My name is Joseph, and I wonder if you know my son? His name is Jesus. Oh, I know He is not technically or biologically my son. I know He is the Son of God. I also know He had a relationship with God the Father from eternity past—long before I knew Him— and it continues to this day. But, long before He was known as the Son of God, in our little town He was known as the Carpenter’s Son…my son! I loved Him as a son, treated Him like a son, and taught Him like a son. Furthermore, Jesus respected me and honored me as His father.
Just as our Heavenly Father was well pleased with Jesus, so was I. I took my responsibility as a father seriously, not just to feed Him and care for Him, but also to teach Him a skill. Now, you might think that was a waste of time. We both knew His main mission in life was not to have a career as a carpenter, yet still He was obedient and willing to learn—and I would have failed in my responsibility as a father if I had not taught Him. You see, Jesus was a part of a family, and when you are a part of a family certain expectations are made and responsibilities are required. He was expected to participate in the family business. Actually, His early training in the carpentry shop greatly influenced His teachings later in life.
Back in my day, boys often began their formal apprenticeship around 12 years old. They usually learned a trade from their father. Training stretched over many years. Like a good student and obedient child, Jesus put forth intense effort to develop the necessary skills to become a master carpenter. I fondly recall the many pleasant hours I spent with Jesus—working with Him, conversing with Him, and passing on my expertise to Him. Some of the things my father taught me, I would end up teaching Him. Oh, how I watched with pride as Jesus mastered the craft!
Carpentry is not an easy job. Knowledge, strength, skill, and a lot of common sense are required to be a good carpenter. It is not as simple as it looks. A carpenter needs to know the characteristics of the wood he works with. We could choose from locally grown timber, such as cypress, oak, cedar, sycamore, and olive. However, we could not just visit a lumber yard or a building supply store and pick up lumber cut to our specifications. Rather, we would travel to the forest, select the appropriate trees, fell them, and then haul the heavy logs back to the workshop. As I got older more of this heavy work fell on Jesus—and later on His younger brothers.
What might a carpenter produce from the lumber we gathered? Sometimes we would spend many hours outdoors helping to build houses. Although many houses were built of stone, and most all except the houses of the foolish would at least have a rock foundation, we would still need to mill rafters for the roof, manufacture stairs for the interior, and make doors, windows, and frames for the walls.
A carpenter would also produce furniture. We would build things like chairs, stools, tables, cabinets, and cradles. Not all of these items were of simple design. Depending on the budget of the buyer, we might inlay the item with differing types and colors of wood. We might use our skills to carve intricate patterns and designs in the wood. To protect and beautify the items, we might coat them with beeswax or oil.
A carpenter also made products for the local farmers. We would make yokes, forks, rakes, and shovels. We might fashion plows strong enough for their iron points to gouge furrows through the rocky soil. On occasion we made wooden carts and wagons and crafted the solid or spoked wheels upon which those vehicles rode. Occasionally, we might also labor repairing and maintaining the furniture, tools, and vehicles we made. Sometimes, there was emergency work to be done. I remember once when a farmer came to our shop with a broken plow. It was in prime planting season and the plow had to be fixed to plant the seed. I asked the fellow what caused the plow to be broken. He explained that he just turned aside for a moment—took his eye of the plow for a second—and the plow hit a big rock in the field and splintered. The farmer said that no man was worthy to be called a plowman if he couldn’t keep his eyes on the plow. I remember the impression that made on Jesus as he was given the responsibility of repairing that plow.
There were other times when carts had to be repaired for the short harvest season, before the rains began to fall. Sometimes there were late nights in the carpentry shop. Mary would sometimes bring us a late night snack as we labored to finish a job by the deadline.
I saw my son grow into manhood in the carpentry shop. His skin was bronzed by the Middle Eastern sun, His muscles strengthened by years of physical labor, and His hands hardened from gripping rough wood and wielding axes, hammers, and saws. He was strong. He also had an eye for good craftsmanship. Every joint had to be fitly joined together.
His Personal Toolbox
A first-century carpenter would need to know how to handle the tools of His trade. We had some common tools that both Jesus and I would use, but soon I began to purchase tools exclusively for Him. First I made Him a little toolbox and fashioned Him a small hammer. Later, He acquired some serious tools. I got Him a saw, consisting of a wooden frame holding an iron blade with teeth set in a way that would cut on the pull stroke. He would use a square to lay out His work and a plumb to line up vertical surfaces. Also in His toolbox was a level, a rule stick, a plane with its sharp, adjustable iron blade for smoothing rough lumber, and an ax for cutting down trees. He also had a lathe and gouge used for cutting and shaping spindles. He had a wooden mallet used for pounding dowels into joints or for driving chisels. He had a drawknife and a bow drill.
