“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15 NIV).
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV).
Work is not a result of the fall. God works. When He created man, He made him in His own image and gave him work to do too. Work is part of God’s plan. But the fall of man did affect work. The curse of sin made labor “painful” and hard, so that man would live by the “sweat of his brow.”
So work is part of God’s plan for us. God gave us all kinds of abilities, intellectual, artistic, creative and physical talents to do good work. But is there a kind of work that is more holy than other kinds of work? Often, as Christians, we tend to think so. We have a tendency to divide work into two categories: secular and sacred. Yet, for the believer, who is set apart by God and called into His holy and “royal priesthood,” every word and deed should also be considered holy.
Consider the significance of the father that God chose to raise His Son. Why did God choose a blue collar worker named Joseph? Shouldn’t He have chosen a priest (like He did with John the Baptist), or a prophet, or even a king to be the earthly father to Jesus? The fact that Jesus was raised by a carpenter and became known as one Himself (Mark 6:3), does away with the idea of secular work. Be sure of this, when Jesus worked, it was holy and sacred work!
Jesus probably apprenticed under Joseph like most sons during that time. He learned the carpentry trade. The Greek word tekton (τέκτων) is the word used in Mark 6:3 translated “carpenter.” It could be translated “artisan, builder, or craftsman.” The work of the first century carpenter in Israel would have involved working with stone perhaps more than wood, as most homes were built from that ready resource. Jesus was probably adept at working as a stonemason, carpenter and metalworker because all of these skills would have been needed as a teknon.
Jesus worked from around age 12 until the age of 30 as a carpenter before He began His three year public ministry. As the oldest son, he probably ran the family business after Joseph died to support his mother and younger siblings. Perhaps He handed it off to His younger half-brother, James when he came of age. At any rate, it seems that Jesus may have worked at least 18 years as a carpenter and only three as a rabbi.
God gave us abilities so that we could do work. What we do with those abilities and the kind of work we do, matters to God. So how can these abilities and talents be used in such a way so as to be considered holy? The Bible gives many ways. Here are a few:
- Dedicate your whole life and abilities to God.
- Give God the praise and glory for your abilities and success.
- Work hard to earn a living for yourself and your family.
- Do excellent and honest work to give credibility to your witness.
- Work to have a surplus to share with others.
- Use your abilities to build up the body of Christ.
I suppose there are many other ways that we can begin to view our abilities and work as being holy and sacred. Perhaps the best advice is from the apostle Paul, who said, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23 ESV).
Let’s put away this idea of secular work. For the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit, all work is sacred and holy.