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NASB | Luke 1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 1:27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. |
Bible Question:
I am trying to witness on a teen web site and a guy wants to know if Mary and Joseph had maritial relations,I know they did but can't back it up with scripture. Also did they have other children? Could someone please let me know where in the bible can I find this?Thanks. |
Bible Answer: Attempt at consensus .......................... Certain scriptures are unclear whether Jesus had brothers in His immediate family, and this has led to variance in beliefs within the Christian Church. Matthew 27:56 says that Mary (the mother of James and Joseph) was at the cross with Mary Magdalene. But John 19:25 says that Mary Magdalene was at the cross with Mary (the mother of Jesus) and also Mary (wife of Clopas, and sister of Mary the mother of Jesus). Therefore, Matthew 27:56 could have been referring to Jesus' mom or his aunt. Matthew 1:25 says that Mary remained a virgin until the birth of Jesus, but this doesn't neccessarily mean that she did or did not remain so afterwards. It could be interpreted either way. However, there are other passages which are less easily explained. Matthew 12:46 says that Jesus mother and brothers came to visit him. (Mark 3:31 and Luke 8:19 repeat the story) Mark 6:3 says that Jesus is the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. (Matthew 13:55 repeats the story) Galations 1:19 specifically refers to Jesus brother James. John 2:12, John 7:3, Acts 1:19, and 1 Corinthians 9:5 all refer to Jesus brothers in general. Those who believe that Mary remained a virgin throughout life (mainly Catholics) would interpret these passages to be using the word "brother" to simply mean "male relative". This usage is common amoung many African tribes even today. However, most members of this forum (and most Protestants) would interpret these passages to have a literal meaning. Since the Bible is not completely clear on the matter, and this is not a salvific issue, both perspectives are entitled to their opinions, and either side would probably not be shocked to discover in Heaven that they were wrong. As for myself, I choose to take the Bible literally unless another scripture directly contradicts it. Therfore, since many verses refer to Jesus brothers, and there are no verses that literally say that Jesus did not have any brothers in His immediate family, I figure that He probably did. |