just a …

Yesterday, feeling a little flat, I thought I’d find inspiration in a name of Jesus. I have a “Names of Jesus” poster hanging in my office on campus, and occasionally I’ll take one of the names, look at the scripture reference, get the context, and mull it over. I’ve worked my way through about a third, so the next in the list was “Carpenter.”

My first thought was: who put that on the list? Why is carpenter there with Morning Star, Bread of Life, and King of kings? But I looked at the reference anyway:

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 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! 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. (Mark 6:1–3, emphasis added)

I’ve always known that Jesus was a carpenter, but it never occurred to me that He had a job. Just the night before, at small group, someone said that they admired Jesus’ ability to never be in a hurry, to always give time to people. Someone else said that they found this a struggle because his job kept him moving from task to task all day long. And I thought to myself, “Of course Jesus was never in a hurry; He didn’t have a real job.” (I should note that I was not in a particularly good mood that night, and this could explain my “flatness” the next morning.)

So Jesus had a job; He was, very likely, a small business owner. But what stands out in Mark is the lack of respect accorded to Jesus: He is “just” a carpenter and therefore can’t really be worth listening to.

Have you ever been “just a ____________”? Just a plumber, just a housewife, just a student, just a cashier, just a… Just here means “simply; only; no more than”–but it takes on the connotation of “less.” I struggled with this for a number of years in my job. I have a master’s degree (I started to write only a master’s); most of my colleagues have doctorates. They earn tenure; I do not. For a long time, I would identify myself as “just an instructor,” implying that I was somehow lesser. I’ve had to make a conscious effort not to diminish myself with my words, in part because some coworkers are already doing it for me.

And I know I’m not alone in this. How many women see themselves as “just a stay-at-home mom” as if caring for a family full-time was somehow less? And even those of us with jobs that defy the “just” label–doctors, lawyers, etc.–can find themselves supposedly diminished by family and relations (“Isn’t this the brother of…?”) or place of origin (“can anything good come out of Nazareth?”).

As I pondered this, I took great encouragement that Jesus was a carpenter. Our Savior had a job, worked for a living, dealt with customers, finances, the whole deal. This puts Hebrews 4:15 in a new light: “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality” (The Message). Jesus really does know what we go through; He had more of our experiences than we tend to think.

So, whoever decided to include Carpenter on the poster: thank you! I’m glad that along side King of kings and Lord of lords there’s a reminder that Jesus was also just a carpenter.

Tagged as: identity, Jesus, job, names, work