Q: Did Jesus have Actual Brothers and Sisters within His Family? A: Yes!
"He went away from there and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him" (Mark 6:1 ESV).
Jesus went to His hometown Nazareth and His disciples followed Him.
"And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to Him? How are such mighty works done by His hands?'" (Mark 6:2).
Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Many who heard Him were astonished and questioned where He got these things, what's the wisdom given to Him, and how such mighty works were done by His hands. Then, they said He was a carpenter and mentioned His family members.
"'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?' And they took offense at Him" (Mark 6:3).
They talked about Him being the carpenter, the son of Mary. A carpenter (τέκτων) was a builder who constructs-a craftsman of sorts working with stone, wood, and other building materials.
Then, they mentioned His brothers which include the following: James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. There is the argument that these were Jesus' cousins or other relatives and not His actual brothers. However, the argument is not convincing. Here is why.
A brother (ἀδελφός) in this context is a male from the same womb as the reference person. The same terminology is used by Paul in Galatians. He stated, "Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother (ἀδελφός)" (Galatians 1:18-19).
Also, the Jewish historian Josephus stated, "Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so, he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, whose name was James" (Flavius & Whiston, 42).
"The NT mentions Jesus' siblings in Mark 3:32, Matthew 13:55-56, John 2:12, and John 7:5. The argument that ἀδελφός means 'cousin' is unsustainable. The Greek has a distinct word for 'cousin' (ἀνεψιός e.g., in Colossians 4:10)" (Edwards, James R). The following are the passages:
"And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you" (Mark 3:32).
"Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” (Matthew 13:55-56).
"After this He went down to Capernaum, with His mother and His brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there for a few days" (John 2:12).
"For not even His brothers believed in Him" (John 7:5).
"Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him)" (Colossians 4:10).
In these instances, ἀδελφός is used for brother. In the passage from Colossians, ἀνεψιός is used for cousin.
"The suggestion that ἀδελφός means, here, ‘cousin’ (Jerome) is implausible since Mark surely would have used the standard term for ‘cousin’ (ἀνεψιός) if the three named men were not children of Joseph or Mary" (Schnabel, 133).
Plus, "Mark does not indicate that Joseph was previously married" (Schnabel, 133).
Paul also mentions the brothers of Jesus to the church at Corinth. He stated, "Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?" (1 Corinthians 9:5). Here Paul is using the same terminology as the passages above. Luke recorded this as well where he stated, "And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers" (Acts 1:13-14). This also uses the same terminology as the previous passages.
"And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor, except in His hometown and among His relatives and in His own household'" (Mark 6:4).
Jesus said that a prophet is not without honor except in His hometown, among His relatives, and among His own household. He is mentioning His relatives (extended family) and His household (social unit within a dwelling-his immediate family).
References
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J. Schnabel, vol. 2, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2017), 133.
Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 42.
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002).
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