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Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth around the age of thirty, where He had grown up and worked as a carpenter. Later, He returned as a rabbi with a group of disciples following Him, and the locals were astonished.

(Mark 6:1–3 NKJV) 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.

"Isn't this the carpenter?" This wasn't intended as a compliment, but rather to highlight that Jesus had no formal training as a Rabbi. It was a bit like saying, "Who does He think He is preaching to us?" or "Hey Jesus, since you're here, I could really use some help with my roof!" Jesus wasn't raised to be a Rabbi.

Additionally, referring to Jesus as the "Son of Mary" went against Jewish customs, as they never referred to a man as his mother's son, even if she was a widow, unless it was meant as an insult. Genealogies were traced through the fathers:

(Luke 3:23–25 NKJV) Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum...

The "Son of Mary" reference may have suggested that Jesus was illegitimate, and they didn't really know who His father was. After all, Mary and Joseph lived in the small town of Nazareth. They were engaged, and Mary left for a while to visit her cousin Elizabeth. When she returned, she was showing and obviously pregnant, so Joseph considered "putting her away privately." This news must have spread through that small town like wildfire.

I find it interesting that the Lord chose to be a carpenter, a builder of things. (Matthew 13:55) tells us that Joseph was a carpenter, so Jesus probably learned skills by working with him. Stone was a common building material during that era, so Jesus likely worked with stone as much as wood.

My Dad was a carpenter for fifty-five years, and I worked a lot with him. Today, I sure wish I had paid more attention. In his mind, he could see the completed house before we started the foundation and knew every step to get there. Or he could reverse engineer a building, look at it, calculate the materials, time, and cost it would take to build it.

As a Carpenter, Jesus would have learned to see the potential in rough materials. He would know that with work and time, something great could be created, and he could see what it could become.

Construction is hard physical work, so Jesus had fortitude. He was strong. Unlike today, He didn't have access to advanced power tools from brands like Dewalt or Milwaukee. Instead, He relied on simple hand tools such as a saw, hammer, chisels, a square, and nails.

When heavy stones needed to be lifted, Jesus would have had to use the strength of His arms. There would have been some rough days when He came home exhausted. I know this because God doesn't let His children skip the fun. You get the full experience of life.

We can hear Jesus' experience about building houses come through in His parables:

(Matthew 7:24–27 NKJV) "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

(Luke 14:28–30 NKJV) For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

When God decided to send humanity a Savior, He didn't pick from the established pool - the best that "Big Religion" had to offer. Instead, He sent a simple Carpenter, who then hand-picked uneducated fishermen and a despised tax collector as some of His Apostles. It was a disruption of the normal.

To illustrate how disruptive Jesus was, we must consider the context. On the day Jesus was born, there had been over 400 years of silence from God. This period, known as the "Intertestamental Period," spans from the prophet Malachi in the Old Testament to the birth of Jesus Christ and the ministry of John the Baptist in the New Testament.

During this time, there were no new prophecies, revelations, or recognized prophets in Israel. Yet the old-time religion continued to plod along, entrenched in their man-made traditions. They had learned to cope by transforming their faith into a business without God. He had told them this in Malachi:

(Malachi 1:10 NKJV) "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you," Says the LORD of hosts, "Nor will I accept an offering from your hands."

The priests continued to offer their daily sacrifices for four hundred years, but God had left the building.

In the meantime, Jesus came along and resurrected the dead, healed the sick, restored eyesight to the blind, restored hearing to the deaf, calmed terrible storms, walked on water, fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread, turned water into wine, healed lepers, and cast out demons.

"Big Religion" grew envious of Jesus. They resented His growing influence, the way He spoke with authority, and the way He challenged their traditions. Especially when He made a whip and drove the money changers who were renting the space from the high priest out of the temple! They were focused on their rituals and regulations, while Jesus came to demonstrate the heart of God by choosing to show love, mercy, and grace over religious observance.

You can see both sides focus in this conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees:

(Mark 7:5–7 NKJV) Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

Pure envy led them to openly criticize Jesus. They could not understand how a humble Carpenter, accompanied by a group of ordinary men, could attract such a following. His incredible miracles, healings, and teachings captivated the crowds, drawing people from all walks of life—fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, outcasts—and everyone responded to His message of hope. Jesus Christ was refreshing to be around, and people were drawn to Him.

(Luke 15:1–2 NKJV) Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

The established religious leaders were more concerned about maintaining their power and control than about drawing people closer to God. They had become so entrenched in their systems that they failed to recognize the Messiah standing before them. Jesus was inclusive and invited all to follow Him, even those who weren't allowed to enter the temple.

"Big Religion" wanted to get rid of Jesus so badly because He made them look like a bunch of religious monkeys instead of the anointed leaders they pretended to be. They were so envious and threatened. Everyone knew it, even Pontious Pilate:

(Mark 15:9–14 NKJV) But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?" So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!" Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!"

How could a Carpenter and a rag-tag band change the world? Through love: love God and love others:

(John 13:34–35 NKJV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

You don't have to come from the top echelon to be a disrupter for God. A Carpenter is just fine.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day! Please help me see people through Your eyes and show love to others. Make what is important to You important to me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!