What's the deal about Jesus got married and had children and lived to old age? What does the UB say?
Jesus was forbidden by the pre-incarnate instructions of his paradise brother "Immanuel" to leave offspring behind, or writings, a likeness of himself, or anything that could become potentially idolatrous. Before his public work Jesus returned to his family home and destroyed all writings of his own.
Joseph died when Jesus was 14. Jesus then became head of the household. His mother Mary was pregnant with Ruth when Joseph died.
The Death of Joseph
(1388.1) 126:2.1 All did go well until that fateful day of Tuesday, September 25, when a runner from Sepphoris brought to this Nazareth home the tragic news that Joseph had been severely injured by the falling of a derrick while at work on the governor’s residence. The messenger from Sepphoris had stopped at the shop on the way to Joseph’s home, informing Jesus of his father’s accident, and they went together to the house to break the sad news to Mary. Jesus desired to go immediately to his father, but Mary would hear to nothing but that she must hasten to her husband’s side. She directed that James, then ten years of age, should accompany her to Sepphoris while Jesus remained home with the younger children until she should return, as she did not know how seriously Joseph had been injured. But Joseph died of his injuries before Mary arrived. They brought him to Nazareth, and on the following day he was laid to rest with his fathers."
The Birth (and Death) Dates of Jesus' Siblings
The next important event in the life of this Nazareth family was the birth of the second child,
James, in the early morning hours of April 2, 3 B.C. Jesus was thrilled by the thought of having a baby brother, and he would stand around by the hour just to observe the baby's early activities. ~ The Urantia Book, (123:1.5)
In this year, 2 B.C., a little more than one month before his fifth birthday anniversary, Jesus was made very happy by the coming of his sister
Miriam, who was born on the night of July 11. During the evening of the following day Jesus had a long talk with his father concerning the manner in which various groups of living things are born into the world as separate individuals.
Since returning to Nazareth, theirs had been a busy household, and Joseph had been unusually occupied building his new shop and getting his business started again. So fully was he occupied that he had found no time to build a cradle for James, but this was corrected long before Miriam came, so that she had a very comfortable crib in which to nestle while the family admired her. And the child Jesus heartily entered into all these natural and normal home experiences. He greatly enjoyed his little brother and his baby sister and was of great help to Mary in their care. ~ The Urantia Book, (123:2.3)
The fourth member of the Nazareth family,
Joseph, was born Wednesday morning, March 16, A.D. 1. ~ The Urantia Book, (123:4.9)
His third brother,
Simon, was born on Friday evening, April 14, of this year, A.D. 2. ~ The Urantia Book, (123:6.7)
Jesus' second sister,
Martha, was born Thursday night, September 13. [AD. 3] ~ The Urantia Book, (124:1.7)
On Wednesday evening, June 24, A.D. 5,
Jude was born. Complications attended the birth of this, the seventh child. ~ The Urantia Book, (124:3.4)
On Sunday night, January 9, A.D. 7, his baby brother,
Amos, was born. ~ The Urantia Book, (124:5.2)
On Saturday afternoon, December 3, [A.D. 12] of this year, death for the second time struck at this Nazareth family. Little
Amos, their baby brother [Age 5], died after a week's illness with a high fever. After passing through this time of sorrow with her first-born son as her only support, Mary at last and in the fullest sense recognized Jesus as the real head of the family; and he was truly a worthy head. ~ The Urantia Book, (127:3.13)
On Wednesday evening, April 17, A.D. 9,
Ruth, the baby of the family, was born, and to the best of his ability Jesus endeavored to take the place of his father in comforting and ministering to his mother during this trying and peculiarly sad ordeal. For almost a score of years (until he began his public ministry) no father could have loved and nurtured his daughter any more affectionately and faithfully than Jesus cared for little Ruth. And he was an equally good father to all the other members of his family. ~ The Urantia Book, (126:3.2)
NOTE:
The Twenty-Seventh Year (A.D. 21)
(1419.4) 129:1.1 In January of this year, A.D. 21, on a rainy Sunday morning, Jesus took unceremonious leave of his family, only explaining that he was going over to Tiberias and then on a visit to other cities about the Sea of Galilee. And thus he left them, never again to be a regular member of that household.
James now took charge of the family as Jesus had faithfully labored for the family as a surrogate father for 13 years.
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