Christ As A Craftsman

~ Jesus Christ Was Truly “More Than A Carpenter” ~

The Scripture  ~  “Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?’  So they were offended at Him” (Mark 6:1-3). 

Some Observations  ~   (1) Being a craftsman (or working with your hands) is an honorable thing.  The Messiah was a craftsman and He can easily identify with working folk.  (2) “Tent-making” is an honorable career.  Both our Lord and Savior and the Apostle Paul were bi-vocational.  Both considered preaching the Good News as their number one priority but possessed craftsman skills.  (3) The reasoning of the crowd was faulty.  The same is true today of much of what we term “group think.”  If anything, the points the crowd made only tend to substantiate that He was no ordinary man!  (4) It seems obvious that Christ did not waste His young years but studied and learned effectively.  (5) Pictured as a carpenter, we can easily imagine Him with a saw, plane, or chisel as He smoothes and forms the object of His workmanship.  Today we are His workmanship. 

Closing Thought  ~  “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:4-10).

 

the key question:  “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). This is the most important question you will ever answer. If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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