“Your…brothers are…asking for you.” Mark 3:32 / Jesus’ Brothers and Sisters

Brothers and Sisters

Most of us who have siblings are acquainted with their frustrating behavior of thinking or acting as though they are better than we in some way.  They tell us that they are smarter, that they can run faster, or that our parents love them more than they do us.  Whether our brothers/sisters are older, younger, or the same age as us, they tell us by attitude, word, and deed that they are superior to us and that we should be grateful to have them as siblings and role models.

Having observed this kind of behavior in my own family and in others I’ve known, I believe this behavior to be nearly universal.  Those of us who have brothers or sisters know this because we’ve either thought we were the “superior” sibling or been told of our inferiority by one or more of them.

Jesus’ Brothers and Sisters

So, it shouldn’t be strange to learn that Jesus’ brothers and sisters did not “jump on board” when He first said that He was the Son of God and began His ministry.  Just like any other family, his brothers and sisters seem to have met his claims with a healthy degree of skepticism.

We know from scripture that Jesus had four brothers (James, Joseph/Joses, Judas/Jude, and Simon) and at least two sisters (although we don’t know their names). [Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55-56]

Presumably, they are listed in birth order because that was the tradition at the time.  We also presume that Jesus was the oldest because we know that Mary was a virgin when He was born.  So any other children would have had to come after Him.

Christian Debate

There is theological disagreement among Christian groups and denominations regarding the lineage of Jesus’ brothers and sisters.  Catholics maintain and many Protestants view Mary and Joseph’s marriage relationship differently.  Like most disagreements among Christians, this one goes back to the foundations of the religion.  Some Christian writings from the first century AD maintain that the brothers and sisters were of natural origin from Mary and Joseph’s marriage, while others maintained that the term “brothers and sisters” was more allegorical, pertaining to cousins, or even Joseph’s children from an earlier marriage.

It is not my intent to debate this issue here; we may explore that issue at another time.  For the purpose of this post, we’ll assume that the “brothers and sisters” were exactly what is implied by the term and that all the children born after Jesus were the products of Joseph and Mary’s marital activities.

Slow to Acknowledge

What is not in debate is that the siblings did not, at first, see Jesus as the Messiah.  Of course, Mary knew who Jesus was and about His mission.  But his siblings seemed to regard Him much as siblings have always regarded a brother or sister that their parents treated differently, with extreme skepticism.  In John 7:5, we learn that although Jesus had begun His ministry in Galilee and performed miracles there, “…even his brothers did not believe in him.”  And in Mark 3:20-21, we learn that when they believed that they needed to save Jesus from an angry crowd, they attempted to seize Him, saying, “He is beside himself.”  Often it is hard for us to see the true value of another person, especially when he/she is someone in our own family.

Their skepticism and unbelief were such that, “…they took offense at him.  And Jesus said…”A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”  And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them.  And he marveled at their unbelief.” [Mark 6:3-6]

The Rest of the Story

We don’t know what happened to most of Jesus’ family.  Joseph had apparently died before Jesus started His ministry.  Tradition says that Mary continued to reside in Jerusalem for some time after Jesus’ Ascension, but that she eventually moved to Ephesus where she lived with the Apostle John until she died.

James, the next-oldest, became an ardent follower, was called “James the Just” for the strength of his faith and his leadership, and became the first elected bishop of the early Church in Jerusalem.  James was martyred in 62 AD on the order of Ananus ben Ananus, the High Priest of the Jerusalem Temple.

Jesus’ other brother Jude appears to have also become a believer, and Christian tradition has him active in the Jerusalem Church as well.  He is credited with writing the Epistle of Jude that is included in the Christian New Testament, but of his later history, we know nothing.

The rest of Jesus’ brothers and sisters are not mentioned again in the Bible.  It’s probable that at least some of them became believers and were active in the Jerusalem church.  In any event, they would have been witnesses to the greatest event in human history and it is likely that they passed their story on to their children and loved ones.

Jesus’ Modern Brothers and Sisters

How like Jesus’ brothers and sisters we are!  We know His history.  We have His presence in the Holy Spirit.  And we have the testament of thousands upon thousands of other believers who validate and encourage our faith in Him.

And according to Scripture, we’re not just like Jesus’ siblings.  We are already, In fact, His brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11, Romans 8:29, and Mark 3:34).

But, like His familial siblings, we allow our skepticism to cloud our judgment.  We allow our pride to hinder our acceptance.  And, we allow our fear of society’s ridicule of our faith to override our desire for closeness to Him.

Prayer

Let it not be so!  I pray that like James and Jude, our descendants will know us by our faith long after we’re gone.  Let us not fail to recognize Him for what He is; our Lord and Savior.  And, let us proclaim loudly for all the world to know our belief and joy at our deliverance by His sacrifice.

I pray that each of us will be able to look back on our lives and say, “I met the Lord.  I knew Him as my Savior and my friend and my brother.”

God’s Blessings On You All,

Richard

January 19, 2020