Jesus...Jewish education/trade

Jesus at 20 years...seeking a livelihood (Avot 5:24)

Avot 5:24 had written, "at twenty years for seeking a livelihood." Did Jesus become involved in seeking a livelihood at 20 years of age? That question cannot be answered with certainty from New Testament sources. But we do know the words of the people in Mark 6:3, who were amazed at his mighty works and teachings; "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?"

The King James version and its Greek manuscript copies, accurately name 4 brothers and mentions at least 2 unnamed "sisters" of Jesus. In spite of some contention that the verse does not actually refer to literal sisters but may mean cousins. Other scholars have even suggested that Joseph had children of his own by a previous marriage before Mary.

But gospel evidence indicates that Joseph and Mary had other children after Jesus was born. When Mark 6:3 is contrasted or compared to Mark 3:33-35, when the teaching Jesus, whose mother and brothers are standing without the crowd and calling to Jesus, become the basis of an example about the family of God.

Jesus said: Who is my mother, or my brethren? He then looks upon the crowd and says about his listeners: Behold my mother and my brethren. Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister and mother. Such analogy would not have worked if it were not his immediate family who were calling to him while he taught the crowd.

But our real point of focus is that Jesus was called "the carpenter," at about the age of 30 years. That statement combined with the wording of Avot 5:24, possibly indicate that Jesus had been learning and practicing the trade of a carpenter for about 10 years. His reputation among the people was "the carpenter." Learning a trade doesn’t involve only one year experience in learning.

He entered into his full strength at thirty years of age when he began to preach and teach. At the same age, the Levites in the Temple began serving according to Numbers 4:3, 4:23, 4:30, and Numbers 4:35.

One of several things that Jewish fathers were to teach their sons was a trade or occupation. Can we assume that Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father was also a carpenter? The source answer is yes. Matthew 13: 55, says that Joseph was a carpenter. The populace also assumed that Jesus was his son.

The Greek term tekton (tekton), may also mean another skilled trade. The Lidell and Scott Intermediate Greek English Lexicon lists a secondary meaning for TEKTON : generally any craftsman or workman. That information also agrees with the W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical words: any craftsman; but especially a worker in wood.

Yes, Jesus was a skilled tradesman, just like his adoptive father, Joseph. The Talmud emphasizes a father is to circumcise his son, teach him Torah, take a wife for him, and teach him a trade.