The Brothers of Jesus

Protestants frequently try to go through Scripture pointing out that many people are called "brothers" of Christ. This, they claim, proves that Mary had more children. Never mind that these purported "brothers" of Christ can be traced to another mother and father. Let me show you:

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark Mk 3:31-35

The Link will take you to the US Bishops' website. You will find there the entire verse. I've broken it down into its major ideas, below.

The mother of Jesus
A reference to Mary.
and his brothers

A reference to the Apostles. Why do I say that?

Let me show you:
Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

James, Joses, Simon and Judas, they claim, are the other children of the Virgin Mary and therefore brothers of Christ.

They neglect the following verses:

Matthew 27:56
Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, ....

We know this is not the Virgin Mary because there is another Mary who is kin to the Virgin Mary AND is frequently in the company of Mary Magdalene:

John 19:25
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

So, who are James and Joses and Simon and Judas?

Joses is the only one whose identity is not known other than that he is the son of the other Mary. The other three, James, Simon and Judas are Apostles of Christ.

Here are the lists, I'll skip over the other Apostles and focus on these three:
Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, ... The first, Simon, who is called Peter,...James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Mark 3:16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;...and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

Luke 6:13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) ...James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

What about Joses? It is possible that Matthew is Joses. Most Bible Scholars agree that the Apostle sometimes referred to as Levi, is Matthew. Note that Levi is also a son of Alphaeus:

Matthew 9:9
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.

Mark 2:14
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.

One thing this tells us is that Jesus' family was complicated. Jesus is a son of David. Yet, one of His cousins is St. John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah, a Levite. Whether St. Elizabeth is of the line of Levi is not mentioned. But it is doubtful since she is Mary's cousin. It is possible that Levi/Matthew somehow is related to Jesus through this connection. We continue:

arrived at the house.

Anyway, these are the brethren of Jesus who arrived at the house. It is natural that they would frequently keep company with the Virgin Mary, their aunt.

Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.

It was too crowded for them to come in so they called to the Lord from outside.

A crowd seated around him told him,
“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you.”

This point is frequently missed by those who claim that Jesus had brothers. The verse mentions "sisters". There are two women who are "kin" to Jesus and Mary. They are the other Mary, who is called His mother's "sister" in Scripture. And her daughter.

The other Mary is the mother of James, Joses, Simon, Judas and Salome. Therefore, Salome is also Jesus' cousin several times removed.

Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

So far, we've identified the Apostles James the son of Alphaeus, Judas his brother, and Simon also James' brother as kin to Jesus. And possibly, Levi the son of Alphaeus also known as Matthew. That makes four Apostles kin to Jesus.

Salome, we identify as the sister of James, Judas, Simon and possibly Levi because they have the same mother and the same father. But Salome is also the mother of Zebedee's children. James and John.

Matthew 27:56
Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.

Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

These are the same three women looking upon Jesus from afar during the Crucifixion. Salome then is the mother of Zebedee's children which just happen to be the Boarnges, the Sons of Thunder, Sts. James the greater and John the beloved of Jesus. All of which are related to Jesus by virtue of being kin to His mother.

Anyway....

But he said to them in reply,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”

Now, many people claim that in so saying, Jesus denied that Mary was His mother. Or that He somehow rejected her. But in this verse, He actually affirms her fidelity and love. Scripture does not contradict itself, folks. In Luke 1:28, God calls Mary the kecharitomene, she who is always full of grace.

Why? Because she always does His will. And here, Jesus says that those who are related to Him are they who do the will of His Father. Therefore, Jesus here affirms the motherhood of Mary. Because she is the most faithful woman that ever lived.