Did you know that there are some theories that suggest that Jesus was not an only child?
Jesus’
brothers are mentioned in several Bible verses. Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, and Mark 3:31 say that Jesus’ mother and brothers
came to see Him. The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph,
Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The Bible also tells us that
Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:56). In John 7:1-10, His brothers "go on to the
festival while Jesus stays behind". In Acts 1:14, His brothers and mother are
described "as praying with the disciples". Galatians 1:19 mentions that "James was Jesus’
brother".
I'm not sure as to what the repercussions of this would be to the Christian faith but it clearly gives rise to the sort of sibling rivalry that might have existed if it was true.
Now I suspect that those of us with brothers or sisters know what I'm talking about when I refer to sibling rivalry. Yes, there's the morning that you get up for school and can't find a pair of socks or undies because someone else got to the drawer before you; or the familiar look across the table to see that your younger brother has 5 roast potatoes on his plate, whilst you've only got four; or the almighty scrap that can take place upon discovery that your favourite toy has gone missing and may well be broken.
So with that in mind how did the young Jesus cope?
Would he simply go barefoot if his brother had taken his sandals that morning, or would he just carry out a miracle to ensure that his glass of milk was at the same level as his his sister's.
How did he react when his younger brother snitched on him for wandering off to the wilderness to live on bread and honey for 28 days without letting his parents know? Would it have been like me with a sly kick to the ribs as he walked passed him en route to the bedroom having been grounded?
Then there's the stalking issues. Whilst recruiting his disciples did Jesus and Peter and the rest of them have to run up some dark alleyway and hide in a dark stable to shake off a younger sibling intent on following them wherever they went?
Or did they have to club together and hand over a few shekels to persuade him to go and play with someone his own age.
There clearly would have been jealousy at Christmas, because Jesus got twice as many presents as everybody else, having a birthday the same day.
Given all of these potential problems it's amazing that he ever got round to preaching salvation and love.
Then there's Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse Syndrome, where the surviving siblings try to cash in on the death of their more famous relative.
Guided tours of the family home, media interviews, books and anecdotal presentations.
Imagine it; a Night With Judas Christ: Jesus' Younger Brother....
"...I remember one day our Jesus telling me that he was the son of God. 'Well if that's the case, then so am I', I told him. 'No you're not', he replied, 'there's only one son of God and that's me and I'm here to save mankind'.
'Well I am the son of God' I re-iterated 'and I'm going to take over the family business of answering people's prayers and running the world.'
'Don't be stupid', he said 'you can't even change water into wine yet. You'll never be able to run the world.'
Well here I am 20 years down the line with my own carpentry shop and wife and 3 kids, so I suppose that he was right. I never got round to running the world and despite trying to predict the lottery numbers for thousands of people I'm yet to succeed.That's what I always admired about our Jesus, he was infallible."
It's a shame that we didn't have a Kennedy or Bush type dynasty, with Jesus' siblings trying to carry on where he left off.
Oh well I supposed I've milked that one to death and perhaps caused a little bit of controversy. Hopefully I'll get a few death threats from right wing bible bashers if they ever get round to reading my blog.
Take it easy my friends, may the Lord be with you
I'm not sure as to what the repercussions of this would be to the Christian faith but it clearly gives rise to the sort of sibling rivalry that might have existed if it was true.
Now I suspect that those of us with brothers or sisters know what I'm talking about when I refer to sibling rivalry. Yes, there's the morning that you get up for school and can't find a pair of socks or undies because someone else got to the drawer before you; or the familiar look across the table to see that your younger brother has 5 roast potatoes on his plate, whilst you've only got four; or the almighty scrap that can take place upon discovery that your favourite toy has gone missing and may well be broken.
So with that in mind how did the young Jesus cope?
Would he simply go barefoot if his brother had taken his sandals that morning, or would he just carry out a miracle to ensure that his glass of milk was at the same level as his his sister's.
How did he react when his younger brother snitched on him for wandering off to the wilderness to live on bread and honey for 28 days without letting his parents know? Would it have been like me with a sly kick to the ribs as he walked passed him en route to the bedroom having been grounded?
Then there's the stalking issues. Whilst recruiting his disciples did Jesus and Peter and the rest of them have to run up some dark alleyway and hide in a dark stable to shake off a younger sibling intent on following them wherever they went?
Or did they have to club together and hand over a few shekels to persuade him to go and play with someone his own age.
There clearly would have been jealousy at Christmas, because Jesus got twice as many presents as everybody else, having a birthday the same day.
Given all of these potential problems it's amazing that he ever got round to preaching salvation and love.
Then there's Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse Syndrome, where the surviving siblings try to cash in on the death of their more famous relative.
Guided tours of the family home, media interviews, books and anecdotal presentations.
Imagine it; a Night With Judas Christ: Jesus' Younger Brother....
"...I remember one day our Jesus telling me that he was the son of God. 'Well if that's the case, then so am I', I told him. 'No you're not', he replied, 'there's only one son of God and that's me and I'm here to save mankind'.
'Well I am the son of God' I re-iterated 'and I'm going to take over the family business of answering people's prayers and running the world.'
'Don't be stupid', he said 'you can't even change water into wine yet. You'll never be able to run the world.'
Well here I am 20 years down the line with my own carpentry shop and wife and 3 kids, so I suppose that he was right. I never got round to running the world and despite trying to predict the lottery numbers for thousands of people I'm yet to succeed.That's what I always admired about our Jesus, he was infallible."
It's a shame that we didn't have a Kennedy or Bush type dynasty, with Jesus' siblings trying to carry on where he left off.
Oh well I supposed I've milked that one to death and perhaps caused a little bit of controversy. Hopefully I'll get a few death threats from right wing bible bashers if they ever get round to reading my blog.
Take it easy my friends, may the Lord be with you
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