Exodus chapter 20 verse 12 says, honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. When we think about Jesus and ask, who was Jesus' father? The next question is, are we talking about his earthly father or his eternal heavenly father? Regarding Jesus' earthly father, his name was Joseph, and he was not the biological father of Jesus. He married the mother of Jesus, a virgin Jewess named Mary, and he became the legal father of Jesus, making Jesus a legal heir of the throne of King David. Very little is said of Joseph, and even less is said about his personal and practical relationship with Jesus. By the time Jesus is 30 years old and began his ministry, Joseph is gone. We're not actually told what happened. But I believe it's safe to assume that Joseph had simply died. Some say he was considerably older than Mary and would have been in his 60s or 70s by the time Jesus was 30 years old, when the life expectancy was only around 45 years of age. We don't know the details, but we do know that Jesus is never said to have done anything to dishonor his father or his mother. I admit that the lack of information about Joseph is a bit aggravating. I want to know more. But when we get to heaven, I believe all of our questions like that will be answered. Like, did Adam have a belly button? Who did Cain marry? I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but it'll be nice to have that matter put to rest finally. And what's the story behind that reference in Genesis 36, 24 about Ana that found the mules in the wilderness as he fed the asses of Zibi and his father? What was that stuck in the Bible with no other information? What was that all about? And I could go on and on with those types of questions. Why is so little said of Joseph? Why is so little said of the childhood of Jesus? Can you tell us more about that? And what exactly happened to Joseph? Why weren't we told? When did he die? And how? And again, there are at least a dozen other good questions about Joseph that I expect we will ask when we get out of here and into the presence of Jesus. But who knows, at that point it might not even cross our minds, our glorified minds. The important thing is to know that you're saved and you'll be there to ask. if asking is something you'll still want to do and even find the opportunity to do so. But in the here and now, we remain ignorant and somewhat aggravated by the information gap if we think too much about it. So we read Luke chapter two and see the only glimpse of the childhood of Jesus and his relationship with Joseph. As the passage begins in Luke 2 41, now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. They were observant, humble Jews, and the dramatic situation unfolds in Luke 2, 42 and 43. And when he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. And that was the last time Joseph is mentioned in the Bible, except for three references to Jesus as the son of Joseph in the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse 45, chapter four, verse five, and chapter six, verse 42. Jesus was discovered to be missing from the company of travelers with Joseph and Mary heading back to Nazareth. And then he was found sitting in the temple in deep conversation with the temple leaders. Mary suggests that she felt a bit dishonored by Jesus' actions, asking him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. But Jesus responds by explaining that he meant no disrespect, but he was simply doing what he had been sent to do and was putting his heavenly Father first, as all good parents would want their children to do. Luke 2, 49, and he said unto them, how is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my father's business? I submit to you that no matter what kind of earthly father you have, or if you're like me and your earthly father's in heaven, the best way to honor your earthly father is to do as Jesus did here in Luke chapter two, to be about your heavenly father's business. That's how Jesus honored his earthly father.