Jesus learned both carpentry and scripture at the side his father Joseph as he grew up.
“Where did this man get these things? What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son?” (Mark 6:2-3 NIV)
Throughout Lent, in church and Sunday School, we will be learning about the life of Jesus Christ from birth to death. Did you know Jesus had a day job? We don’t know much about what Jesus did from boyhood until the age of 30, when he began his ministry. But we do know he was a carpenter. In Mark, that’s how his neighbors still think of him.
Do you think Jesus suddenly began preaching and teaching at age 30, right out of the blue? I doubt it. He grew up in a faithful Jewish household, so he grew up talking about God. Born into the family of Joseph the carpenter, Jesus would have learned his father’s trade. Joseph was a carpenter and a faithful, righteous man. Jesus was a carpenter and the most righteous and faithful of men.
Every aspect of Jewish life was shaped by relationship with God – right down to their houses, their clothes, their furniture and their food. Every project Jesus did for every family was a chance to talk faith. I imagine that as Jesus worked on building a home, he often discussed scripture with the guys working next to him. Over lunch, I can see them talking about the death of somebody’s aunt and offering each other the comfort of a loving God.
Carpenters make stuff. It’s a very satisfying profession. God also makes stuff – makes everything, in fact! How do we make a difference as we build and work in our little corner of the world?
In our daily lives we blend our faith and our vocation. For some of us, we have an open opportunity to talk about how being a Christian affects how we live, how we work, and the choices we make. For others, our witness is more about what we do and how we live our lives than what we say. For all of us, our children and grandchildren are learning from us.
What are you building each day? Are you building up the church with your ideas, your talents, your labor, your gifts, or your words? When your family, friends, and coworkers see you live your life, are they amazed at the difference you make because of your faith? “Isn’t this Bob’s daughter? Isn’t she a nurse? Where does she get such peace? How does she work such miracles?”
Don’t give up your day job. Just remember that, like Jesus, you are bi-vocational. There’s what you do. And then there’s the difference you make doing it. That’s God at work.
Pastor Park