Who went to Capernaum with Jesus, His disciples and Mary?
Jesus’ “brothers” (John 2:12).
Jesus had brothers?
Yes, and sisters too.
How many brothers and sisters did Jesus have?
Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters: “55
Is this not the son of the tektonos? Is not His mother called Mary? 56
And His brothers James and Joses and Simon and Judas and His sisters, are they not all
with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” (Matthew 13:55-56)
Could “brothers” refer to those who believed in
Jesus?
John 7 mentions that Jesus’ brother did not believe in Him, so
those who believed in Jesus were “His disciples,” already mentioned in John 2:12.
Could “brothers” refer to Jesus’ more distant relatives?
αδελφοὶ (adelphoi), the Greek word
translated “brothers” above sometimes can be used to refer to more
distant relatives - “brethren” in the wider sense - but such usage doesn't fit the narrow nuclear family context above: the sequence of
“father, mother, brothers and sisters” fits, while “father, mother,
relatives and sisters” doesn’t.
Could Jesus’ “brothers” be His half brothers
from Joseph’s marriage(s) prior to his marriage to Mary?
Since Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ biological father, all of Jesus' brothers and sisters
mentioned above were His biological half brothers and half
sisters. But there is no evidence to suggest that Joseph had been married before he
married Mary. Indeed, if Joseph had any children from any previous
marriage(s), they would have accompanied
Joseph and Mary to
Bethlehem of Judea to register for the census ordered by
Augustus Caesar.
What does this mean for Mary’s alleged virginity throughout her life?
It is a myth concocted by people who want to deify her and
try to twist the meaning the “brothers” in Matthew 13:55-56. But there is another
passage in Matthew that they cannot get around: “Then Joseph, being
aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to
him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her
firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25).
The expression, to “know” is used in the Bible to
indicate sexual intercourse, as is evident from the context of the passage
above. Saying that Joseph did not have sex with Mary
“until” she had brought forth her firstborn son means that Joseph did
have sex with her thereafter.
What is “tektonos”
in Matthew 13:55 above?
τεκτονος (tektonos) is the original Greek
word and means “builder.”
Does that mean “carpenter”?
It doesn't. While builders built with wood in northern Europe, where
the Bible was first translated into English, builders in Israel at the
time of Jesus built with rocks. They did occasionally work with wood to
make doors and other fixtures, but most of their time was spent
quarrying and building
with rocks. The people quoted in Matthew 13:55 above are not calling Jesus the son of
a carpenter but the son of a builder who built with rocks (photo).
Where is “Capernaum” (John 2:12)?
See Capernaum.