CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

February 13, 2005

 

KEEP PRAYING FOR:

Our congregation                                                                           Our college students

 

Our nation, leaders and military                                                      Various friends, relatvies and co-workers                                                               

 

David and Leon in the Navy

 

 

A CARPENTER OR A STONE MASON?

 

"Isn't this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3).

 

Our favorite brick layer asked me a question a few weeks ago.  He asked if I had ever heard that Jesus might not have been a carpenter but a stone mason.  Now we all know and love our favorite brick layer, and though he has his moments, he is not prone to strange and far our views (well, hardly ever).  He said that he had recently heard this but we didn't get into it (and now in his old age he does not remember this conversation).  Wouldn't you know that just a few days later I came across an article by Brad H. Young, who makes mention of this particular idea.  The old, forgetful brick layer might not have been out in the sun too long after all.  Let's take a look at this.  Keep in mind, this is just a look and not a full study.

 

The article by Brad Young is entitled "Jesus the Jew" and can be found at www.gospelresearch.dnsalias.com (all quotes come fron here).  Mr. Young is a student of Jewish aspects of Christianity, attempting to understand the Jewish backgrounds of Jesus, Paul, and the parables.  I have found his work extremely helpful.  In discussing Jesus as a Jew, he writes about the educational experiences of a Jewish child in the first century.  The purpose of a Jewish education was to learn about God.  The Talmud, an encyclopedia of Jewish life taught that the father must train is son in the Torah, which are the five books of Moses.  Mothers are to "observe the sanctity of the home and make certain that home life honors God."  The father was also responsible for teaching his son a profession.  This is why Matthew states that Jesus was the carpenter's son (13:55).  It was in the synagogues that the child was educated and learned to practice his training to earn a living and provide for his family.  "The synagogue in Jesus' day was primarily an institution of study."

 

There is a somewhat bias against anyone from Galilee, when one implied that nothing good can come from there.  And there was the typical bias of the Pharisees who criticized anyone not of them.  But "Galilee is known in the Talmudic literature as producing some of the finest scholars and there were excellent academies of learning located there."  There seems to have been a competition betwee Galilee and Judea for bragging rights between educational groups.  That has been common throughout history, both ancient and modern.  A library in Asia Minor competed against the library in Alexandria, Egypt.  The Greek philosophers, and especially their students, often competed against each other, sometimes violently.  And of course we have our rivalries today, like the Aggies of A&M and those Longhorns of Austin.  Jesus being called a Rabbi, which means "my teacher," indicates that He was well educated in the synagogue system.

 

There was more to teachers than just that.  Jesus was also known as a carpenter.  "Carpenters were known to be great rabbis and scholars of the highest order."  Rabbis needed a job so that they would work part time and teach part time.  Such was Jesus.  "Apparently Rabbi carpenters were known for their wisdom and spiritual insight into the study of the Scriptures."  According to Young, "the word carpenter becomes an idiomatic way to refer to a Torah scholar."  Of course we can see that in the Gospel accounts.  At age twelve we see Jesus asking and answering questions in the Temple to the astonishment of those who listened.  During His ministry, He left people amazed at His teachings.

 

Mr. Young then answers the question, "Was Jesus a carpenter or a stone mason?"  He states that some think that because stone work was more common in the first century in Israel, that Jesus was actually involved in that work.  The Greek word can be translated as stone mason in some contexts, but in Hebrew and Aramaic it refers to a wood worker or carpenter.  The early church fathers saw Him as a carpenter as well, one that could build a strong and sturdy table.

 

We often hear that people of the ancient world were uneducated or ignorant.  That certainly is not the case.  The synagogue system implemented during the years between the Testaments came about as an educational system so that the Jews would know God and His teachings. Out of that came Jesus and Paul as well as the other writers of the New Testament. The idea that Peter was just an uneducated fisherman might not have much credibility after understanding that the synagogue was a training school.  This background helps us to better understand the education of the first century Jew.

 

As for Jesus being a stone mason or a carpenter, I think that a carpenter is more in view here.  That is not to minimize the idea of a stone mason.  Much building occurred during this time period and such workers were needed.  Right now I will stay with the tradition that Jesus was a carpenter.  The evidence just isn't there right now for me to change my mind.  But I appreciate our old and forgetful brick layer for bringing this to light.  After all, he isn't that far out, is he?

 

                                                                                                                George B. Mearns