Skip to main content

Biblical Fathers: Joseph

Author: Bible Society, 20 June 2020

It's Father's Day on Sunday, and this week Bible Society is focusing on some biblical fathers. Some of them get it right, some don't – but they all tell us something about the challenges of fatherhood today. 

6. Joseph 

Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, has what looks like a walk-on part at the very beginning of the Gospel story, then he disappears. Matthew 12.46 tells us that Jesus' 'mother and brothers' arrived to fetch him; presumably Joseph has died. He has lived long enough for more children to be born to the couple, though, and we can assume that Jesus knew him and worked with him.  

We might not have many stories about him, but without Joseph the story of Jesus would have been very different. He was 'a man who always did what was right' (Matthew 1.19) – code for someone who had the respect of his community and was a pillar of the community. Discovering Mary to be pregnant must have been crushingly disappointing for him, but instead of vengefully exposing her he tries to minimise the harm to her. However, in a small community these things would have been impossible to hush up. When he takes her for his wife after the angel has spoken to him in a dream, he is picking up a heavy burden. No one would believe his dream; either she is pregnant by someone else, or by him. Either way, his reputation is gone. 

What was Joseph like as a father to Jesus? We can read between the lines: he had integrity, strength of character, kindness and faith. He taught his son to love God with all his heart, and to love his neighbour as himself. Joseph was probably not a perfect father – no father is – but fathers today could do a lot worse than model themselves on him.


Share this:

More articles about the Bible

Nicholas King Lectio Divina 1

Explore Joseph’s reunion with his brothers in Nicholas King’s new translation. Follow this devotional reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation journey for an immersive experience of Scripture.

Paul's guide to Christian living

Following Christ’s example and glorifying God in our lives is a challenge and requires costly effort. Paul’s teachings on this aren’t easy or comfortable to hear but they are purposeful, practical and life-giving. Looking...

Learning humility from Jesus in the Christ hymn

What does it mean to be humble? Jesus showed the ultimate example of humility when he died on the cross but his whole earthly ministry was a showcase for humility. In the Christ hymn we see that humility requires a selfless...
Read the Bible icon Read the Bible
Open the full Bible