He Used Many of My Teachings in His Ministry
Now, we all know the influence of His Heavenly Father—and I take nothing away from that. But, I am also quite proud of the influence I had on His life. Jesus would later masterfully use simple, familiar objects to teach deep spiritual truths. Personally, I think He drew on his background as a carpenter for some of His greatest illustrations. I remember when He was still quite young He got a speck of sawdust in His eye. It obviously hurt, so I sat Him down on a beam, Mary went to fetch some water, and we washed the speck out of His eye. I explained that this was one of the hazards of the trade, but a least it was just a speck—I reminded Him as I tapped the beam He was sitting on—that it could be a lot worse. Mary didn’t appreciate my humor, but Jesus smiled and agreed. Later, He would give this very example: “Why, beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” Matthew 7:3
As a carpenter, He knew how massive a beam was. Later, Jesus said to another group: “No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 I think He recalled the numerous broken plows He repaired; sometimes broken by carelessness. One of Jesus’ warmest invitations involved a piece of equipment manufactured by a carpenter. “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me,” said Jesus. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29, 30 I taught Jesus how to properly make a yoke. I explained that the yoke must be made to fit the oxen. It must be measured to fit the animal and designed depending on the burden he was to bear. Jesus knew how to make a yoke that did not chafe but was well-fitted to the animal—so as to make his burden light.
Is Not This the Carpenter’s Son?
Now, I am proud to be a carpenter. It is an honorable profession. However, when Jesus’ enemies referred to Him as “The Carpenter’s Son” they meant it as an insult. They are asking disdainfully, “Who does He think He is?” Is He not a common worker with His hands even as the rest of us are? Even more, we hear the opinions of rulers, religious authorities, crowds, disciples, and even family members; “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary…” Mark 6:3. They were asking could a child of such an undistinguished heritage be such a powerful prophet—much less the Messiah.
The additional phrase “the son of Mary” was also most hurtful and disparaging. It was contrary to Jewish usage to describe a man as the son of his mother, even when she was a widow. People were normally referred to as the son of their father. It was their way of implying He was illegitimate. Rumors to that effect were always surfacing—every time we thought they had died down—they came back up again. The townspeople are scandalized by the human origins of Jesus, whom they know as a carpenter.
He Was Known As a Carpenter
However, that does bring me to one great point. It was a proud moment for me. It somewhat validated my training as a father when Jesus became a carpenter in His own right. “Is not this the carpenter”, is actually a question in Greek that expects a positive reply. He was known as a “craftsman” (tekton). He learned the skills I taught Him well enough to be considered a carpenter in His own right. When Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth, He is actually called a carpenter by the local residents. In the normal course of events, Jesus became a carpenter Himself and lived for a while in fulfillment of that role. Later, He merged the roles of His Heavenly Father and earthly father together and became the greatest builder since the Creation.
In Matthew 16:18 Jesus makes a promise that involves the greatest building project ever undertaken. In response to Peter’s confession that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus declares, “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The Scriptures go on to reveal that Jesus fulfilled His promise to build a church. He purchased the material from which His church was built. In speaking to those who made up the church in the city of Corinth, Paul assures them that the foundation upon which they were established is none other than Jesus. Jesus built the promised church. He alone became the architect, builder, owner, and Lord.
Some wonderful details of the church that Jesus built are provided in Ephesians 2:19-22. “Now therefore ye are no more foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. In whom all the building fitly framed together…”
Notice how various points about the house that Christ constructed are made through the carefully chosen language of the passage.
The word “foreigners” originally meant something like “alongside the house” in the sense of “separated from or away from the main house,” almost like an outbuilding. But now, Paul points out that the Gentiles are now an integral part of the household of God. It is an accomplished fact that the Gentiles are in Christ, as their place in it is spoken of in the past tense with the word built. Paul says that the whole building will grow into a holy temple in the Lord, emphasizing the living aspect of the building.
Jesus, my Son—the son of a lowly carpenter from Nazareth thus becomes a great builder. He has built a living and continuing house that we can all benefit from and become a part of. Do you know Him?
As a father, when I see the influence I had over Jesus when He was growing up, I stand amazed. Knowing He was the Son of God, and here on a divine mission, I sometimes wondered if I was wasting my time—and His time—teaching Him how to fashion a piece of lumber. But, I was not wasting time. Jesus used the things I taught Him. They became a lasting influence over His life and He used those lessons to help others. And, even if He had not used my lessons, I still had a responsibility to teach Him. After all, that’s what fathers do.
(Originally written as a 2017 Father’s Day message.)
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries.