Inbox question:
“Mary had other children after Christ. In Mark 6:3 it was explicitly written, ‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ Why do you people still refer to her as Virgin Mary?”
My reply:
1. Count those names mentioned as Jesus’ brothers and sisters: 1. James, 2. Joses, 3. Judas, 4. Simon, (5&6) the sisters (the word ‘sister’ is in plural. It then means they can’t be less than two sisters). If Mary had other children, that means she gave birth to at least seven children including Jesus. From the culture of the people at that time, this is not likely to be true.
2. From that passage, Mary was ONLY referred to as the mother of Jesus. Others were referred to as Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Read Mark 6:3 again to understand this point. We are the one implying that since they are Jesus’ brothers and sisters, it follows that they are biological children of Mary. This is a fallacy in logic because someone can still be my brother yet he is not the son of my mother.
3. Always carry in mind that the New Testament was originally written in Greek not English. If you study Greek, you will understand that just like our native languages, there is often no word for cousin, nephew or niece. They were all used under the words ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. In translating to English, the translator does not ask if it is cousin or nephew.
4. Let us patiently study three passages in the bible so as to ascertain the true mother of those mentioned in Mark 6:3.
A. In Matthew 27: 56, the bible says:
“Among them were (1) Mary Magdalene, and (2) Mary the mother of James and Joseph and (3) the mother of the sons of Zebedee”
Three women were mentioned. Take note of woman number (2).
B. In Mark 15:40, the bible says again:
“There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were (1) Mary Magdalene, and (2) Mary the Mother of James the younger and Joses, and (3) Salome.”
Three women were also mentioned. Take note of woman number (2).
C. In John 19: 25, the bible says:
“Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were (1)his Mother, and(2) his Mother’s sister, (3)Mary the wife of Clopas, and (4) Mary Magdalene.
This time around, four women were mentioned. Obviously, the mother of Jesus was a new addition to the list. Note that, Mary the mother of Jesus is always qualified. They will always state that she is the mother of Jesus.
Are you still in doubt about the fact that Mary the mother of Jesus was not the mother of those mentioned in Mark 6:3?
In case you are still not clear, answer these questions:
Why do you think that anytime Mary is mentioned in the bible, it is usually qualified as either “his mother” referring to Jesus, or “Jesus’ mother”?
If Mary had other children, why will Jesus in John 19: 26-27 hand over Mary his mother to John who was the biological son of Zebedee, and the bible said that she stayed in the home of John? Does that not say something to us, that:
1. Possibly, Joseph the husband of Mary, must have died long time ago, or else why was he not found anywhere during Jesus’ journey to Calvary? How come even at the wedding feast in Cana, no body heard of him being invited despite that the family of Jesus were all invited? Remember, the bible says, Joseph was a good man. How can he intentionally not be in Calvary or in Cana? If Joseph was still alive, does it make sense that Mary will leave her husband and stay with John?
2. Why will Mary stay with another person’s child if she had about six children apart from Jesus? Does it make sense that despite the fact that Jesus had six siblings, yet no one could take care of the Mother except John the son of Zebedee?
