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Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Jun. 1, 1997
Update	: Oct. 21, 2025
Parts	: 02

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, as I concluded there, in the beginning, some or all of Jesus' siblings rejected His claim of being God's Son and the promised Savior of the world. However, please notice what happened after the Lord has done a few miracles. It seems that at the very least, James and Jude came to understand the unique ministry and calling of their special older brother, and even became two of His most devout Disciples. Eventually, they would write the Epistles of James and Jude. Thus we see that not only have we all been blessed by Jesus Himself, but we have been blessed by His biological brethren as well.

In case you have not quite understood why I stated that James and Jude weren't only the Lord's biological siblings, but also later became true Disciples and Apostles, allow me to explain it to you more fully by highlighting some points which we find mentioned in the previous set of verses that I shared with you in part one.

In Luke 6:13-16, Judas is identified as "Judas the brother of James". In Acts 1:13-14, Judas is identified as "Judas the brother of James". In Jude 1:1, Jude identifies himself as "brother of James". In Galatians 1:19, James is likewise identified as "James the Lord's brother". In reality, Judas and Jude are both derived from the same Greek name "Ioudas". Other than Judas Iscariot -- who was Jesus' betrayer -- all of the other verses where Judas and Jude are mentioned, are referring to the very same individual. That is to say, to one of Jesus' four biological brothers.

In the aforementioned verses where Judas is mentioned as the brother of James, and James is described as being "the Lord's brother", this is NOT referring to James, who along with his brother John, were the sons of Zebedee. Rather, those verses are referring to Jesus' biological brother who was also named James. It stands to reason then, that if James was the Lord's brother, and Judas -- or Jude -- was the brother of James, we can only conclude that James and Jude were two of Jesus' four brothers who eventually believed, and in fact became Apostles of the First Century Church, who wrote Epistles of their own.

What makes this issue even more complicated is the fact that there are actually three or four different men by the name of James who are mentioned in the Scriptures. The ones that we know of for certain are the following:

1) James, the son of Zebedee. He was an Apostle, and also the brother of the Apostle John. Thus, together they're referred to as "the sons of Zebedee" in the New Testament. This James is commonly referred to as James the Greater, or as James the Elder. This particular James was killed by evil King Herod in the Book of Acts, as we see by the following two verses:

"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword."


2) James, the son of Alphaeus. This James was likewise an Apostle. He is commonly referred to as James the Less. He is specifically mentioned in the following four Bible verses:

"Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;"


"And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,"


"Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,"


"And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James."


3) James, the brother of Jesus Christ. As I already pointed out to you, this James was likewise one of the Apostles. But it does NOT appear that he was one of the original Apostles. He seems to have entered some time later, after the Lord had chosen the Twelve Apostles, but seemingly by the time that Jesus had been crucified.

Concerning James the son of Alphaeus -- who was also known as James the Less -- it is possible that he and Matthew -- who was likewise known as Levi, and who was also an Apostle -- may have actually been brothers. In both cases, we are told that their father's name was Alphaeus. As you read the following verses, please note that a publican is in fact a tax collector who sat "at the receipt of custom". It is due to this reason that it is commonly believed that the names Matthew and Levi are referring to the very same individual:

"And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him."


"And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him."


"And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them."


"Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;"


While we may not know for certain whether or not Matthew and James were actually biological brothers who were born to the same father -- that is, Alphaeus -- the Scriptures do make it very clear that Peter and Andrew were brothers, as were James and John. Considering this pattern, it seems reasonable to me to speculate that Matthew and James may have been brothers as well. Perhaps Jesus liked to do things in pairs. Why would He do this? We find a clear answer to this question in the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes. Consider these four verses:

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."


In other words, by choosing brothers to be His Apostles -- possibly as many as three pairs of brothers -- perhaps the Lord was ensuring that His followers could offer each other mutual encouragement and spiritual support during times of trial and temptation. Concerning Peter and Andrew, following are some verses which demonstrate that they were brothers:

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him."


"Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;"


"Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,"


"One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother . . . Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter."


"One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,"


Returning to our main discussion, the fact that Jesus Christ had biological brothers and sisters in no way diminishes His divinity. Neither does it negatively affect the mission which He came to fulfill on the Earth for the sake of humanity. He still remains the only-begotten Son of God -- that is to say, born of a human woman -- who died for the sins of the whole world. Whether Jesus was an only child, or had siblings, His precious Blood still cleanses us from all unrighteousness, as we see by the following group of Bible verses:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin . . . If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."


"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."


"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."


"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."


"And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."


"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."


"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"


"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate . . . Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."


"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."


"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"


"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."


Neither does the fact that the Lord had biological siblings detract in any way from the unique and special status which pertains to Joseph and Mary. They were righteous people who were specifically chosen by God to bring into the world, and to raise, the Savior of humanity. To reiterate, it is my view that for them to engage in sexual relations, and father more children following the birth of Christ, has no bearing on the issue of our Salvation whatsoever. Don't you agree? As such, to resist this Scriptural doctrine -- as the Roman Catholic Church insistently does -- is pointless, and quite frankly, totally unnecessary. Whether or not you agree with my views and reasoning as stated in this article, is entirely up to you.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Cardinal Ratzinger's Rebellion

Catholic Purgatory: Another False Doctrine Exposed!

Churchianity or Christianity: Which Do You Practice?

Controversy: Matthew 28:19 and the Trinitarian Phrase

Have You Read the New Scriptures Yet?

History of the Authorized KJV Bible

Lies and Deceptions of the Roman Catholic Church

Lying Wonders of Our Age

Mary Worship, Christianity and Roman Catholicism

Our Pagan World: The Easter Myth Exposed!

Pontifex Maximus: Pagan High Priest to Roman Catholic Pope

Rise of the False Church

Roman Catholicism, Water Baptism and the Trinity

Saints, Holiness and Perfectionism

Sol Invictus and the Birth of Christ

St. Malachy Prophecies and the Death of Pope Francis

Striving for Perfection: Are You a Sinless Saint?

To Pray or Not to Pray? That is the Question

Who is Babylon the Great?

Abortion: The Slaughter of the Innocent

Biblical Marriage Ceremonies

Birth of Jesus and the Star of Bethlehem

Future of Same-Sex Marriage

Murdering Millions by Mail: The Abortion Controversy

Queen James Bible: Blasphemous Abomination Exposed!

The Fruit of the Womb

The Gay and Lesbian Agenda: To the Point!

Unrepentant Abortionist

When Sin is no Longer a Sin

Women in the Lives of Jesus and the Apostles

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