My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.

Protestants love to use this scripture to make the case that mary had other children and was not the perpetual virgin. This sprouts, unfortunately, from the english translations of the bible, and from our modern misunderstanding of the culture of that time. The Jewish people of that era would call all close kin Brother and sister. Just like today, we also do that with close friends. My evidence of this is that James and Joses, whom are called “brothers” of Jesus in another passage, are also identified elsewhere in the bible as the two sons of Mary and Cleopus. Mary and Cleopus were Jesus’ aunt and uncle, making James and Joses His cousins, but nevertheless, they were called Jesus’ brothers.

We must then, adjust our thinking and reflection on this reading to be in line with those facts. Mary did not have more children, and she was indeed a perpetual virgin. This is extremely important, because we also believe that she was born sinless, and remained so her entire life. We have no direct evidence of this, from the bible, but we have lots of indirect evidence that points to this fact. The reason that we believe this is because, as Aquinas said, “it is fitting.” Jesus could have been born of a prostitute, it would not have made Him any less God. But it is fitting that Jesus be born of the most holy woman that ever lived. And it is fitting that she remain sinless for her whole life. It is also fitting because when she dies and goes to heaven, she will be part of the royal family in heaven, the mother of the new Davidic King, not just a temporary vessel that is to be used for a time, and then discarded. Jesus could have had other brothers, and sisters, it would not have changed Jesus’s mission for one minute, but it is fitting because it allowed Him to pick the disciples that were best suited to His ministry, and it did not force Him to divide His love and attention from the actual brothers and sisters that He had come to serve, also known as humanity.

But the best evidence we have of this fact, is from Jesus’ own mouth on the cross.  When He said to John, “behold your mother”, He was putting Mary under John’s protection making her (by spiritual adoption) his Mother too. Mary was a widow, and now childless. In a world that treated childless widows like trash, she would now be at very great risk. If Jesus had had actual biological brothers, this “adoption” of Mary to John, would have been extremely scandalous and incredibly insulting to them, and as such, we can rightly conclude that Jesus would never do such a thing.

So in the end, Jesus knew human nature better than we know it ourselves, He created us, and it is because of that fact that He did things the way He did. His plan is perfect and I am grateful for it.

Oh lord, today give me the strength to allow your will to be done, and not my will. Amen.