Who was Jesus’ Father?

God the Father is the Father of the Eternal Word, who became Flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:15). However, St. Joseph was the earthly father, or “foster father,” or father according to the law of Israel. In Scripture Jesus is simply called the son of the carpenter, or Joseph is called his father, as that is what St. Joseph was in every human sense save biologically. This father-son relationship is what made Jesus the legal heir to the Kingship of David. As his earthly father, St. Joseph provided for Him, protected Him, and eventually taught the trade of carpentry to Him.

The Gospel of St. Luke 2:51 tells us that Jesus was obedient to Mary and St. Joseph. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 532) teaches us,

Jesus’ obedience to his mother and legal father fulfills the fourth commandment perfectly and was the temporal image of his filial obedience to his Father in heaven. The everyday obedience of Jesus to Joseph and Mary both announced and anticipated the obedience of Holy Thursday: “Not my will. . .” The obedience of Christ in the daily routine of his hidden life was already inaugurating his work of restoring what the disobedience of Adam had destroyed.