Is not this the carpenter - Among the ancient Jews, every father was bound to do four things for his son.

1. To circumcise him.

2. To redeem him.

3. To teach him the law.

4. To teach him a trade.

And this was founded on the following just maxim: "He who teaches not his son to do some work, is as if he taught him robbery!" It is therefore likely that Joseph brought up our Lord to his own trade.

Joses - Several good MSS. read Ιωσητος, Joset, and one, with several versions, reads Joseph.

Is not this the carpenter?.... Some copies read, "the carpenter's son", as in Matthew 13:55 and so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions; but all the ancient copies, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions, read "the carpenter": such may Christ be reasonably thought to be, since his father was; and which business he might follow, partly through the meanness and poverty of his parents; and partly that he might set an example of industry and diligence; and chiefly to bear that part of the first Adam's curse, which was to eat his bread with the sweat of his brow: nor ought this to have been objected to him by the Jews, with whom it was usual for their greatest doctors and Rabbins to be of some trade or secular employment; so R. Jochanan was a shoemaker (z) R. Isaac was a blacksmith (a), R. Juda was a tailor (b), Abba Saul and R. Jochanan, were undertakers for funerals (c); R. Simeon was a seller of cotton (d), R. Nehemiah was a ditcher (e), R. Jose bar Chelphetha was a skinner (f); and others of them were of other trades, and some exceeding mean: the famous R. Hillell was a hewer of wood, and Carna, a judge in Israel, was a drawer of water (g); and so Maimonides says,

"the great wise men of Israel were some of them hewers of wood and drawers of water (h).''

They say,

"a man is obliged to learn his son an honest and easy trade (i):''

there are some businesses they except against (k), but this of a carpenter is not one; yea, they say,

"if a man does not teach his son a trade, it is all one as if he taught him thievery (l).''

Nor did they think it at all inconsistent with learning; for they have a saying (m), that

"beautiful is the learning of the law, along with a trade.''

The Jews ought not to have flouted Christ with this trade of a carpenter, since, according to them, it was necessary that a carpenter, in some cases, should be a regular priest; as in repairing of the temple, especially the holy of holies. So says Maimonides (n);

"there was a trap door, or an open place in the floor of the chamber, open to the holy of holies, that workmen might enter thereby into the holy of holies, when there was a necessity of repairing any thing; and since we make mention of workmen, it may be observed here, when there is need of building in the midst of the temple, great care should be taken, , "that the workman, or carpenter, be a right priest".''

Yea, they expressly say, that the Messiah is one of the four carpenters in Zechariah 1:20. "And the Lord showed me four carpenters"; they ask (o),

""who are the four carpenters?" Says R. Chana bar Bizna, says R. Simeon the saint, Messiah the son of David, Messiah the son of Joseph, and Elijah, and a priest of righteousness.''

This is with some variation elsewhere expressed thus (p),

""and the Lord showed me four carpenters"; and these are they, Elijah, and the king Messiah, and Melchizedek and the anointed for war.''

continued...

The carpenter

This word "throws the only flash which falls on the continuous tenor of the first thirty years, from infancy to manhood, of the life of Christ" (Farrar, "Messages of the Books").

They were offended

See on Matthew 5:29. Tynd., hurt.

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his {b} sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

(b) This word is used after the manner of the Hebrews, who by brethren and sisters understand all relatives.

6:3 Is not this the carpenter? Matthew reads The carpenter's son (Mt 13:55). This shows that Jesus also had worked at the trade. It was the custom for every Jew to be taught some trade by his parents.

6:3 Is not this the carpenter? - There can be no doubt, but in his youth he wrought with his supposed father Joseph.

offended: scandalized in, or, by him

6:1-6 Our Lord's countrymen tried to prejudice the minds of people against him. Is not this the carpenter? Our Lord Jesus probably had worked in that business with his father. He thus put honour upon mechanics, and encouraged all persons who eat by the labour of their hands. It becomes the followers of Christ to content themselves with the satisfaction of doing good, although they are denied the praise of it. How much did these Nazarenes lose by obstinate prejudices against Jesus! May Divine grace deliver us from that unbelief, which renders Christ a savour of death, rather than of life to the soul. Let us, like our Master, go and teach cottages and peasants the way of salvation.