James and John cousins of Jesus?

Q: Were James and John cousins of Jesus?

A: In the NKJV, the only time the word "cousin" is used in Colossians 4:10, and it refers to Mark and Barnabas, not James and John. So much for finding an easy answer!

James and John were sons of Zebedee.

The mother of Zebedee's sons is mentioned as one of the women at the cross when Jesus died, Matt. 27:56. The other women named are Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses.

Mark 15:40 lists Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome as those observing at the cross. The same three women are mentioned in Mark 16:1. From this it is a guess, though not certain, that Salome is the mother of Zebedee's sons and thus the wife of Zebedee.

So if either Zebedee is the brother of Mary or Joseph (parents of Jesus), or if his wife, perhaps Salome, is the sister of Mary or Joseph, then James and John would be cousins of Jesus.

But there is one more piece of data. John 19:25 says that Jesus's mother Mary and His mother's sister, and Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. It may be that Mary's sister is Salome.

This identification of Salome as Mary's sister is possible, but Mark 15:41 says that there were many other women at the cross as well.

Since there are a couple of "speculative" points in this reconstruction, we cannot be sure that James and John are cousins of Jesus.

At least that's what I can figure out so far!