Is Not This the Carpenter? (Part 2 of 3)

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“Is this not the Carpenter?” (Mark 6:3).

Yesterday we saw, in the words of G.H.Morrison, that “Every man learns certain lessons from the trade in which he is engaged.” And the question we posed was what are some of the things Jesus may have learned while working in the carpenter shop of Nazareth.

The first thing we considered was that Jesus would have learned how much may be hidden in a common thing. A simple piece of wood, handled with the right craft and care, may become any number of other things – remarkable to behold.

Perhaps the second lesson Jesus would have learned is the great pains it takes to transform a thing from what it is, to what it can be.

If transforming a trunk of a tree into any number of useful implements for household and store require studied effort and patient skill – how much more so the reshaping of men’s character and lives.

Think of the fiery sons of thunder, James and John; what long hours must’ve been required of the Lord to slowly turn them into pastors who brought a message of love to the early church! And Simon Peter -- a rock that must be hewn repeatedly before any good thing could rise from the rubble of his selfish soul.

Or which tool was needed to change a doubting Thomas into a man of faith and hope? A selfish Matthew into a generous healer of the sick? A pensive Andrew into an unstoppable evangelist?

And what pains does the Lord now take with you, as He brings forth out of your timber a work of grace that will dazzle the world?

Hang in there, my friend; it may not yet be clear to you what the Lord is doing, but once He is done you will be blessed beyond words!

See you tomorrow for the conclusion…
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