Was Jesus Actually a Carpenter?

What He Did vs Who He Was Becoming

I watched one of those micro-blurbs on TikTok of Francis Chan asking the question, What was Jesus doing when he was 23? He then said, “We know he was a carpenter.”

The blurb didn’t last long enough for Francis to come to his conclusion. But whatever the point, I’m wondering if it may be based on the wrong premise. Whatever it was, it was in the context of of Jesus as a carpenter.

I grew up being told Jesus was a carpenter. Of course we know his father, Joseph, was. And I was always taught that Jesus naturally followed his father’s footsteps.

I’m not so sure anymore.

Of course, there is that one passage in Mark 6…

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. -Mark 6:1-3

But this is the same instance recorded in Matthew 13…

Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.“Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothersJames, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. -Matthew 13:54-57

I think part of the reason this even feels like a question for me is because most of us never move past the Sunday school version of Jesus. Twelve year old Jesus makes a great story for kids. Then we fill in the rest of his growing up years with learning the family business.

We know the big moments. The birth. A few stories. The miracles. The cross.

But there are decades of his life we’ve been curious about and never really explored. To be real, how do you explore what’s not recorded in the Bible? Well… we do what pastors and theologians do. We go outside the Bible into the history and traditions of the day.

Hear me out

I believe there is evidence that Jesus was in rabbinical school from his teenage years and became a legit rabbi at age 30 when he selected his disciples. If you just follow the simple, traditional timeline for students and rabbis, this makes perfect sense. But there’s more to consider.

Have you ever wondered about the point of the story of 12-year old Jesus at the Temple? It’s a great story, but why is it in there?

Here’s the summary…

Joseph, Mary and children went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. On their way back home, they realized Jesus wasn’t with them. They went back to Jerusalem and searched frantically until they found him in the Temple court, hanging out with the teachers of the law, listening to them and asking questions.

Based on his “you have heard it said, but I tell you” kinds of teaching throughout the gospels, I can only imagine the kind of questions he was asking.

Luke 2:47 says, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Why this story is important…

Jewish boys attended school, mainly focused on biblical study, until age 13. They would then learn a craft from a tradesman for a couple of years before some started attending bet midrash or, a rabbi’s school. This was also something most of them would go back into after school.

There are variations on this explanation, but I’ve found them all to be quite similar.

If Jesus took a couple of years to study a trade, it’s quite possible, even likely, that he would have indeed followed in his father’s footsteps when it comes to carpentry since he was, no doubt, already familiar with it.

While even some of the best rabbis learned a skill, there’s no indication that Jesus maintained a side hustle to support his ministry, or any record of him actually practicing carpentry during that time. And it’s reasonable to assume that tradesman don’t switch careers at 30 years old to become rabbis. At least it would be unusual.

Right on Schedule

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. -Luke 3:23

Thirty years was the ripe old age when students completed their tutelage and assumed the role of rabbi. Yeah, that’s a long time, but that’s how it happened. Think of it as getting a BA, a couple of Master’s degrees, a PhD, and maybe a DMin. It was serious study.

It was then when they started their ministry and took on disciples of their own. I think there is much significance in how Jesus selected his disciples and who he ended up choosing, but that might have to be a post for another time.

This may also shed some light on the reaction from the people of Nazareth in Mark 6 and Matthew 13. “We know this man. We know his family. We know where he got his education. He’s not teaching the yoke of his rabbi he learned from here.” Of course, that’s not what they said, but I’m sure they said more than what’s recorded.

So, Francis. To contribute to your question about what Jesus was doing at age 23, not sure what you were getting at, but I’m thinking that Jesus was probably not a carpenter, but an advanced student under a rabbi’s tutelage in Nazareth.

The challenge to this is John 7:15, “The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without having been taught?’”

You got me!

But let me lean into that a little. First, we see a literate Jesus at age twelve. He got some learning from somewhere.

Second, the reaction in John 7 and the reason those in Nazareth took offense at him was because young rabbis like Jesus generally stuck to the script. They taught the tradition of who trained them, under their authority. Rabbis who gained respect and authority through experience added their own commentary to the scriptures.

Jesus wasn’t teaching whatever he learned in bet midrash. This young rabbi was arrogantly preaching his own version of things with his own authority. Of course this was offensive. Jesus wasn’t teaching the tradition of a rabbi they recognized.

So it’s true…he absolutely wasn’t taught this.

Jesus defends his message with…

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. -John 7:16-18

Why is this important?

First, this is not a fundamental issue with eternal consequences. It’s not essential to know what Jesus was doing between 12 and 30. But it’s fascinating to explore the options, isn’t it? Carpenter or student, I’m less interested in what he was doing and more interested in who he was becoming.

The thought of this sparks wonder for me. Rethinking the stories I was taught isn’t a pushback on faith. It’s marveling at the bigness and awesomeness of God. It’s fascination with the person of Jesus.

So it’s okay to give just a little push back on what we’ve always been told. Not arrogantly challenging, but just asking the question, “Is what we’ve always been taught always right?

At the very least, I hope this causes you to go “hmmmm.”

Grace and Peace to you.