Jesus's Male Friends and Family Quiz

Answer: Joseph

Although the New Testament states that Mary, Jesus Christ's mother, was a virgin when she gave birth to Him, Joseph was Mary's husband and therefore the adoptive and earthly father of Him. Sometimes, people call Joseph His stepfather, but there are a few parts of Scripture that simply say that he was Christ's father.

The people who knew Jesus from His youth most likely believed that Joseph was His biological father, as they didn't yet believe that Jesus was God in the flesh.

Luke 4:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB):
"And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, 'Is this not Joseph's son?'"

John 6:42 New American Standard Bible (NASB):
"They were saying, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'?"

Answer: James

Matthew 13:55, as one example, states that Jesus had four brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. James here is the oldest of the four. Catholic tradition asserts that these brothers were actually cousins, or, as some have suggested, Joseph's children from a previous marriage, because they believe that Mary remained a virgin her entire life. If the latter, they would be stepbrothers.

I personally hold to the Protestant belief that these were Mary's children with Joseph, so I believe that these were Christ's half-brothers because Joseph wasn't His biological father.

I also want to emphasize that these brothers weren't originally disciples of Christ, but they do share their names with some of His original twelve disciples, so it could cause some confusion.

John 7:5 proclaims that these brothers, including James, didn't believe in Jesus's claims that He was the Messiah and the Son of God. They did, however, believe in Jesus after His resurrection and ascension into heaven. Many people believe that two of His brothers, James and Judas (or Jude), wrote the New Testament books titled James and Jude.

Interestingly enough, in Galatians 1:19 the apostle Paul wrote that he met James, the Lord's brother, and he called him an apostle. Some Christians, therefore, believe that this James eventually became not only a believer, but one like a preacher.

Answer: Peter

Luke 5:6-10 tell of when Peter first met Jesus. Peter, James, and John (the sons of Zebedee) were fishing, or trying to, but they had caught nothing. Jesus told them to put their nets down and suddenly they caught so much fish that their boats began to sink.

According to verse 8, Peter, named Simon at the time, fell at Jesus's feet and said, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Jesus then told Peter that he would be catching men. In other words, he would help to save souls.

Peter eventually became one of the leaders in the early church, but after Jesus was arrested, Peter denied even knowing Him. See John 18:25. Jesus definitely showed a lot of grace to this friend.

Answer: John the Baptist

In Matthew 11:11, Jesus said that of those born of women, nobody was greater than John the Baptist.

According to some commentaries I read on biblehub.com, Jesus wasn't referring to all people of all time, but rather He was saying that John the Baptist was greater than all the Old Testament prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.

Answer: Lazarus

John 11 provides the story of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus whom He raised from the dead. His sisters were Mary and Martha, and according to verse 5, Jesus "loved" Martha, Lazarus, and Mary. In other words, they were close friends of His.

Mary came to Jesus weeping and she told Him that He could have prevented Lazarus from dying if He would have just healed him when they first told Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Jesus knew this, but He purposely waited so that He could perform another, better miracle by resurrecting him. At the same time, the human side of Jesus was sad when He saw Mary crying and then, when she showed Him her brother's tomb, Jesus wept.

Answer: John

John 19:25-27 claims that Christ's mother, Christ's aunt, a woman called Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Christ's most devoted female friend (Mary Magdalene) were present at His cross. But John also claims that a male disciple was there. Before Jesus took His last breath, He basically told the disciple to take care of His mother like she was his own mother.

The traditional belief is that John was talking about himself when he mentioned the beloved disciple. It implies a strong friendship, perhaps a familial connection, but not a homosexual relationship. Some modern scholars, however, argue against the traditional identification with John. Some suggest that it was Lazarus, while others argue that the beloved disciple was actually James, the son of Alphaeus.

The possible belief that John and James, sons of Zebedee, were cousins of Jesus is based somewhat on John 19:26, which references the sister of Christ's mother.

Some scholars believe that Salome, most likely the name of the mother of John and James, is/was also the sister, making her Christ's aunt and them His cousins. See Mark 15:40 and Matthew 27:56 for details.

Answer: Joseph of Arimathea

Matthew 27:57-61 states that a rich man who had become a disciple of Christ's buried Him. His name was Joseph and his hometown was Arimathea. Therefore, he is called Joseph of Arimathea (kind of like how Jesus is sometimes called Jesus of Nazareth). He placed Jesus in his own tomb. Mary Magdalene and either the wife of Alphaeus or maybe Christ's own mother were watching to see where Joseph laid Jesus.

Joseph had to keep his faith a secret because most of the members of the Jewish Council didn't believe in Jesus as the Son of God or God in the flesh, and actually wanted Jesus dead. See John 19:38 for more details.

Answer: Zacharias

Luke 1:5 talks about a priest named Zacharias. His wife was Elizabeth and they became the parents of John the Baptist. At first, Zacharias didn't believe that he could have a child because both he and Elizabeth were old and she had been barren. This couple is similar to the Old Testament's Abraham and Sarah.

The Gospel of Luke also says that Elizabeth was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The exact relationship isn't clear, but tradition states that they were cousins.

Answer: James, son of Zebedee

Matthew 4:21 states that Zebedee and his sons, James and John, were all fishermen. Jesus saw them and called the brothers to be disciples. Peter was also a fisherman and their partner, according to Luke 5. I think it's interesting that Jesus called them and not their father too, but oh well.

The original twelve disciples were Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. See Matthew 10.

Answer: James

Mark 16:1 states that Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, whom most Christians believe was the wife of Zebedee, brought spices to Christ's tomb with the intention of anointing His body.

I have been doing research and the various beliefs about James, son of Alphaeus and this Mary are fascinating. The most common belief seems to be that Mary, the mother of James is the wife of Alphaeus. In addition, there is a common belief that Alphaeus is the same as Clopas. John 19 lists a Mary, the wife of Clopas. There is no absolute Biblical proof that Alphaeus and Clopas are the same, nor even that Alphaeus was married to a Mary, but again, these are the most common conclusions among Christians.

Furthermore, there is a Catholic tradition that suggests that Alphaeus--or Clopas--was the brother of Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus. Again, though, the Bible doesn't state this. If true, then James would be a cousin of Jesus, at least in a way. If Mary was the wife of Clopas, the brother of Joseph, then she would be the sister-in-law of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In addition, some people believe that this Mary was actually Christ's mother's sister instead of Salome. Either way, her son James would be related to Jesus.

The interpretations don't end there. I should note that others believe that Mary, the mother of James was none other than Mary, the mother of Jesus. The reason for this is based on verses like Mark 15:40. Mark 15:40 states that this Mary had not only a son named James, but another son named Joseph or Joses. Other verses clearly state that Christ's brothers were James, Joseph or Joses, Simon, and Judas. Despite the popularity of those names in Bibllical times, some people feel like it is too much of a coincidence that two women, even related to each other, could have the same name and then have sons with the same names. I used to believe that the mother of James and Joseph from the crucifixion and burial scenes was Christ's mother myself, but then I was convinced that she was Alphaeus's wife and the mother of his sons. I do realize that it is open to interpretation.

Speaking of James, son of Alphaeus, and Christ's brothers, Acts 1:12-14 is one of several passages that includes them together.

The remaining disciples after Judas Iscariot killed himself were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. The disciples, Christ's female followers, and Christ's mother and brothers were all holding a prayer meeting together.

Acts 1 tells of events that took place after His resurrection and ascension.