As Marcus Nodder explains via The Good Book, Jesus is believed to have been about 30 years old when he began his ministry, meaning that he had to have some means of supporting himself (and possibly his family) before embarking on his mission. And as it turns out, the Bible is pretty clear about what that trade was: He was a carpenter. Indeed, as Mark 6 records, at one point Jesus amazed and upset onlookers with his teachings, and they asked themselves how a regular guy like him could know so much. “What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son?” they asked each other.

Once he began his ministry, however, it seems that carpentry took a back seat. As CNN reports, the New Testament mentions that Jesus and his disciples relied at least partially on donations to get by, and a couple of wealthy patrons are noted as having contributed to the disciples’ collective purse. Further, the men lived cheaply, often eating what they could forage or catch, and sleeping either outside or practicing the first-century Palestinian version of couch-surfing. Whether or not he continued to practice carpentry during those years is not mentioned in the text.

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