“Is Not This The Carpenter?”
The Significance and Blessings of Jesus’ Pre-Public Ministry, Mark 6: 1 – 6
by Pastor Thorold Marsaw
Shenstone Memorial Baptist Church
Brantford, Ontario
Canada
(519) 756-2870
Please Read the Following Scripture Before Viewing the Sermon
Mark 6:1-6 (New International Version)
1
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.
2
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, that he even does miracles!
3
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.
4
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
5
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
6
And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
I am absolutely convinced that the most significant thing I can do for anyone is to bring them to an awareness of God’s desire and capacity to influence the events of their lives.
When we are in trouble, really in trouble, it is absolutely essential that we can trust the One to Whom we can turn to. All that is written within the pages of the Bible are designed to demonstrate that we can always turn to Christ for our every need.
What do I mean by this? Let me explain in a very unusual way. That is, by examining the years between Christ’s coming of age and the beginning of His public ministry. Few people realize the significance of His early years on Earth in terms of our day-to-day lives and the blessings that they hold.
I have chosen as my message title, an expression found in the third verse of the sixth chapter of Mark, “Is not this the carpenter?” That expression links us with the so-called mystery years of Christ’s life.
The context here of course, reveals that His lowly start in life was a real stumbling block in the hearts of His neighbours. They could not conceive that Someone with such an ‘insignificant’ heritage could possibly have anything truly worthwhile to say.
It is a sad truth that the unbelieving will often sneer at the idea that He Who made the world, the Creator of the universe, would spend thirty years of His physical life as a poor and unknown worker of wood.
This is particularly tragic when you realize that those same critics look back upon another historic figure, Peter the Great and dub him to be a hero for doing what might be deemed, essentially the same thing. The heir to the throne of the Russian Czars laid aside his imperial dignity and entered the British service as a shipwright (a carpenter). He did this so that he would learn the art of building a navy—a navy that, as he saw it, was essential to achieving national greatness.
Was the purpose of Peter of more importance than that of the Son of God? If Peter the Great might leave his rank and descend to humble employment and escape the commendation of the world, why ought not the King of Kings be praised for an infinitely higher purpose. That is, leaving the hallowed halls of heaven to come to earth to save our souls?
Beloved, it is a fact that by far the greatest portion of Christ’s physical life was spent as a lowly craftsman, a carpenter. He did not launch upon His greater work until He was thirty years of age- the age which the Law establishes as appropriate for entry into the priestly service (Numbers 4: 3).
So what did He do during these thirty years? Did he simply mark time? Absolutely not! What was accomplished was a critically essential part of that which was to follow during the years of His ministry. Indeed one misstep, one slip and he would not have had His ministry.
It is my conviction that Christ first had the obligation to practice what He would eventually preach. That is, He had to demonstrate that the life He was to advocate could really be lived.
In Hebrews 4: 15, the Holy Spirit working through Paul tells us:
“We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
I love the way the Living Bible puts it, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, since He had the same temptations we do, though He never once gave way to them and sinned.”
Wow! Have you got that? That’s an incredibly important truth!
Basically, because of what Christ went through in life, He can really identify with us and we with Him. His pre-public ministry life parallels that of our own- specifically it centred around family, school, and work. “He’s been there” and in a most wondrous way, He can help us in our day-to-day-struggles.
Let me suggest to you that before Jesus began His public ministry, there is good evidence indicating that Joseph, Mary’s husband, had passed on. The strongest confirmation of this idea comes from Calvary, where in the last moments of His life, Jesus made a very deliberate provision for the well-being of Mary, His mother, by giving her into the hands of the Apostle John (John 19: 26).
Clearly, Joseph is gone and quite evidently the Lord did not consider the rest of the family to be adequate providers. At this juncture, these members were outside the kingdom (John 7: 5), and therefore, outside the family (Mark 3: 35, 31 – 35). Praise the Lord though, by Pentecost this had all turned around – they were saved (Acts 1: 14).
The language of our text also confirms the idea that Joseph is gone. Jesus is the called the carpenter, indicating that He has long been in charge of the shop, and the Son of Mary- again suggesting that Dad is no longer around.
