Matthew 13:53 - Meaning and Application

Here we see Christ in his own hometown. He went about doing good, and he did not leave any place until he had finished his witness there for that time. His own people had rejected him before, but he came to them again. Christ does not give up on people after the first refusal, but repeats his offers to those who have pushed him away many times.

In this, as in other things, Christ was like his brothers and sisters in the human family. He had a natural love for his own country. People usually love their homeland, not because it is beautiful, but because it is theirs.

Their treatment of him this time was much the same as before, full of scorn and malice. Notice how they showed their contempt for him. When he taught in their synagogue, they were astonished, not because they were glad to hear him or impressed by his teaching itself, but because it was coming from him. They thought he was too unlikely to be such a teacher. Two things they used against him.

First, they mocked his lack of formal schooling. They admitted that he had wisdom and worked miracles, but they asked where he got them. They knew he had not been trained under the rabbis, had never gone to the university, and had not been publicly called “Rabbi.” Narrow and biased people often judge by education and ask more about a person’s background than about his reasons. “Where did this man get these mighty works? Did he come by them honestly? Has he been learning some dark art?” In saying this, they twisted something that should have supported him. If they had not been willfully blind, they would have seen that one who gave such signs of wisdom and power without human training must have been helped and sent by God.

Second, they mocked the humble condition of his family (Matthew 13:55-56). They taunted him with his father: “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” Yes, that was how he was known, and there was nothing shameful in that. It was no dishonor to be the son of an honest tradesman. They forgot, though they could have known, that this carpenter was of David’s line (Luke 1:27), a son of David (Matthew 1:20). Even though he was a carpenter, he was still a man of honor. People who want to find fault ignore what is worthy and focus only on what looks low. Some small-minded people will not value even the Branch from Jesse’s stem if it is not the highest branch (Isaiah 11:1).

They also mocked his mother. What fault did they find with her? Her name was Mary, a very common name, and they all knew her as an ordinary woman. She was called plain Mary, not by any grand title. They turned this into a complaint, as if a person had value only if he came from another country, a noble family, or had a splendid title. Those are poor ways to measure worth.

They mocked his brothers too, whose names they knew and were ready to use against him: James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, good men but poor men, and therefore despised, and Christ was despised for their sake. It is likely these brothers were Joseph’s children by a former wife, or whatever their exact relation, they seem to have been brought up with Jesus in the same home. That may be why we do not read of a separate, detailed calling for three of them, James, Simon, and Jude, one of the twelve apostles, because they already knew Christ well from youth.

His sisters were still with them too. That should have made them love and respect him more, since he was one of their own, but instead it made them despise him. They were offended by him. They stumbled over these stumbling blocks, for he was appointed as a sign that would be spoken against (Luke 2:34; Isaiah 8:14).

Now see how he responded to this contempt (Matthew 13:57-58). It did not deeply trouble his heart. He was not greatly disturbed by it; he despised the shame (Hebrews 12:2). Instead of making the insult worse, or answering their foolish thoughts with the sharp reply they deserved, he gently laid it to the common weakness of people, who often undervalue things that are close, familiar, and homegrown. This is usually how it goes. A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country. Prophets deserve honor, and they usually receive it. Men and women of God are great and honorable people, and they should be respected. It is truly strange if prophets receive no honor.

Yet even so, they are often least respected in their own country, and sometimes most envied there. Familiarity breeds contempt.

For the time being, this unbelief tied his hands, so to speak. He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Unbelief is the great barrier to Christ’s gifts. All things are possible to God in general (Matthew 19:26), but when it comes to specific blessings, they belong to the one who believes (Mark 9:23). The gospel is God’s power for salvation, but it is for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). So if mighty works are not done in us, it is not because Christ lacks power or grace, but because we lack faith. By grace you are saved, and that is a mighty work, but it comes through faith (Ephesians 2:8).