By Traci Rhoades
I had a friend in high school who could get me absolutely rolling with laughter. We all need friends like that.
One of his one-man-show comedy routines was spouting off car bumper sticker slogans. You know, those placed prominently on the back bumper of vehicles driven by good Christian folk. A personal favorite of mine: “My boss is a Jewish carpenter.”
We never had anything against the stickers themselves, but we both knew they came with a certain kind of pressure. When one publicly declares themselves a follower of Jesus in such a way, “What would Jesus do?” becomes more than a slogan, it had better stay at the forefront of your mind. Thinking on my own family, I’m not quite sure we’d always be qualified to be on display like that.
Still, that bumper sticker statement is true. My boss is a Jewish carpenter. Jesus was a first-century Jewish man whose earthly father, Joseph, worked as a carpenter (in those days the trade often included stonework and building). I’ve read a few articles and books that suggest Jesus and his father may have been part of some rather significant projects in a nearby town. Scripture doesn’t tell us, but the short distance makes it possible.
Just four miles (walking distance is around an hour) from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, sat Sepphoris, an urban site in the Galilee region. It was mainly a Jewish city, whose Hebrew name was Zippori (like a bird seated on a hilltop). Sepphoris was the capital of Galilee in Jesus’ day. Herod Antipas built up this city so much so that Jewish historian Josephus described it as “the ornament of Galilee.”
Ancient tradition names Sepphoris as the home of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna.
Historical records and archaeology tell us it was a bustling center of commerce, art, and religion. Streets were paved in marble, markets lined the main thoroughfare, and artisans created intricate stone mosaics — more than 40 of them — many still visible today. These mosaics weren’t painted, but crafted entirely of colored stones.
Sepphoris boasted a grand Roman villa known as the Dionysus House (after the Greek god of wine and harvest), thought to have been built in the 3rd century A.D. It has a floor of this intricate stone artwork in the formal dining room that depicts imagined scenes from the life of the Greek gods. One of the more famous mosaics has become known as the “Mona Lisa of the Galilee,” adorned with a laurel garland and earrings.
One of Sepphoris’ most impressive structures is a large Roman theater, which appears to have had finely carved stone seats. Excavators have also uncovered remains of a synagogue dating back to the 5th century A.D. The synagogue, too, had detailed flooring, and although it has not survived, there is evidence of a scene depicting Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac.
When Jerusalem and its Temple fell in 70 A.D., Sepphoris took on an increasingly greater role in Jewish life and scholarship, even serving as the seat of the Sanhedrin for a time. The Mishnah, the first authoritative collection of Jewish oral law that included rabbinic teaching, was compiled here.
Sepphoris does not get a mention in scripture. The gospels leave a long gap in Jesus’ life, leaving the days of Jesus’ life between age 12 and 30 up to ancient traditions, greater historical context, and a good deal of speculation.
In Luke 2, we find him at the Temple in Jerusalem at the age when Jewish boys ritually come of age. Then, in one verse (2:41) we read about his return to Nazareth. The gospels pick up his story again around age 30, the age of maturity when men often entered into public service or ministry, including the priesthood.
The focus of the four gospels, and arguably all of the Bible when considered in a Christian context, is on God sending his only Son, Jesus, to save the world from sin and death. Jesus, “Son of David,” as the promised Messiah.
Other than a few works of historical fiction, and what are known as gnostic gospels (ancient religious texts not considered canonical, often labeled heretical) we simply cannot know how Jesus used his learned skills. Or, in the words of a pastor friend, “whatever happened to Joseph.”
Thinking about Jesus as a young man, learning a trade, walking to nearby cities, and practicing his faith has made scripture feel even more alive to me. How might his experiences in Sepphoris have influenced his parables?
Indeed, researching the time and place of the ancient biblical world brings all of scripture to life. We know Jesus was a devout Jew, committed to his family, and in every way a perfect example for us. For “the one who says that he abides in him must live the same way he himself lived” (1 John 2:6 ISV).
Lord, help us to live like you, even when we’re in traffic, bumper stickers and all.
