As the Creator (John 1:3)
As I write this article, it’s hard not to be distracted by the beautiful scene outside my office window. The sky is brilliant blue, and brightly colored leaves are rustling in the trees. Two little ladybugs are scampering across the glass. The artistry of it all is breathtaking. How wondrous just to think that it was all made by Him!
Why did He make the world like this? He could have created it in a more utilitarian way, with only browns and greys, and every design only as basic as it needed to be. But instead, He created a world full of wonder, variety and beauty. He filled it with things that are pleasant to the sight and delightful to the taste (Gen 2:9). And when He was finished, He rested on the seventh day, because everything was “very good.”
That wonderful world that He created was more than just a home for Adam and Eve; it was their very first workplace (2:15). God placed them there, just as He places us here, to work for His glory. His own work in creation serves as a model for us to follow. It calls us to rise above the bare minimum and pursue excellence in our work, just as He has done. But it also reminds us to balance our work with rest, acknowledging that both have been sanctified by Him (Exo 20:9-11).
As a Child (Luke 2:51-52)
Sadly, sin soon marred that creation and even work itself. What God originally intended to be linked with fruitfulness and blessing was now connected with thorns and a curse. Sin’s impact was also evident in Adam and Eve’s family. Although their hopes ran high when their sons were born, sin soon left its mark on their home, just as it would in every generation that followed. Yet, amid all these disappointments, there remained the promise that God would one day send a Child to crush the serpent and liberate them from sin’s dominion.
That Child was God’s own Son. Oh, how we would love to know more about His childhood, but we only have one precious glimpse of it in Luke 2. There we see Him sitting in the temple among the elders, astounding them with His wisdom and understanding. What lofty heights for a twelve-year-old boy! Jerusalem seemed ready to welcome Him, but instead He returned to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph “and was subject unto them.” During those hidden years of His youth, He did whatever they asked of Him, without complaining or answering back. He completed every chore promptly and with a willing heart. He didn’t drag His feet nor did He ever need to be called back to redo a job that was done poorly the first time. He honored their authority, despite their shortcomings, in keeping with His Father’s will. His humble submission is an example to us all.
As a Carpenter (Mark 6:3)
No doubt the elders in the temple thought that this boy would one day be a scribe or a scholar. Instead, the Father’s will was for Him to be a carpenter. He spent most of His life, not preaching to crowds, but working with His hands. He knew what it was to be an apprentice, to work for a family member, to have an imperfect boss, to deal with unreasonable customers, to do the same kind of work day after day, year after year. In other words, He knew what it was to have a job much like any of ours might be at times. For more than a decade, He worked with perfect grace in a world corrupted by laziness, selfishness and greed. Yet after all those years, when His enemies tried to accuse Him, no former customer or colleague could step forward with a single charge.
His work was always done with love. He loved God with all His heart, soul, mind and strength; and He loved His neighbors as Himself (Luk 10:27). There were no miracles performed inside that carpentry shop, but the fruit of the Spirit was evident in everything He did. As He worked, He meditated on what He had heard from God that morning; and when He spoke, His words brought comfort to the weary (Isa 50:4). Sometimes we forget that it was after those years as a carpenter that God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
As the Christ (John 7:41)
That divine announcement marked the start of His public ministry. Now He began performing miracles that proved to the nation that He was the Christ. He worked tirelessly in this calling too, often ministering late into the night to meet the needs of others (Mar 1:32-34; Joh 9:4). He never turned anyone away. Behind the strong, calloused hands of this Carpenter lay a tender, compassionate heart. “I am among you as the One who serves” (Luk 22:27 NKJV).
At the Cross (John 19:30)
That pathway eventually led to the cross, where He accomplished His greatest work of all – bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. When that work was completed, He cried out, “It is finished!” Then He said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” His greatest work was done. He had begun that work with prayer, seeking His Father’s will, and now He finished it with prayer, committing everything over to Him (Luk 22:42; 23:46).
Although none of us could ever accomplish what He did at Calvary, we can still follow His example. We can begin and end our work each day with prayer. We can determine to do the Father’s will, no matter the cost. We can live in such a way that, at the end of life, we’ll be able to say, “Finished,” as we commit ourselves and our work into our Father’s hands.
As the Conqueror (Hebrews 10:12)
Three days later He arose from the dead, and that event transformed everything, including our work week. No longer does the week end with rest after six days of work (the Sabbath). Now it starts with rest (the Lord’s Day), after which we go out to work for Him. Even in this change of order we see the gospel portrayed (Mat 11:28-30).
Forty days later He ascended to God’s right hand. His work on earth was done, but His heavenly work had just begun. There He continues working today – interceding for us and helping us through His Spirit (Heb 7:25; Mar 16:20). What a privilege it is to work together with Him!
