Relationship with GodBoth Mary and Joseph were very close to God and this is evident when the Bible explains that they were both able to see things through dreams about the future and the path that God wanted for them.
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, she was amazed that he even knew her name (Gabriel knew Mary's name through the power of God) and even though she was confused, she listened and asked 'How would this happen as I am a virgin'. The angel Gabriel replied 'the Holy Spirit will come upon you'. Mary instantly fell silent and believed that God can do anything. Joseph and Mary 'just believed' and had oodles of faith!. Even though they were both humbled and afraid, their faith gave them the strength they needed and the peace they could not explain. Joseph and Mary's simple faith enabled them to believe that God could do anything, God still does the impossible today. |
Relationship with JesusThough Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus and Joseph had a normal Father/Son relationship and this was evident when Jesus did 'normal' things such as helping Joseph in the workshop.
Both Mary and Joseph tried to give Jesus as normal a life on earth as possible. According to the scriptures, Joseph died when Jesus was about 12 years old. During that short life he gave Jesus as much spiritual guidance as possible. God also helped Mary and Joseph raise Jesus. He sent messages to Joseph and Mary through dreams with advice and knowledge to raise Jesus and protect him from danger. Joseph trusted this divine guidance and he trusted God fully, which enabled him to raise his child as well as keep his wife safe. Through the bringing up of Jesus, Mary learnt that Jesus was capable of anything and wasn't afraid to look up to her son and ask for help when she needed it. This was because she knew that Jesus could help her, even if he didn't want her to intervene with his life, as many teenagers feel at one point or another! |
The Bible doesn't tell many details of this, because the Gospel accounts have other purposes