The relationship between Jesus Christ and his earthly father, Joseph, will always be something of a mystery. However, there are clues from Scripture that can help us understand the influence that this Godly man must have had on Jesus in his childhood.
The Bible does not mention Joseph being present at the time of Jesus' death. It does tell us that Jesus asked John to care for his mother, so it is probable that Joseph died when Jesus was a young adult. We can conclude from this that Joseph's influence would have been in his formative years.
Obedience:
We know that Jesus did not sin, so Joseph did not need to teach Jesus values like obedience in the traditional way. However, we know that Joseph was a faithful servant of God. That tells us that he was a role model and encouragement to the young Jesus when it came to obedience to God's word.
Leadership:
Joseph was an example of a Godly father in that he took on the responsibility of being the spiritual leader of his family. Even before Jesus' birth, Joseph provided Mary with loving care and guidance.
Jesus must have witnessed this consistently throughout his childhood and may have considered it an example of what he himself was destined to be to the world.
Love:
We know by his actions that Joseph was a person who allowed God's love to flow from his own heart to his family. Jesus was, of course, the personification of that same love.
Joseph was someone who helped surround Jesus with the love of God during infancy and childhood. This must have reflected and supported Jesus' own love for us.
Jesus came to save us all, including his own earthly father, but God placed Joseph in Jesus' life for a reason. We can conclude that Joseph was the type of father to Jesus that encouraged the love and faith necessary to live out his destiny for us.
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