Verse 23 “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
Jesus was “supposed” by his neighbors to be the son of Joseph. But He was not Joseph’s son. He was the virgin-born Son of God. There are several verses that make the distinction that God, not Joseph, is the father of Jesus. These verses uphold the fact of Jesus’ virgin birth. For example, Luke 2:33 refers to “Joseph and His mother” rather than to “His parents.” Of course, there are verses that refer to Joseph and Mary as “His parents” (2:27, 41), because Joseph was a legal parent of Jesus. However, where the Bible is precise in pointing out the fact that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, we should take note of the Bible’s accuracy and rejoice in the completely unique and miraculous virgin birth of our Savior. Any good and accurate translation will exhibit these distinctions regarding the father of Jesus in the verses that make the distinctions.