Did Jesus have a job?

By trade, He was a carpenter. We believe that His active ministry did not begin until He was about 30 years old, and that He was probably around 33 when He died.

But during His years of traveling and teaching, how did Jesus support Himself?

Some scholars believe that Jesus worked as a carpenter until His ministry began and saved His wages. Claire Langie, a directress of the Oneness in Peace Spiritual Center in Germantown, guessed that "Jesus must have started His ministry with a small amount of money that He had earned."

Others argue that Jesus could not have supported Himself through any previous wealth: "There's no evidence that He came from a rich family and lived off an inheritance," stated Dr. David Matzko, a professor of religious studies at the College of St. Rose in Albany.

Most scholars agree that Jesus -- and His disciples -- were supported by His followers, particularly several women. Father Karban quoted the Gospel of Mark: "There were also women looking on from a distance. These women had followed Him when He was in Galilee and ministered to Him" (40-41).

"The implication is that they cared for His needs," Father Karban stated. "The kicker is in Luke 8: `Accompanying Him were the 12 and some women who had been cured...who provided for them out of their resources.'"

For Ms. Langie, the proof that Jesus' followers made donations to support His ministry is evident in the description of Judas as "the keeper of the common purse" for Jesus and the Apostles. "When Judas left to betray Jesus, the disciples thought he might be going to buy what they needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor," she explained. "So evidently, they even gave donations to the poor."

Women like Mary Magdalene were probably Jesus' biggest supporters. Since Magdalene was a resort town, Father Karban told The Evangelist, Mary Magdalene was probably not a prostitute, but a wealthy woman -- as was "the wife of Herod's chief steward," another woman who is described as ministering to Jesus.

In addition, said Dr. Matzko, since Jesus is called a "carpenter," which can be a metaphor for "teacher," His ministry might also have been a profession for which He was paid by His followers.

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