Even if Justin embellished with these details, his embellishments would still show that he understood “tekton” to mean a woodworker or carpenter who made tools and implements. In fact, Justin Martyr, who lived in Samaria (between Galilee and Judea) in the early second century claimed that Jesus was called a carpenter because He made yokes and plows 1 Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 88. While the word “tekton” CAN be used in the general sense of any craftsman, it’s primary sense was that of “a craftsman who shapes and joins wood a carpenter.” While buildings in the area may not have used much wood, that doesn’t mean that there would not have been other tools, implements, or even furniture made from wood. They conclude from this that Joseph and Jesus were more likely craftsman who worked with stone. They further point out that the Greek word used here does not necessarily mean specifically a carpenter.
They point out that wood was relatively scarce in the region of Nazareth and that most construction was done primarily with stone rather than wood. Some have argued, however, that “carpenter” is a poor translation here. Still, based on these details, it seems likely that Jesus lived much of His adult life working in carpentry just as His earthly father, Joseph, had apparently done. The references to Jesus alternately as a “carpenter” and a “carpenter’s son,” as well as the greater context of listing other family ties and questioning the origin of His wisdom, seem to imply that these titles were meant more as a reference to His uneducated, working-class household than to describe for us His daily work. “He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him,” (Matthew 13:54-57a). When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue and the many listeners were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at Him,” (Mark 6:1-3). “Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown and His disciples followed Him. There is one story, however, that does appear to tell us that Jesus worked in the trade of His earthly father before the appointed time of His preaching ministry, and thus He spent much of his adult life working as a carpenter. In fact, only Matthew and Luke hardly contain any details about Jesus’ early life at all. They are not trying to report all the details of Jesus’ life from beginning to end. The Gospels are not biographies in the modern sense.
Prior to that, we don’t have a lot of details. Jesus’ public ministry encompassed only the last few years of His life. 13:55) and it was common for the son to carry on the work of his father. Furthermore, Jesus’ father, Joseph, was a carpenter (Matt. It makes sense, since God “spoke” and creation occurred and Jesus is the “word” made flesh (John 1:1,14).
Most probably, Jesus’ occupation was that of being a carpenter.