St. Joseph, Model of Workers

Saint Joseph played a critical role in the formation and training of Jesus, including teaching him his trade.  By the work of his hands, Joseph lovingly supplied for the material needs of the Holy Family, and in 1955, Pope Pius XII established May 1st as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.  St. Joseph serves as a model for all who labor to provide for their families.  Below are some excerpts from my book Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life (Ascension Press, 2020), illustrating how St. Joseph mentored Jesus in prayer and work as he grew to manhood.  Reprinted with permission of Ascension Press.

 

Childhood Formation of Jesus

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52).

This comment is important for two reasons: It points back to the story of the prophet Samuel, who is described the same way (1 Samuel 2:26). And it also makes plain that Jesus, despite his origins “from above,” despite his absolutely unique Sonship, must still grow and develop intellectually and spiritually.

As fascinating as the sages were at the Temple, Jesus’ most important teacher and mentor in things human and spiritual is Joseph.

It is important to remember that genes are not all that parents pass on to their children. We now know just how profoundly a child’s emotional health, self-concept, and personality are shaped in the first few years of life by his or her parents. (JWTL, p. 50)

The Role of Fathers

In Jesus’ time, mothers would spend the most time with both sons and daughters when they were infants and toddlers. But fathers and other adult relatives would increasingly take the lead in the formation of sons as they moved into boyhood and approached adolescence. Adult men would involve their sons in both prayer and work as soon as the boys were able to talk and do simple chores. (JWTL, p. 50 – 51)

Mentoring in Work

We traditionally refer to Joseph as a carpenter. But the Greek word used to describe the trade of both Joseph and Jesus is tektōn, which refers to a builder who worked with both wood and stone. This is much heavier work than fine carpentry or furniture making, though that may also have been part of their work.

Jesus would have begun as his father’s helper at quite a young age, and, when he was older, would have been his father’s apprentice. His goal would have been to learn to do everything his father could do.

Men of this occupation would often travel to where the work was. With Nazareth being so small, it is likely that Joseph traveled for work, and Jesus, at least by the time of adolescence, would have traveled with him. One of the largest and most cosmopolitan towns of Galilee was not far from Nazareth, only about an hour’s walk. Sepphoris was a capital of Galilee when Jesus was born. When he was about ten, there was an uprising that led to the destruction of the city, which then had to be rebuilt. There would have been lots of work for builders for many years afterward. (JWTL, p. 55-56)

 

‘

Work – Beyond a Trade

One final thing about Jesus’ education. Nazareth was entirely an agricultural village. Even people who had a trade, like Joseph, most likely had a garden and some animals. Jesus’ teachings display his intimate knowledge of the growing of grain, grapes, and olives and the pastoral life of shepherds and sheep. His familiarity with these things was most likely obtained by work and not just by observation. He would have learned to tend animals and cultivate a garden from both Joseph and Mary. (JWTL, p. 56)

Special thanks to Ascension Press for permission to use these excerpts from the book I wrote for their study series, Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life (JWTL). If you’d like learn more about the life, formation, and ministry of Jesus, and the role of St. Joseph, you can purchase the book from Ascension Press or through our online shop, HERE. If you’d like to watch the first video session of the study series, filmed in the Holy Land, you can do so on our website, HERE.

For a 14 minute Podcast on St. Joseph, listen to ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF FAITH.

Banner/featured image: The Holy Family, by Rafael Flores, 1857.  Public Domain.