Did Jesus have any brothers or sisters?

The Bible tells us that Mary was Jesus' mother, and God was his father, (not Joseph). The books of 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.

We learn the names of Jesus’ brothers because Matthew (Matt 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?…”

This common Greek name, Judas, when translated into English can be either Jude or Judah. We should note that the Judas mentioned in this Scripture was not Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord. This Scripture instead refers to Jesus’ half-brother who wrote the book of Jude in the Bible.

Also, Jesus’ brother, James, is not one of the two Apostles named James, but instead, he is one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem mentioned in Acts, Chapter 15. He also wrote the book of James in the Bible.

There are more Scriptures to indicate Jesus had brothers: Mark (3:31, NIV) tells us, “Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.”

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

There is an interesting prophetic Scripture in Psalms that refers to how Jesus was at first rejected by his brothers…it says, (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.”

Later, however, James and Jude became active church leaders, writing very important letters in the New Testament.

With Jesus’ perfect, loving character, we believe he was always kind to his siblings, never jealous and always willing to share whatever he had with them. This is how we want to treat everyone, but especially family members!

So, did Jesus have any brothers or 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.