Jesus was called the Son of Man because Joseph was his stepfather, and Mary gave Him birth. In the pages of the Holy Scriptures, we see the genealogy of Christ and the group of disciples of the Saviour Christ. Including relatives of His from the family of the Blessed Virgin Mary or of the Right Joseph. This is confirmed by the testimony of the Jews, who mentioned the Lord’s relatives. But also by the beginning of the Christian Church. When some of the Lord’s relatives played an essential role in proclaiming the Gospel.

Who is Jesus related to?

Jesus is related to the family of Mary and Joseph family. James the Apostle is a relative of the Lord. This is not to be identified with Saint James, brother of the Apostle John and son of Zebedee. James, a relative of the Lord, was very close to his father, Joseph, and the Virgin Mary, and some traditions say that he went to Egypt with his holy family and the infant Jesus because of the wrath of King Herod. James was highly respected, even though he was not one of the 12 Apostles.

The presence of the relatives of the Saviour Jesus Christ genealogy in the Church has been widely debated in Protestant circles. It has not been of much concern to Eastern theology. That is why there has been some speculation about the role of the Lord’s relatives after the flesh. Some have said that the importance and place of Christ genealogy and fleshly relatives were undermined in the early Church. By the institution of the Apostles and then by Paul and his disciples. But the Church recognized the contribution of these persons who proclaimed the Gospel. Who occupied some episcopal offices and was honored with the halo of holiness.

Our Lord’s relatives after the flesh come from two families, the family of the Mother of God and the family of the right Joseph, who was the betrothed of the Virgin Mary. The importance of the two families lies in the fact that they were descended from David, king of the Jews. A condition of the Messiahship of the Saviour was his direct kinship with his ancestor David, which was achieved by blood through the family of the Birth of God and by adoption through the family of Joseph the righteous.

Descendants of Jesus’ siblings. 

• Saint Judas was a relative of the Lord. He is called Judas in the Acts of the Apostles, and by Matthew and Mark, he is called Thaddaeus and Levi in the Gospel. Judas wrote an Epistle found in Holy Scripture, and tradition says that the Saviour sent him to the Armenian king Abgar to heal him. Judas proclaimed the Gospel in Mesopotamia, in Edessa and Arara, and was killed there by the pagans, being pierced with a spear. He is commemorated on 19 June.
• Saint Simeon is also a relative of Jesus. He succeeded to the throne of Jerusalem after his brother James. He was one of the 70 disciples of the Lord. Witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 by Titus, son of the Roman emperor Vespasian, he did not leave the holy city but reorganized the Christian community there. Saint Simeon is celebrated in April.

Jesus’ grandmother’s name. Was Anna his grandmother?

Anna was the mother of Mary, who seems to have been the maternal aunt of St John the Baptist. Joachim had royal blood of the line of David and Judah. Both were faithful and merciful. That’s why their entire estate was divided into three parts. One part was dedicated to the temple, another to the poor, and the last to the family’s needs. Yet the world of that time despised them for not having children.

And they were regarded as cursed by the deity. But Joachim, instead of listening to the mouth of the world and leaving his wife for another fertile one, as was the custom in those days, withdrew into the wilderness for fasting and prayer so that God would bless them with the gift of parenthood. On the other hand, Hannah shed bitter tears, praying without ceasing.
One day, an angel came and told Joachim to go home to his wife, for this time, their love would bear fruit, and “her womb would bear a child.” Because this happened, the happy parents decided to give their child to God, which is why Our Lady was taken to the temple as an infant. And they named their daughter Mary.

Because, in translation, this name means “Beloved of God.” From ancient times, as most women lost their children in childbirth or could not bring forth offspring because of poor living conditions, Saint Anne became the protector of expectant mothers and barren women, as they always begged her in prayer to help them.

Joseph Jesus’ stepfather

Joseph was Jesus’ stepfather because God is His real one. According to some traditions, Right Joseph had another marriage before his wedding to the Virgin Mary. Joseph was married to Salomea, daughter of Haggai, brother of Right Zacharias, and father of St John the Baptist. By this marriage, Joseph was related to the family of John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary, a cousin of Elizabeth. 

The genealogy of Christ shows that the marriage between Joseph and the Virgin Mary was a family arrangement whereby the Virgin Mary, lacking the protection of her parents, who were dead, had to be protected by a much older relative. Joseph’s home was not deserted, as he had several children from his first marriage to Salome. Joseph had four sons, James, Simon, Judas, and Joses, disciples of the Saviour, and three daughters, Esther, Mary, and Salome, who were part of the group of Myrrh-bearing women.

This shows that the Saviour lived and grew up surrounded by his half-brothers and half-sisters. This is also demonstrated by the biblical testimony where the Jews testified to seeing his sisters and brothers in the crowd. The coincidence of names between Salomea, Joseph’s daughter, and Salomea, Zebedee’s wife, caused the two to identify with each other, which is why in some traditions, the Apostles John and James are related to Joseph right, being considered his grandchildren.

Son of Man in Matthew. The Testimony of Matthew about The Son of God and Son of Man

This title was the one Jesus loved the most. In the Gospels, we find more than eighty times He referred to Himself as the “Son of Man.” But He certainly had a specific purpose in using it in His own right. We understand from this that Jesus used it to highlight His human nature.

Scripture portrays Jesus as a real man. He was born as an infant, grew up as a child (Luke 2:40,52), and had sisters and brothers (Matthew 13:55,56). Jesus ate (Matthew 9:11), slept (Luke 8:23), grew weary (John 4:6), and suffered hunger and thirst (Matthew 4:2; John 19:28). He also grieved and sorrowed (Matthew 26:37).

If we take into account that we are born on earth. But arrive in the world beyond as children of the Heavenly Father. The life of humans after death, their eternal life being immeasurably greater on the axis of time. Then that was spent on Planet Earth. Then we can also affirm this. We are evoking the cosmic dimension of human life and the immortality of man. As the life and existence of man after death in the Kingdom of God.

And if we also take into account the data of Christian anthropology. The genealogy of Christ undoubtedly emphasizes that man comprises a material body and a spiritual soul. In other words, he is “earth” and “heaven” together, then man’s spirituality and eschatology postulate his heavenly spiritual existence in the Kingdom of Heaven. Together with the angels and for eternity.

Why did Christ come? Jesus came to restore

He came to give us eternal life apart from sins and sadness. His glorification was accomplished because He completely fulfilled the Father’s will. As the Apostle to the Gentiles puts it, “the mystery of His ordinance.” Jesus Christ prays to the Father that He may also share with Him. As Man, Son’s glory came from everlasting in the bosom of the Father. 

Thus Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen One, is the Giver of eternal life, equivalent to knowing God the Father and His Son. Who was sent into the world for its salvation? In other words, there can be no attainment of eternal life apart from Christ genealogy. Who has made known to men the One who sent Him into the world, that is, God the Father?

Biography of Saints Joachim and Anne

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If you enjoyed reading this article, check out our Bible Trivia for a game about Jesus’ Genealogy Trivia. Have a great day, and take care of your heart! The heart represents the rivers of life.