Was Jesus A Carpenter’s Son?
The word
tekton, translated “carpenter,” appears first in the Gospel of Mark. Its only other occurrence in the New Testament is in the parallel text from Matthew, and both times it is said of Jesus.* In the former he is referred to as “the carpenter” and in the latter, “the carpenter’s son.” This change may be attributed to the fact that Matthew addresses his gospel to a new generation - identified in his gospel twice as
ekklesia, the Church. Throughout, Matthew follows closely the narrative in Mark, but he modifies it to reflect a new audience, the next generation of believers. The changes in Matthew thus underscore the urgency of the Gospel message, something that is particularly prevalent in his narrative of Jesus’ Transfiguration. Join me in a discussion of Matthew 17:1-11.
Notes:
*The term likely originated with Paul, who refers to himself as
architekton (master builder) in 1 Corinthians
3:10.
Mark
6:13; 9:5, 11-13.
Matthew
11:14;
13:55.
“Sing A New Song Unto Me” composed and performed by Raphael Shaheen.
Icon of the Transfiguration by the hand of Nick Papas.