Why We Should Remember that Jesus was a Carpenter

In the stories of Jesus's life in the New Testament, it's easy to forget the details. 

There's just so much in the Gospels. How can we get it all? Parables, clashes with the Pharisees, notable conversations with people such as Nicodemus or the Samaritan woman at the well. 

And, of course, the climax of all four Gospel narratives—the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

But studying the details hidden in the Biblical text is extremely important as well. Not only do they often give us a greater understanding of the context of the texts we know and love, many details in the Gospels provide insights on the humanity of Jesus after the Incarnation. 

Jesus had job training. He was a carpenter. Someone who built things. 

Why? 

 

A Prophet Has No Honor

"He went away from there and came to his hometown ... And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”" (Mark 6:1-4)

At this point in his public ministry, Jesus had gathered quite the following. Word of his miraculous works was beginning to spread, and his teachings were astonishing all. 

But as soon as he went to his home, his reputation seemed to deflate. 

Instead of being moved to repentance by his teaching, the people took offense. They knew this man—they had seen him grow up, and they knew his family well. How could this man be the Son of God? 

It's important to note that this reaction doesn't speak to the truth about Jesus's divinity. Jesus was the Son of God, even if his relatives didn't see it. 

But why didn't they see it? What was so incomprehensible to them? 

They couldn't understand how Jesus could be anything more than human, because they had seen how human Jesus really was. 

When I say "human," here, I don't mean sinful. That's what marks us, but Jesus lived a perfect life while still remaining human, so that his sacrifice would be enough (Hebrews 2:17). 

Jesus was human in that he was, outwardly, normal. 

He was the son of Joseph and Mary. He worked with his dad in the carpentry shop. Someday, people probably expected he'd take on that role after his dad died. 

He had siblings, both brothers and sisters. Those brothers and sisters had names. The people in his hometown were intimately acquainted with this family—and they only saw what they knew. 

He was a carpenter. He had a job, at least until his thirties. Like you, and like me.

Why is this important? 

Because it shows us how human Jesus was. 

He knew our lives—our minds, our emotions, our relationships, our unique struggles that come with living in this world. He knew them—knows them—because he lived them. 

And that's why he was able to make the sacrifice that he did. If he didn't live like us, then his death would mean nothing.

Of course, Jesus's life was different in one key way: he never sinned. 

Because if he lived exactly like us, he wouldn't be able to make the sacrifice either. His death would mean nothing, because he would have deserved it. 

Jesus was a carpenter. 

Jesus lived in our world.

 

God is not arbitrary

Okay—but why carpentry?

God could have picked any occupation for his son to have. He could have been a soldier. A merchant. He could even have been a shepherd. 

But God chose carpentry. 

Since God doesn't do anything arbitrarily—it's all part of his plan, down to the minutest detail—there must be some reason for this profession. And Jesus's work as a carpenter shows us an interesting parallel with his divine nature. 

God is the creator of all things. Back at the very beginning, he created the world—he built it from "the ground up," except that the ground was the very thing he was building. 

As a carpenter, Jesus would have created things too. Not in the same way, of course, but he was working with his hands and forming something new from the rough stones and wood. 

The creative work that Jesus likely did as a young adult could be a mirror to the creative work that he did later in life, in his public ministry. 

Because he's building all of us, his followers, into a more perfect temple than any ordinary craftsman of Israel could ever build. 

The Greek word translated as carpenter in Mark is more accurately translated as builder—specifically, a builder of buildings. And isn't that what Jesus is doing, even today?

1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" 

We are a temple to the Lord. Jesus has built us—we certainly didn't do it ourselves—and he's the cornerstone. 

 God built the world. Jesus is building us. 

And during the short years of his life on Earth, Jesus built buildings. 

 

Remembering Jesus's humanity and significance while on Earth will give us a fresh perspective on the words of the Gospel. 

Jesus was human, and Jesus was divine. He walked in our shoes, and lived a normal life. And he never once sinned. 

He is our great high priest. He is our Savior. 

God is the one who made us who we are.