Tag Archives: carpenter

The Carpenter’s Son

carpenter

Is not this the carpenter’s son? Matthew 13:55

There is something very telling about the people in his hometown calling Jesus the carpenter’s son. First of all, it suggests a familiarity with him. They knew Jesus well. They knew his father and his family. It also reveals a normal quality about Jesus. He did not stand out in the crowd, but was one of the people, a regular kid, if you will. It also connects Jesus to a trade. It is assumed that Jesus was trained by Joseph in the art of carpentry and that this is the path that Jesus will follow in his work life.

That is why the townsfolk are so astonished when they hear “their” Jesus speaking so eloquently and with such wisdom and authority on spiritual matters in the synagogue. This was not the Jesus they expected. Jesus was showing them that he was not the regular kid from down the block anymore. His ministry had begun. He had a story to tell of God’s plan and a people to save through his death and resurrection. This was far from the carpenter’s life the community had in mind for him.

But was it? It is no mistake that Jesus was born in a wooden manger crafted by hand to hold straw, and it is no coincidence that Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross, fashioned with two beams. Christ’s connection to wood and carpentry bookend his perfect life on earth for our redemption. So it is no surprise that Christ continues to craft and fashion a life for us that is designed to serve a purpose for him. And it is no wonder that he said he is preparing a place for us in heaven, a room and space for us to dwell in unity with him forever.

So the question, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” becomes for us not a dismissal of Jesus, but a declaration of hope in the One who building and creating a new thing. What great masterpieces are in store from Christ, our Carpenter!

Rebuilder

rebuilderThere are a lot of shows on television these days about rebuilding and restoring and redecorating homes. We are somehow drawn to the process of what carpenters and designers can do to reimagine a space or an entire house. The payoff comes at the reveal, when the finished product is presented to the homeowners with exclamations of delight.

I recently heard the song “Rebuilder” by the Christian group Carrollton. It celebrates the fact that our God is the greatest rebuilder of all, not of our homes, of our very selves. When we are falling apart and in bad shape and in need of repair because of our sins, our doubts, our waywardness, he rebuilds with his foundation of goodness and grace, his blessing and love. He is like the foreman of the project that is our lives. The end result is a new creation because of the work of his Son, the carpenter, who followed through with the rebuilding of all believers by going to the cross for our forgiveness. The old is gone; the new has come, as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5:17. And there is great excitement in the reveal of our newly redesigned lives. The Bible says, “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). And we who have come to him confessing and have been rebuilt by our God, rejoice as well, saying, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3). No matter what condition we may find ourselves in today, God can rebuild us and the results will be glorious. As the Bible declares, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). What a wonderful craftsman we have!


Enjoy this song: