Day 23

55 Is not this the carpenter's son?... Matthew 13: 55a

One of my students wrote a short story for a class assignment. It was some of the best writing I read the entire semester and surprised me greatly. I shared it with my principal, who was also quite surprised. This student has no plans for college. They are diligently working to get their welding certification. I’m certain that they will make a fine welder. Despite his somewhat rough ways, I’d give him the keys to my truck. This story surprised all who’ve read it. We never expected to see this kind of story flow from his pen. We all think of him as blue-collar.

Jesus was blue-collar. His father was a carpenter, or perhaps a craftsman, not exactly the lineage of a world changer. We tend to look toward those with fine pedigrees or education for leadership. Yet, when God chose an earthly father to guide His son through His early years, He chose a craftsman from Nazareth. A few years later, Nathaniel would famously ask, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46 ESV In part, we were all surprised at the quality of my student's writing because we think of him as a welder. Can any good writing come from a welder? God sees things differently. He chose Joseph for the quality of his character. Matthew notes that he was a “just” man. We do not know much more about Joseph. He was a carpenter, and he was just…oh, he was also willing to listen to and follow his dreams. 

Perhaps those are the qualities I ought to work on in myself, my craft, being just, and being willing to follow my dreams. God cared more about the character of Joseph than his bank account. We know precious little else about the man God entrusted with His baby boy. Just maybe, that’s all we really need to know.