The Occupation of Jesus

Traditionally, it has been believed that Jesus was a carpenter by trade. This is due to the passage in the Gospel of Mark that states of Jesus, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" (Mark 6:3)

The Greek word used for "carpenter" here is tektōn (τέκτων) which can be translated as "craftsman", but it can be applied to both wood-work and stone-work. So, technically, Jesus could have been either a carpenter or stone-worker.

Now when we look at the words of Jesus as they are recorded in the Gospels we see an abundance of references to stone-working:

Building foundations (Matt 7:24-27; Luke 6:48-49), faith as a foundation rock (Matt 16:18), building towers (Matt 21:33; Mark 12:1; Luke 14:28), falling towers (Luke 13:4), cornerstones (Matt 21:42-44; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17-18), temple stones (Matt 24:2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:6), millstones (Matt 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2), nicknaming Peter, rock or stone (Matt 16:18; John 1:42), and other general references to rocks and stones (Matt 4:6; Matt 7:9; Luke 4:11; Luke 11:11).

Contrast these to the lack of references to wood and wood-building in the Gospels. When Jesus mentions trees, the references are exclusively agricultural (fruit trees, etc.).

Based solely upon the ambiguity of the word tektōn and the more frequent use of stone analogies in his words and teachings, I submit that Jesus was more likely a stone-worker than a carpenter.