way the word also applies to Hebrews 3:1: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” (Jesus was sent forth by God as his appointed representative.) 

There are 24 individuals called “apostles” in the Bible, but are not all what Revelation 21:14 refers to as the “twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

THEORY DISPROVEN – JESUS’ SIBLINGS WERE HIS COUSINS OR CHILDREN FROM A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE OF JOSEPH; MARY WAS A PERPETUAL VIRGIN

There is an interesting prophetic Scripture in Psalms that refers to how Jesus was at first rejected by his brothers. Psalm 69:8 (New Heart English Bible) “I (referring to Jesus) have become a stranger to my brothers, a foreigner to my mother’s children.” 

“I” in this Scripture is referring to Jesus, whose brothers at first did not appreciate him, and “he” (Jesus) was treated as a foreigner to his mother’s children, (or his half siblings.). This disproves Catholic doctrine that Mary was forever a virgin and the siblings were either Jesus’ cousins, or Joseph’s by a previous marriage, as it shows she had other children after Jesus was born. Also note that in Matthew 1:25, Jesus is called Mary’s “firstborn,” implying Mary had other children. 

See Appendix 182 from the Companion Bible:

So, did Jesus have any brothers and sisters? By reading the Scriptures and reasoning on how they fit together, we believe that Mary and Joseph had more children after Jesus was born. The Scriptures mention the names of at least four half-brothers, and Matthew refers to “all his sisters,” meaning more than one, although they are not named.