—————
Traci Rhoades is an author and Bible teacher who lives in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
I had a friend in high school who could get me absolutely rolling with laughter. We all need friends like that.
One of his one-man-show comedy routines was spouting off car bumper sticker slogans. You know, those placed prominently on the back bumper of vehicles driven by good Christian folk. A personal favorite of mine: “My boss is a Jewish carpenter.”
We never had anything against the stickers themselves, but we both knew they came with a certain kind of pressure. When one publicly declares themselves a follower of Jesus in such a way, “What would Jesus do?” becomes more than a slogan, it had better stay at the forefront of your mind. Thinking on my own family, I’m not quite sure we’d always be qualified to be on display like that.
Still, that bumper sticker statement is true. My boss is a Jewish carpenter. Jesus was a first-century Jewish man whose earthly father, Joseph, worked as a carpenter (in those days the trade often included stonework and building). I’ve read a few articles and books that suggest Jesus and his father may have been part of some rather significant projects in a nearby town. Scripture doesn’t tell us, but the short distance makes it possible.
Just four miles (walking distance is around an hour) from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, sat Sepphoris, an urban site in the Galilee region. It was mainly a Jewish city, whose Hebrew name was Zippori (like a bird seated on a hilltop). Sepphoris was the capital of Galilee in Jesus’ day. Herod Antipas built up this city so much so that Jewish historian Josephus described it as “the ornament of Galilee.”
Ancient tradition names Sepphoris as the home of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna.
Historical records and archaeology tell us it was a bustling center of commerce, art, and religion. Streets were paved in marble, markets lined the main thoroughfare, and artisans created intricate stone mosaics — more than 40 of them — many still visible today. These mosaics weren’t painted, but crafted entirely of colored stones.
Sepphoris boasted a grand Roman villa known as the Dionysus House (after the Greek god of wine and harvest), thought to have been built in the 3rd century A.D. It has a floor of this intricate stone artwork in the formal dining room that depicts imagined scenes from the life of the Greek gods. One of the more famous mosaics has become known as the “Mona Lisa of the Galilee,” adorned with a laurel garland and earrings.
One of Sepphoris’ most impressive structures is a large Roman theater, which appears to have had finely carved stone seats. Excavators have also uncovered remains of a synagogue dating back to the 5th century A.D. The synagogue, too, had detailed flooring, and although it has not survived, there is evidence of a scene depicting Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac.
When Jerusalem and its Temple fell in 70 A.D., Sepphoris took on an increasingly greater role in Jewish life and scholarship, even serving as the seat of the Sanhedrin for a time. The Mishnah, the first authoritative collection of Jewish oral law that included rabbinic teaching, was compiled here.
Sepphoris does not get a mention in scripture. The gospels leave a long gap in Jesus’ life, leaving the days of Jesus’ life between age 12 and 30 up to ancient traditions, greater historical context, and a good deal of speculation.
In Luke 2, we find him at the Temple in Jerusalem at the age when Jewish boys ritually come of age. Then, in one verse (2:41) we read about his return to Nazareth. The gospels pick up his story again around age 30, the age of maturity when men often entered into public service or ministry, including the priesthood.
The focus of the four gospels, and arguably all of the Bible when considered in a Christian context, is on God sending his only Son, Jesus, to save the world from sin and death. Jesus, “Son of David,” as the promised Messiah.
Other than a few works of historical fiction, and what are known as gnostic gospels (ancient religious texts not considered canonical, often labeled heretical) we simply cannot know how Jesus used his learned skills. Or, in the words of a pastor friend, “whatever happened to Joseph.”
Thinking about Jesus as a young man, learning a trade, walking to nearby cities, and practicing his faith has made scripture feel even more alive to me. How might his experiences in Sepphoris have influenced his parables?
Indeed, researching the time and place of the ancient biblical world brings all of scripture to life. We know Jesus was a devout Jew, committed to his family, and in every way a perfect example for us. For “the one who says that he abides in him must live the same way he himself lived” (1 John 2:6 ISV).
Lord, help us to live like you, even when we’re in traffic, bumper stickers and all.
—————
Traci Rhoades is an author and Bible teacher who lives in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
