Day 12 – September 18, 2026 – Matthew 12

There is a lot of theology in this chapter that we could parse and look through. We could talk about what did Jesus mean when he talks about and heals on the Sabbath? How are we able to remain righteous so that Jesus can inhabit our lives as opposed to the demons of society and cultur which constantly look to take residence in our lives? But instead we are going to look at something that is a little more straightforward that is confusing to many who do not read that Bible that often. Did Jesus have siblings? This chapter answers that question.

There are theological reasons for why some denominations require that Mary remain a perpetual virgin, which would clearly mean that she had no children except for Jesus. In this strain of thought she is considered to some a co-redemptress. For us, this is heresy. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus, and Jesus alone. So when we read in Matthew 12 that Jesus’ family, and it is delineated as his mother and brothers and he adds in his sisters, then we can clearly see that this was not the case. We even understand that James was potentially written by the blood brother of Jesus as well. Now he self defines his family as those who do his will, but we do see that he had a biological family.