Did Jesus have any brothers and/or sisters?
1. Four men–James, Joses, Simon, and Judas–are mentioned as the brothers of Jesus. (See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3.) There has been much discussion through the centuries as to the exact relationship of these men to Jesus. Three principal views have been advanced: (1) that they were Jesus’ actual brothers, that is, half brothers, sons of Joseph and Mary (and therefore younger than Jesus); (2) that they were His stepbrothers, that is, children of Joseph by a previous marriage (and thus all older than He and not His blood relatives at all); (3) that they were the cousins of Jesus on the mother’s side, according to some, or on Joseph’s side, according to others. Those who hold the first view argue that this is the most natural way to understand the various references to these brothers; also that this is the most obvious intent of Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7. Those who hold the second view argue that Oriental family ethics would not permit younger brothers to taunt or otherwise meddle with an old
