Matthew 13:55, commentary and pictures

The question was asked in unbelief when Jesus came back to teach in the synagogue of His own town, as the people were astonished at His wisdom and mighty works. They had known Him from childhood as the son of a carpenter of an obscure family, knew His mother was called Mary, knew His brothers James and Joses and Simon and Judas, and knew His sisters lived among them. They stumbled at His humble, unpretending life among the poor and lowly, working for years at a trade with no earthly rank or power, because they expected the Messiah to come with power and kingly splendor. For the greater part of His earthly life He labored with His hands at the carpenter's trade with Joseph in Nazareth, sharing ordinary family duties and helping provide the daily bread. By precept and example He thereby dignified useful labor and made honest work honorable, showing that faithful service to God includes diligent industry in ordinary tasks.

Nazareth's Familiarity and Rejection

The question was asked in unbelief when Jesus came back to teach in the synagogue of His childhood home early in His Galilean ministry, while those who heard Him were amazed at His wisdom and mighty works. They knew Him from childhood as the carpenter's son of an obscure family, knew His mother as Mary and His brothers as James and Joses and Simon and Judas, with His sisters living among them. They knew He had never attended school and had not been taught by the wise men, yet His wisdom did not depend on formal education or worldly advantage but came through Joseph and Mary, the Old Testament Scriptures, synagogue worship, temple festivals, nature, communion with God, and access to the tree of life. His brothers named here were the sons of Joseph, who sided with the rabbis and insisted that human traditions be followed as if they were God's requirements above God's word, who resented His ability to distinguish truth from error and condemned His strict obedience to God's law as stubbornness.

Joseph worked as a carpenter and Mary, His mother, was his dignified wife, a Jewish woman of mature dignity. They stumbled over His humble, unpretending life among the poor and lowly, working for years at the trade with His father with no earthly rank or power and making no claim to distinction or greatness. This was because they expected the Messiah to come with power, honor, glory and kingly splendor and to establish David's throne by force, so one so common and familiar could not in their reasoning be the Redeemer of Israel and the Son of God. Though first moved by His authority, dignity, wisdom, gracious words, miracles and divine power, they listened to suggestions of doubt and, blinded by Satan, prejudice, pride and their earlier rejection, refused to receive Him as Messiah and Redeemer.

Their question came from jealous curiosity because they had heard of His miracles elsewhere and were offended He had done no miracle in their city, demanding why He did not heal the afflicted in Nazareth as He had done in Capernaum. Jewish leaders and others used His being a carpenter's son to question how He could know more than priests and rulers and to resist His teaching. So familiarity obscured His true identity as the Son of God, just as the world failed to recognize His humble, poor and unlearned disciples, yet He spoke with a kingly authority they could not resist.

Humble Labor and Example

The carpenter's son grew up in poverty as the child of poor and lowly parents whose table held few luxuries. He chose a humble home among the poor and lived a life of self-denial, privation and diligent industry, dependent with His parents on daily toil for food rather than allotted affluence and indolence.

For years He worked at the carpenter's trade with Joseph in the shop at Nazareth, laboring with His hands for wages. From His earliest years He lived a life of toil, spending the greater part of His earthly life in patient work without using His divine power to lighten His labor. By that work He took part in ordinary family duties and shared in supporting His family, helping to provide His daily bread.

He came to build character, and He brought to ordinary labor the same perfection He brings to the characters He transforms by divine power. Though the Majesty of heaven, He did even a lowly task with the utmost exactitude, and His work was perfect.

By precept and example He dignified useful labor and made honest work honorable rather than degrading. Faithful service to God includes ordinary labor, physical strength is to be used in practical service to God, people are to be industrious, honest labor is consistent with Christian service, and idleness is not. He is thus a pattern for faithful work.

The Lord of life walked the streets of the little town in the garb of a common laborer, going to and returning from His humble toil side by side with peasants and laborers. Though attended by ministering angels as He walked, He was unrecognized and unhonored. The hard and wearisome path of toil appointed to dwellers on earth is honored by the footprints of the Redeemer, and he is safe who follows in this sacred way.

He lived in retirement from corrupting society, keeping His hands employed in useful work and keeping aloof from temptation rather than inviting it. He thus walked the most uneven path that children and youth will ever be called to travel. His example shows that common work is not degrading and that teaching young people useful trades is part of a good education, giving their energy a useful outlet.

His example at the carpenter's bench requires plain buildings that correspond to the truth proclaimed, with not one dollar invested in needless display or in gratifying desire for display in one place. Actions are thereby made to speak louder than words, bearing witness that means are kept for the great unworked missionary field and for establishing the truth in many places.