Is there significance to Jesus being a Carpenter?

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I learned carpenters were poor 35 years ago in seminary. There is no indication Jesus was rich. We do know that when Jesus was presented in the temple Joseph could not afford a lamb which cost a denarius or a days wage for a laborer so Joseph was poor the requirement the Bible gives to bring the lesser offering of doves or young pigeons. There is no indication they owned a donkey for example.
 
Sorry, I worded my query badly…I was thinking of each of the tribes having a specific role…and was trying to make a determination if that particular tribe had anything to do with Josephs occupation…was getting my mind wonder…
 
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Galilee averages 35 to.45 inches of rainfall a year, not even close to becoming a desert.
 
Only the tribe of Levi is set apart from the others. They were not granted farmland, but rather the six cities of refuge, plus another 42 cities and the surrounding pasture. Their livelihood was to come from the Sanctuary, where they would serve in the worship of the Lord, and from among the Levites, the House of Aaron was appointed as priests. All of Israel was to give a tenth of their harvest to the Levites, and each man 20 years and older was to contribute a half shekel per year for the upkeep of the Sanctuary and for liturgical supplies, most of which were produced by Levites.

The Levites, in turn, would tithe to the priests, and the priests would also receive first fruits offerings from the people and partake of the sacred offerings during their time of service. The priests also served as butchers and judges of religious and cleanliness matters.
 
It’s another reminder that God chose to not only become man, but to become a humble man as well. He could have been born the son of a King or a Noble, but he was born to a family of craftsmen. You won’t get rich by being a carpenter, after all.
 
I don’t deny that parts of Israel are dry. I have been very specific and have only addressed Galilee. Since the topic of climate started because of the stated lack of trees and implies inhospitable area that Jesus lived in (while He was a carpenter), discussing Galilee as opposed to all of Israel or Judea seemed appropriate to me. YMMV, which is why I tried to be specific.
 
And that Jesus had his own home in Capurnaum.
 
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tafan2 said:
I don’t deny that parts of Israel are dry. I have been very specific and have only addressed Galilee. Since the topic of climate started because of the stated lack of trees and implies inhospitable area that Jesus lived in (while He was a carpenter), discussing Galilee as opposed to all of Israel or Judea seemed appropriate to me. YMMV, which is why I tried to be specific.
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Even in areas of the world with very few trees you do nevertheless, when you look at traditional and historic buildings, find old things made of wood such as furniture, doors etc. I guess they either used the few trees they had, or they brought in timber from other places.
 
I feel like I am reading two distinctly different threads here…😶
Desertification Vs. Carpentry…
 
I agree with you, but there has been speculation he could have been a “builder”. In many of His teachings He uses buildings and foundations as comparison, so it does not seem unlikely.
 
aroosi said:
I wonder if being a carpenter has some symbolic linking to the fact that Jesus died on a wooden cross.
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Yes it does. Jesus’ cross was made from two doorpost, a lintel and threshold. Jesus is our Passover 1Co 5:7-8 and the blood of the Passover lamb needed to be put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the family home Exodus 12:7, 22-23 RSV - 7 Then they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. … 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood which is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to slay the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to slay you. I have written an article on this see http://www.scripturescholar.com/JesusOurPassover.pdf pp. 5-8 but the whole article is relevant
 
And Bezalel Exodus 37:1 RSV - 1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. He also fabricated much of the tabernacle furnature, which was mostly acacia wood covered with gold
 
I remember when I was a college kid, and I learned that the word used for what Jesus did was actually tekton (craftsman) and not carpenter. I remember laughing and thinking that he really likes making stuff. First he made the world, and then when he got to earth, what did he choose to do as an occupation before his ministry? Be someone who made stuff. 😆
 
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I think there is significance to Jesus being a carpenter in that he did something other than being a Rabbi to earn an income. He wasn’t using his position to earn an income. In other words he wasn’t in a position where he was entitled to an income. He worked, he produced something, and there was creativity to his work.

Personally, this is meaningful to me. On the most basic level I make things and I write to earn an income. I can relate to Jesus in this way.
 
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jack63 said:
I think there is significance to Jesus being a carpenter in that he did something other than being a Rabbi to earn an income. He wasn’t using his position to earn an income. In other words he wasn’t in a position where he was entitled to an income. He worked, he produced something, and there was creativity to his work.

Personally, this is meaningful to me. On the most basic level I make things and I write to earn an income. I can relate to Jesus in this way.
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He was also the first one only carpenter not to swear when he hit his thumb with a mallet…🧐
 
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