How did people make a living in Jesus' time?

Answer 1

Depending on which people you are referring to they would do different things. All people generally sleep in homes, get up, work, eat, have rituals and celebrations, fight enemies or survive under oppression, pray to God, have children, and go about life.

Answer 2

Most had little or no free time. Times were hard and most men worked hard for a meagre living while the women's responsibility was to keep the home - again, mostly full time, as there were no labour saving devices that we have today. Even water had to be carried by the women for long distances from a communal well.

The only real day off was the Sabbath, and on this day all people, men and women, were expected to attend the Temple or synagogue for worship, and to do no work. In that case even some relaxation activies were inpossible as they were deemed 'work'.

Answer 3

Depending on where a person lived, many were either fishermen(Matthew 4:18-21) or farmers (2 Timothy 2:6)

Matthew worked at the tax office (Matthew 9:9-13)

Paul was a tent maker by trade (Acts 18:3)

Jobs like spinning, or dying cloth (Acts 16:14), grinding grain (Luke 17:35)

and pottery, were common and well enough known to be used in Jesus' illustrations(Luke 12:27, 28)(Romans 9:21).

Some were metal workers, like a coppersmith(2Timothy4:14) or a silversmith or craftsman (Acts 19:24)

Simon was a tanner (Acts 9:43)

Luke was a doctor (Colossians 4:14) , Gamaliel was a Law Teacher (Acts 5:34)

Jesus, of course, was a carpenter (Mark 6:3) as was his step father, Joseph (Matthew 13:55)

Some were house servants(slaves)(Luke 16:13)others were masters, sailors, military officers, prison guards (Acts 27:1), sales people (Matthew 21:12)

Earlier, David was a shepherd boy(1 Samuel 16:11), and that was still a good profession in Jesus' day(Luke 2:8), common enough to be used in MANY illustrations.

Others were worked in the temple, spoke as prophets, or ruled a political office

Answer 4

everything like farming