He came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? 55 Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” 58 And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
After teaching the parables of the Kingdom, Jesus returns to His native place, Nazareth, and teaches in the synagogue. The people are astonished by His wisdom and mighty deeds, just as the crowds had been astonished by the authority of His teaching after the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:28–29). Yet their astonishment does not lead them to faith. They ask, "Where did this man get all this?" but refuse to accept the answer already revealed by His words and works.
They know Jesus as “the carpenter’s son.” They know His mother Mary, His relatives, and the ordinary circumstances in which He was raised. Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus had lived among them from His youth and had shared in the work of Saint Joseph. Because they believe they already know Him, they cannot accept that the One who grew up among them speaks with divine wisdom and authority. They see His humble human origins but fail to recognize God’s presence in Him. As Saint John later wrote, “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him” (John 1:11).
The reference to Jesus’ “brothers” and “sisters” does not necessarily mean other children of Mary. In biblical usage, these words can refer to close relatives or kinsmen as well as biological siblings. Elsewhere, Matthew identifies James and Joseph as sons of another Mary (Matthew 27:56). The passage therefore does not contradict the Church’s ancient teaching that Mary remained ever-virgin.
The people’s familiarity with Jesus becomes a stumbling block to faith. Instead of allowing His wisdom and mighty deeds to reveal His true identity, they take offense at Him. The Greek expression translated “took offense” carries the sense of stumbling. Their response recalls the seed sown on rocky ground: the word is heard, but it is not allowed to take root and endure (Matthew 13:20–21). Throughout His ministry, some receive Jesus in faith while others reject Him. The rejection at Nazareth anticipates the greater rejection that will lead Him to the Cross (Matthew 27:22–23).
Jesus answers, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house” (v. 57). People sometimes find it hardest to receive truth from someone they believe they already know well. This can happen when a person tries to guide friends or family toward Christ but is dismissed before the message is seriously considered. The people of Nazareth think that knowing Jesus’ family and occupation means that they know everything about Him. Their familiarity closes their minds to the profound mystery standing before them.
Jesus performs some mighty deeds in Nazareth, but not many. This does not mean that their unbelief diminishes His power. Matthew says that Jesus “did not” perform many mighty deeds, not that He lacked the power to do so. His miracles are signs of God’s saving reign, not spectacles intended to force belief from those who have chosen to reject Him. As the risen Jesus later tells Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). Jesus similarly refuses to perform a sign merely to satisfy those who oppose Him (Matthew 12:38–39).
The lack of faith described here is more than uncertainty or a disciple’s struggle to understand. It is a refusal to receive Jesus despite the wisdom and mighty deeds placed before them. Faith begins when we allow Christ to reveal Himself as He truly is, rather than limiting Him to what we think we already know.
Lord Jesus, keep familiarity from making our hearts indifferent to You. Open our minds to Your Word, strengthen our faith, and help us recognize Your presence and saving power among us. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Matthew 13:54–58.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 32, note on Matthew 13:55.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 96–97, notes on Matthew 13:53–58.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 657, paragraph 94.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Page 185.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Pages 937–38.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1201.
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