Matthew 13:54-58

The Reality of Rejection Repeated

Immediately prior to the parable discourse, Jesus’ mother and brothers had come, wanting to speak to him, but were left outside [12:46-50]. Matthew concluded his reflection on the mystery of the Kingdom by a further reference to the family of Jesus and the people of his home town.

Matthew 13:54-58 The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

(Mk 6:1-6; Lk 4:16-30)

⁵⁴ He came to his own home town

and was teaching them in their synagogue.

They were quite astonished and said,

“From where did he get this wisdom and power?

⁵⁵ Is he not the son of the carpenter?

Is his mother not called Mary,

and his brothers James and Joseph, and Simon and Jude?

⁵⁶ Are not all his sisters here with us?

Where does he get all of this from?”

⁵⁷ They were enviously irked by him.

Jesus’ discourse on the Kingdom had been occasioned by the open rejection he encountered from some scribes and Pharisees. The theme of rejection continued, this time from the people of his own home town (and possibly, therefore, from his own extended family).

Matthew said they were enviously irked by him. The word he used literally meant ‘scandalised’, a word that recurred significantly elsewhere in the narrative, and that contains hints of both envy and hostility leading to a loss of faith. They were unable to allow him to be different.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour

except in his own town and his own household.”

⁵⁸ And he did not do many powerful deeds there

because of their lack of faith.

What led to the townspeople’s withholding of faith was their offended sense of honour. In the cultural mindset of the period, honour was somehow considered to be a limited but fixed quantity. Consequently, honour shown to Jesus was felt as honour taken from them. Jesus had no time for considerations of relative honour; all shared the same dignity as persons beloved by God.

In Mark’s account, Jesus’ reference to prophets had been what fired the people’s indignation. Matthew saw it as Jesus’ explanation of their lack of faith.

Mark had stated that Jesus could not work many powerful deeds in the district because of the townspeople’s lack of faith. Matthew apparently felt uneasy about Mark’s reference to Jesus’ inability to do so. He preferred to see the outcome resulting from Jesus’ chosen unwillingness. (But unwillingness on Jesus’ part might be as difficult to defend as his inability.)

With Jesus’ rejection by his extended family and townspeople, Matthew would proceed to examine at length the formation and the nature of alternative family – the new community of disciples.

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