The two worked side by side as carpenters, father and son.

We know a lot about the son, not so much about the father. But, on this Father’s Day, I’m thinking about the father of one of history’s most precocious rebels.

The decisions this father made on behalf of his family were difficult ones, none more so than the first one. Few would have blamed him had he chosen not to marry his fiancé. She was pregnant from what he at first suspected was a relationship with another man. He wanted to send her away quietly to save himself embarrassment, but, in the end, he chose to marry her, showing her mercy and saving her from shame and a death by stoning.

Their life together got off to a rough start. He was old and poor; she was very young. He couldn’t afford a horse, so when they made their mandatory trip to the city for the census, he took her on a donkey. We’re not sure if it was a lack of planning, a lack of money or a lack of standing that led to his wife giving birth to their son in a cattle stall, but whatever it was, he must have had doubts about his ability to support and protect his new family.

But, protect them he did. The country they lived in was occupied by a foreign power. The ruler was a tyrant. When the tyrant threatened his family, the father took his wife and son and fled to a foreign land, living there until it was safe to return. A few years later, when his rebellious son, then only 12, disappeared for three days, the father tolerated the indiscretion and allowed his son space to become his own man. The son returned to the household and remained obedient to his father.

Like most men of the time, the father taught his son his trade—carpentry. The two made plows, yokes and other tools for farming as well as household furniture. The father taught his son how to plan and plane, how to measure and cut, how to join wood and finish it and how to bid and complete a high-quality job to satisfy customers and generate referrals. He taught his son enough that the son became a noted carpenter in his own right, was able to support himself and become a productive member of society.

During this apprenticeship, the two would have spent a lot of time together in the shop and on the job site. They talked to each other, both as journeyman-apprentice and as father-son. History records little of this interaction, however, we do know the son “grew in wisdom and stature” while working with his father. In later life, he became revered as a teacher, espousing some radical ideas for the times, ideas that, even today, are not widely accepted by many who profess to believe the same things he did.

You know these: give to the beggar, clothe the naked, feed the poor, don’t cast the first stone. There are many more. Did they just pop into his head? Were they heavenly inspired? Or, did his father teach him some of these things in the long hours they must have spent together at work?

Today, most sons don’t follow their fathers into the family trade. However, conscientious fathers still teach their sons skills that are transferable no matter the occupation. They teach them to be diligent, disciplined, honest, independent, reliable, and responsible. They teach them to keep their word, to take risks, to take pride in how hard they work and in the quality of their work. They teach them to respect their elders and to treat women as equals. Most of all fathers lead by example.

Sometimes, you can judge a father by the actions of his children. This father’s son fed the poor, interceded for the powerless, questioned authority and spent his public life teaching others to love their neighbors, forgive others and give to charitable causes. Although we know little about the father as a man, we do know a lot about him as a father.

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