Jesus, The Carpenter

By Jennifer E. Jones

“'… Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary? Aren't James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don't his sisters still live here in our town?' The people were very unhappy because of what he was doing." (Mark 6:3, CEV)

When Jesus started His ministry, it was difficult for people to see Him as anything more than a carpenter. His family, neighbors and friends watched Him grow up making and fixing things. Back then, “Jesus the Rabbi” took a little getting used to.

However, what people didn’t know then and what we need to discover now is that Jesus’ earthly occupation as a carpenter was the perfect prep for His ministry. He would spend the next three years working with the broken.

"’Healthy people don't need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’" (Mark 2:17, NLT)

We are all living inside the consequences of a sin cycle, being that of our own or someone else’s. It’s an unpleasant result of the fall. Life on this side of Eden carries pain and suffering; eventually, everyone has their heart broken. Whether it’s a failed relationship, lost opportunity or the death of a loved one, it happens to the best of us. If you decide to care about anything in this life, somewhere along the way it will break your heart.

One day, I was writing in my prayer journal about my own heartache. Filled with an earnest need to get frustrations off my chest, at one point, I scribbled down and underlined: “I am broken!” Somehow I thought that God was afraid of my pain. I had to get loud about it in order for Him to hear me and find me. The next day in my meditation time, I realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

"Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice." (Psalms 51:16-17, The Message)

God doesn’t take a detour when He sees the traffic cones around the demolition of our heart. He gets right in there. He inspects the damage. He points out the areas that were eaten away by an infestation of sin. He carefully inspects the places where you tried and failed to fix it yourself. He tears down to build back up, and He goes the extra step to make it better and stronger than it was before. By the time He’s finished, every detail down to the last nail is accounted for and in its proper place. He does thorough work.

The Bible isn’t clear if Jesus did any carpentry work after his ministry began; however, He spent the remainder of His earthly years and then all of eternity fixing the brokenness of humanity. He is offering you a chance today to invite Him into your disaster zone. Trust His skilled and steady hand. Soon, He will unveil His handiwork, and you will see that the Jewish carpenter from Nazareth was the only one who could put you back together again.