When Joseph learned that his fiancee, Mary, was pregnant, he was ready to call it quits. The baby would be from some other man! But an angel of the Lord told him it was the work of the Holy Spirit. So Joseph married her and he “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn” (Matthew 1:25).
But did Joseph and Mary have sexual relations after that? One way to reply is to read verses that speak of Jesus’ “brothers.” But some people claim these were really “cousins.” Among several ways to counter this claim, have you ever noticed the proof from prophecy?
Psalm 69 is very often quoted in the New Testament. Check out your cross-references to verses 4, 9, 21, 22, 23 and 25. Besides these direct quotes, the Psalm is filled with emotional references to the suffering Saviour. Prophetically, Jesus is the one who is speaking in the Psalm. It is clearly one of the greatest Messianic prophecies of the Bible.
Verse 8 contains these remarkable words: “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.” Students of the Word will immediately connect these words with John 7:5, “For neither did his brethren believe in him.” Could these be Jesus’ “cousins”? Psalm 69:8 settles the question: “my mother’s children.” Mary had other children. She was a virgin when Jesus was born, but she afterward became a normal wife and mother. Prophecy tells me so.