Beloved, we need to recognize that the last time we actually hear about Joseph is when Jesus is 12 years old (Luke 2: 42, 43).
Joseph’s early death furnished Jesus with a ready-made family for which to care. After all, without that responsibility, free of having to face the struggles of supporting and raising a family, the claim of Hebrews 4: 15 would surely fall short. Recognize that with the passing of Joseph, Jesus (as the eldest son) would inherit the leadership of the home with all its inherent trials and challenges.
Now, it doesn’t take much of an imagination to figure out the spectrum of difficulties this would have brought into His life- experiences common to many of us and hence essential in His High Priestly role. His struggles were very contemporary with the 20th Century.
To begin with, He would have had to face the death of His dad and the mourning of His mom. If you recall from the passage devoted to Lazarus, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus wept at Lazarus’ passing- even when He knew that He was going to raise him back to life. (John 11:35) Never assume because of His Diety, that He took the matter of death lightly. He knew its sting and personally experienced it in His earthly household.
Enduring the sorrow of death is tough, yet it really is basic to the trials of our humanity isn’t it? There are only two occasions in my life that I have really wept. They were when my beloved mom and dad died. Jesus knows how I felt. He knows how much I miss them still. He’s been there.
With the death of Joseph, Jesus all of a sudden had to become the breadwinner for His family by taking over the carpenter shop and perhaps training His younger half-brothers.
Now some of you might be disturbed at the notion that Jesus had half-brothers and sisters. Let me address this matter before I continue the main theme of this sermon. I know that many of you have heard or have been taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had only one child. Verse 3 of our text though, discredits this suggestion. It is evident that the Lord had four brothers and at least two sisters, or more correctly, half-brothers and half-sisters, since Joseph had no part in Jesus’ conception.
Matthew, writing about AD 70, seven decades after the fact (Matthew 1: 25) is led by the Holy Spirit to make a couple of very vital points.
One, that Jesus was the first born. And that He came along before Mary and Joseph consummated their marriage. It is important to make that point because the presence of other children would demand that confirmation. Joseph certainly made love to her after Jesus’ birth.
Now let’s get back to the main thrust of this sermon. I want you to ask yourself how the family business would have prospered at the passing of Joseph. Can you picture some people questioning Jesus’ capacity to do a job and deciding to take their business elsewhere? The business of carpentry is based on your portfolio of work. They might not have any idea just how good He was since the reputation of the shop would be based on Joseph’s work.
Have you ever started-up a business from scratch? Have you experienced the barriers of having to prove yourself? Have you every tried to gain entry in a field but didn’t have sufficient experience to prove you could do the job? Have you applied to college or university program knowing your potential but not having the obligatory “contacts” or references you could not get your break? Jesus was there.
And then there would be the challenge of being forced to assume the responsibility of having to discipline His six brothers and sisters- some of whom may have been only a year or two younger.
You know how kids resist authority. You know how inclined they are to get into scraps. You know there are times when your best efforts just aren’t good enough. Remember as well that in spite of living under the same roof these kids weren’t convinced that He was God (John 7: 5).
You who are raising families; experiencing job difficulties; coping with the loss of a loved one; trying to make ends meet; hurting because of broken relationships, or the inability to establish a desired relationship; struggling with fractious kids; working long hours; striving to establish your credibility; experiencing rejection; not being given a fair chance, my dear hearts: THE LORD JESUS WAS THERE!!!
This is the path that the Lord has walked before us. His experiences are not theoretical, they are REAL.
“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, since He had the same temptations we do...” Wow!
And the Bible means exactly just that. Why He must have even hit His thumb with a hammer or cut Himself here and there when He worked with a chisel. This must have happened or this marvelous truth has gaps in it.
But that’s not all. There would have been hard to please customers or those who showed ingratitude for His good workmanship as well as those that didn’t or delayed in paying their bills. Surely He had to deal with the hagglers who didn’t like his price or mistrusted His integrity.
Can you imagine that?! This was God in the Flesh. He could read people’s minds. Don’t you think that Satan tried to tempt Him into deceiving or taking advantage of either His customers or the tax collectors? Don’t you think that our Lord would have come up with moral dilemmas as to what types of enterprises He could produce His work for? For instance, He certainly would not build a dwelling for the purposes of gambling or drunkeness- no matter how financially lucrative the offer.
