Isn’t
this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?” They were offended by him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.” He didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:55-58
Matthew 13 [52.] He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”
Matthew 13 [53.] When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there. Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?” They were offended by him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.” He didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 14 [1.] At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus, and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him.” For Herod had laid hold of John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” When he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask. She, being prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.”
Meaning:
After his teaching in parables, Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth and taught in the synagogue. The people were astonished and asked, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works?” (Matthew 13:54). But astonishment did not turn into faith. Instead, their familiarity with Jesus became a stumbling block.
- “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?”
The people of Nazareth thought they knew all about Jesus. He had grown up among them. Joseph was a carpenter, a craftsman who worked with wood and perhaps stone, and Jesus had worked at the same trade; Mark records them asking, “Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mark 6:3). In their eyes a village craftsman had no business teaching with such authority. They could not see past his ordinary background.
- “His brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas”
Matthew names Jesus’ brothers and mentions his sisters. At this point his brothers did not believe in him (John 7:5), and they had recently come seeking him while he taught (Matthew 12:46-47). Later, James became a leader of the church in Jerusalem. Paul refers to him as the Lord’s brother, and the risen Jesus appeared to him. Judas is traditionally linked with the letter of Jude.
- “Where then did this man get all of these things?”
The question was the right one, but the townspeople would not accept the true answer. His wisdom and power came from God. Instead of asking with open hearts, they decided that someone so familiar could not be special. “They were offended by him.” The word means they stumbled over him; he became a cause of offense rather than faith. John describes this rejection: “He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him” (John 1:11). Isaiah had foretold that the Servant would be “despised, and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3).
- “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country”
Jesus answered with a proverb. People often fail to respect someone they have known since childhood. Prophets of old, like Jeremiah, faced hostility from their own towns and families. Jesus places himself in the line of the rejected prophets, yet he is far more than a prophet.
- “He didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief”
Jesus’ power was not reduced, but he did not force his works on people who refused to trust him. Miracles were signs for faith, not entertainment for skeptics. Mark says that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them, and “He marveled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:5-6). Unbelief shut the door to blessing that was standing right in front of them.
The Significance of Matthew 13:55-58
- Familiarity can blind us
Those who grow up hearing about Jesus can be in danger of thinking they already know him. We need fresh, humble eyes to see who he really is.
- Faith opens the door
“Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him” (Hebrews 11:6). God delights to work where people trust him.
Cross-References:
Mark 6:4: "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house." Mark’s account of the same saying.
John 1:11: "He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him." Jesus rejected by his own.
Isaiah 53:3: "He was despised, and rejected by men;" The rejected Servant.
Conclusion: The people of Nazareth knew Jesus as the carpenter’s son and knew his mother, brothers and sisters, so they took offense at his wisdom and mighty works. Jesus answered that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and house, and he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Familiarity can blind people to who Jesus is, but faith opens the door to his work.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible