# The only object Jesus made was a whip? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236 "2019-02-26T12:33:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/1 "2019-02-26T12:33:00Z")
I read this claim recently and thought it was interesting - For those familiar with the Good Book, is it true that the only object Jesus is ever reported to have made in scripture is a whip (when he drove the money lenders from the temple)? We would need to define what making means, but the claim was in the context of him being a carpenter / artisan’s son, yet he’s never described making chairs or building walls etc [don’t know if this bit is true, either]. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/2 "2019-02-26T13:08:00Z")
No doubt the authors of the gospels decided they weren’t interested (or couldn’t find a parable) in his supposed apprenticeship. Just as they don’t report much, if anything, about his favourite foods or taste in music or clothes. They’re not a comprehensive biography. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/3 "2019-02-26T13:22:06Z")
I’ve always been intrigued that he wasn’t reported as having written anything (except in the sand John 8:6-8), despite the assertion in the Gospels that he was literate (besides the previous, Luke 4:17-21). You’d think that the actual writings of Jesus, rather than his reported sayings, would carry an awful lot of weight, and would be of significant importance. (There actually is at least one apocryphal piece of writing attributed to Jesus – a letter to king Abgar V of Armenia in response to a letter the king had supposedly written to him. The letter is composed of phrases taken from the canonical gospels, and looks like an obvious forgery, which is how it’s currently regarded – [Abgar V - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abgar_V) ) Of course, if he actually DID write the letter, it would be something else he “made”, and something more edifying than a whip. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/4 "2019-02-26T13:44:27Z")
Jesus made water into wine at the wedding at Cana. If making a whip out of cords counts, then I suppose that counts too. But there is no reference to Him doing any carpentry or anything like that. It is not known what He did with Himself between the episode in the Temple when He was about twelve (also the last reference to Joseph) and the beginning of His ministry, when it was said He was about thirty. Maybe He was working as a carpenter or construction worker or day laborer, maybe something else. Nobody knows. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/5 "2019-02-26T15:19:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesus made water into wine at the wedding at Cana. If making a whip out of cords counts, then I suppose that counts too. But there is no reference to Him doing any carpentry or anything like that. Yeah, the miracle at Cana would certainly qualify, since there was an actual ‘recrafting’ of something 🙂 _Making_ a whip(or scourge, depending on the translation) basically just means _used as_, not crafting the cords into something identifiable as a whip. There were some cords lying around and Jesus picked them up to drive out the moneychangers. So there is really isn’t any mention of anything that He might have made in the sense of carefully creating an object as might have been done as Joseph’s apprentice. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/6 "2019-02-26T17:11:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > … You’d think that the actual writings of Jesus, rather than his reported sayings, would carry an awful lot of weight, and would be of significant importance. There is just so much of interest that was never written down and propagated. But it appears to have been “standard”. E.g., Paul seems to have been incredibly uninterested in what Jesus said and did pre-crucifixion. And this from a prolific writer (relatively speaking) who personally met and knew several of Jesus’ followers. I am concerned about certain people using the “factoid” in the OP for bad reasons. E.g., Jesus wants people to create whips and other items intended to injure and go around hurting people. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/7 "2019-02-26T17:37:27Z")
He made the blind see, healed the sick and interpreted the scriptures in a way that thoroughly impressed and confounded the rabbis. So he is more than just a carpenter/wine maker/whip maker, he is a akin to a PhD with multiple talents, a biblical Leonardo da Vinci you might say. I bet he would be awesome at Jeopardy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/8 "2019-02-26T17:43:52Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I am concerned about certain people using the “factoid” in the OP for bad reasons. E.g., Jesus wants people to create whips and other items intended to injure and go around hurting people. That’s trivial to refute with Matthew 26:52 (ESV): Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/9 "2019-02-26T17:44:31Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > He made the blind see, healed the sick and interpreted the scriptures in a way that thoroughly impressed and confounded the rabbis. So he is more than just a carpenter/wine maker/whip maker, he is a akin to a PhD with multiple talents, a biblical Leonardo da Vinci you might say. I bet he would be awesome at Jeopardy. But we are talking about things he made with his hands, which seems to be wine and whips…which puts him even higher in my book. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/10 "2019-02-26T17:56:30Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > There is just so much of interest that was never written down and propagated. But it appears to have been “standard”. E.g., Paul seems to have been incredibly uninterested in what Jesus said and did pre-crucifixion. And this from a prolific writer (relatively speaking) who personally met and knew several of Jesus’ followers. > > I am concerned about certain people using the “factoid” in the OP for bad reasons. E.g., Jesus wants people to create whips and other items intended to injure and go around hurting people. Well, Paul did quote Jesus a few times – he gives the words at the Last Supper, and cites “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, both pre-crucifixion quotes. but it’s also true that he doesn’t quote many New Testament sayings, even when they’d be relevant. Of course, the Gospels post-date Paul, but you’d think that the quotations would be in circulation. Some skeptics draw from this the conclusion that the quotes didn’t exist yet. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/11 "2019-02-26T18:00:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > But we are talking about things he made with his hands, which seems to be wine and whips…which puts him even higher in my book. I am so stealing that line, if I can stop laughing long enough to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/12 "2019-02-26T19:13:27Z")
You forget, he made a clay bird too. Breathed on it and it flew away. Seriously cool. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/13 "2019-02-26T19:58:59Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That’s trivial to refute with Matthew 26:52 (ESV): > > Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Yeah, but if he was hawking whips he would say something like that about swords. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/14 "2019-02-26T20:40:23Z")
In [Matthew 14:13-21](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14%3A13-21&version=KJV) he made a bunch of loaves and fishes. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/15 "2019-02-26T20:51:30Z")
In John 21 he [made breakfast](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21%3A8-13&version=NIV) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/16 "2019-02-26T20:56:55Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve always been intrigued that he wasn’t reported as having written anything (except in the sand John 8:6-8), despite the assertion in the Gospels that he was literate (besides the previous, Luke 4:17-21). You’d think that the actual writings of Jesus, rather than his reported sayings, would carry an awful lot of weight, and would be of significant importance. > … Literacy in those days wasnt like what we would call it today. Many, if not most could read and write simple phrases as used in graffiti. In the Israel area, many Jews could read a little Torah, and perhaps write a sentence or two. That’s about what I figure Jesus was capable of. I dont think he could write a Gospel. None of the Apostles likely could. Matthew had to be literate and so likely was John in his elder years, but even John used _his_ apostles to write his Gospel. Matthew- _maybe_, wrote down a few of the Sayings that came to be Q. But other than professional secretaries or scribes, few wrote a lot. Caesar was considered a odd exception, he could even read a letter without sounding it out once before. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/17 "2019-02-26T20:58:30Z")
Mainstream Christian theology is that Jesus and God are the same being. So Jesus made the entire universe. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/18 "2019-02-26T21:47:25Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > You forget, he made a clay bird too. Breathed on it and it flew away. Seriously cool. 🆒 Only in sources such as the _Infancy Gospel of Thomas_ and the _Quran_. No canonical Christian text has this, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/19 "2019-02-26T22:12:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That’s trivial to refute with Matthew 26:52 (ESV): > > Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” But can we really generalize that lesson to whips? After all, Jesus took up the whip, and I ask you: did _he_ then get whipped in the course of his execution? Hey, wait a minute. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/20 "2019-02-26T22:24:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Mainstream Christian theology is that Jesus and God are the same being. So Jesus made the entire universe. According to scriptures everything was made through him: > [@John 1:](#): > > 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236.md?page=2)