And what about those "gray" areas that business people often encounter? Areas that we as believers need to rely on the enabling guidance of the Holy Spirit to make appropriate decisions. Jesus had to deal with all these matters while struggling to put food on the table, rear His family and prepare for His public Ministry. Now that is stressful living!
Jesus KNEW what it meant to struggle. He also knew where the vast chunk of our waking lives would be spent and He likewise lived it with us. What a blessing it is to know that He was there! What a blessing it is to know that when we struggle we can turn to Him for comfort and strength because “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, since He had the same temptations we do...”!
Jesus’ real world experiences don’t end in the realm of work and family. Have you ever felt that you don’t belong? Has someone ever questioned your credentials or expertise based on: Where you’re from? Your family name? Your income? The school you come from? Your lack of formal schooling? Your occupation?
Guess Who’s also been there? When Jesus taught in the synagogue, (Mark 6: 2) many who heard Him were astonished. His words were full of wisdom and His works bore witness of a power that was beyond their comprehension and, yet, the privileged “experts” were offended by Him (verse 3).
You see, He hadn’t been to Bible School. He never collected a single degree. He surely didn’t even own His own copy of the Scriptures -think of that! Combine this with their awareness of His family and circumstances, He was devoid of all the “right” credentials.
Then too, some of things that He spoke of certainly rocked the boat by teaching things that were contrary to the views of the so-called establishment. In Matthew 5: 21f, 27f, you’ll find the expression, “Ye have heard it said,” and the likes, repeated several times, followed by, “but I say unto you.”
The thrust of these words is simply this, that the establishment had watered down the divine intent of the scriptures. Needless to say then, Jesus had few friends in high places. They were offended at Him.
It is a truth that men tend to look with envy or disdain on those of their own station who offer evidence of exceptional wisdom or superior power. As Christ put it, “A prophet is not without honour save in his own country.” (Matthew 13:57)
The attitude of these people, among whom the Lord Jesus had been brought up, left them poor too. The Scripture reads that, “He could there do no mighty work…” (Mark 6:5) This verse does not mean that His power was cut off, but rather, that to have worked miracles before them would have done nothing to advance His cause – so it wasn’t appropriate.
Beloved, they were so prejudiced against Him that an outpouring of the divine powers that characterized so many of His days of ministry would have been totally wasted. It is not at all unlikely that they would have charged it all to derangement or sorcery, or the agency of the devil. (John 10: 20)
A hardened heart refuses to look at truth for what it is.
In Luke 4: 29, we see Jesus confronted by what took on all the character of a lynch mob. They tried to kill Him, but somehow He slipped away. He risked everything, Joseph’s carpentry business ( now presumably run by His half-brothers), His obligations to support His family as well as the way He would be viewed by the villagers in Nazareth - the very people He intimately grew up with. He did this for us.
Verse 5 of our text reveals that in the midst of it all, He finds a moment or two to heal a handful of folk. That was, as it were, mere crumbs falling off the banquet table of rich blessings, which the Lord had been more than willing to share with these people if they had been willing to receive Him.
Beloved, this Book, the Bible, houses the banquet table of rich blessings. Think on it, believe it, practice it’s wisdom, and your path will be joyously prosperous. Diligently seek to create the circumstance that will foster the mighty works of God in your life.
I remind you that God’s blessings are not conditional on our perfection, but He cannot bless us as He would, if we don’t create the atmosphere that permits it. That’s what this passage is all about. God has a willingness and capacity to meet your hearts’ needs. He has wondrous awareness of every temptation, test or trial we will ever face. After all, HE TOO HAS BEEN THERE!!!
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessings of Jesus’ pre-public ministry. Lord, you are so wonderful! You graciously have given us salvation at the cost of Jesus’ priceless life. He humbled Himself coming in the form of a man and endured years of hardship and challenges to let us tangibly know that what ever trial we face He too has been there and understands. He makes us victorious.
We thank you in Jesus’ precious Name.
Amen.
