Jesus worked.
Most of us know
that, even if we sometimes forget.
Before he began his public ministry of preaching and healing, he worked
in a profession: what the original Greek
calls a tekton, often translated as
carpenter, but probably more accurately rendered as craftsman, builder or even laborer. Most scholars say this would have included
not only traditional carpentry but also building walls, and even helping to
construct houses. Some even say that the
term day laborer might be apt.
It was not seen as
a particularly noble profession either.
The question, Is not this the
carpenter? uttered when Jesus first preaches in Nazareth, is called by two
commentators a belittling question
from those in his hometown. In other
words, Isn’t he just a carpenter? Being a tekton
meant working in a profession not held in great esteem.
In your daily
labor, don’t forget that Jesus labored, too.
For more on Jesus
as laborer, read Fr. James Martin’s book, Jesus, A Pilgrimage, the source of this short excerpt, originally posted on
Facebook on June 27, 2013.
Image source: Jesus the Carpenter, Holy Cross Chapel, Houston, Texas
No comments:
Post a Comment