Who Was Jesus’ Father?

According to the early Christian literature and the Christian Gospels, Jesus was the Messiah, also known as Christ. He was the Son of God and was put to death as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity before rising from the dead. What does the Bible say about Jesus?

1 John 4:9

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

Matthew” 11:1-5

“When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. When John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

1 Corinthians 8:6

“Yet for us, there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

So, who was Jesus’s father? If Jesus did not have a biological father, how was he born?

Well, Gabriel was one of the angels who God sent to pay a visit to Mary as his messenger. The angel revealed to Mary that she would have a son by the efficacy of the Holy Spirit and told her that she would give birth to this child, whom she would name Jesus.

Mary, a young teenager engaged to be married to Joseph, was frightened and concerned when the angel first revealed his message to her. “How is it possible?” Mary, who was still a virgin, asked the angel.

The angel foretold that the child would be the Son of God and that nothing was beyond God’s ability to accomplish. Mary was so astonished and filled with awe that she believed the angel of the Lord and found great joy in her Saviour, God.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”

Luke 1:35

“And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

Luke 1:26-38

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. …”

When Mary discovered that she was miraculously pregnant, she informed Joseph. Since he was aware that the child was not his, he decided to break off the engagement because he believed it to be the morally correct thing to do, and he was extremely compassionate to Mary.

Later, Joseph had a dream in which he was visited by an angel who confirmed the truthfulness of Mary’s account. By the grace of God, she had indeed miraculously conceived a child. Joseph was comforted by the angel, who instructed him to take Mary as his wife, raise the child as if he were his son, and name him Jesus because he would be the Saviour of his people. Joseph obeyed the angel’s instructions.

Matthew 2:13

“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

John 6:42

“They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven?

Matthew 1:18

“Now, the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

There are over forty instances in the Bible when Jesus is described as the son of God; yet, this description is not accurate. Jesus was not the literal offspring of God the Father in the same way that we are the offspring of our respective biological fathers.

The phrase “Son of God” was only used sporadically by Jesus. Instead, it focuses on his divinity and clarifies that he is God. Joseph is considered to be both Jesus’ earthly and adoptive father due to the fact that he was the one who raised Jesus.

Hebrews 1:3

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

1 John 5:20

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

Colossians 1:15-17

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.”

Our Final Thoughts

On the topic of who was Jesus’s father, we have a few thoughts. Jesus was born to Joseph and Gabriel from God and Mary Magdalene in our final words. Early Christian literature asserted that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

He was crucified and resurrected to atone for the sins of the world. Jesus only used the title “Son of God” a handful of times. Since Joseph raised Jesus, he has been both Jesus’ biological and adoptive father.