Matthew 13:54Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

According to Matthew's recollection, these events precede his account.

Now, let us examine whether Matthew, in line with Mark and Luke, records the words spoken by the Lord in His native land and the responses directed toward Him. John also recounts, in a separate conversation, the skepticism shown toward the Lord and His response, which echoes similar sentiments retained by the other three Evangelists. Mark's portrayal closely aligns with Matthew's, though Mark's compatriots refer to the Lord as the carpenter and son of Mary, while Matthew denotes Him as the son of the carpenter. This variance is unsurprising, as it is common to refer to the offspring of a carpenter in this manner. Luke provides a more extensive and detailed account, presenting it subsequent to the Lord's baptism and temptation, clearly highlighting an event that occurred much later.

Understanding the complexities surrounding the Evangelists’ agreements necessitates acknowledging that their omissions and deviations from event sequences were not due to ignorance, but rather reflect the flow of their own memories. This is illustrated in Luke's example; he inserts a passage before the description of the Lord's ministry in Capernaum, highlighting how His fellow townspeople were astonished by His power yet dismissed Him for His humble origins. The Lord responds to them in Luke: "Surely you will say to Me, ‘Physician, heal Thyself! Do also here in your own country what we have heard was done in Capernaum.’" However, Luke hasn't yet described the actions at Capernaum.

Let us then present the complete narrative to understand its context and development. Following the Lord's baptism and temptation, the Evangelist narrates: "And having finished all the temptation, the devil departed from Him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee; and the news about Him spread throughout all the surrounding region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been raised; and as was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him, and He found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Having closed the scroll and returned it to the attendant, He sat down, and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. He began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all bore witness to Him and marvelled at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth, and said, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’ He then replied, ‘Surely you will say to Me, “Physician, heal Thyself! Do here in your own country what we have heard was done in Capernaum.”’ There is no doubt that Luke intentionally positions this account earlier, as he recalls that the Lord had already performed notable miracles in Capernaum. However, he acknowledges that he has not yet relayed those events, starting instead with a story that occurred after those remarkable deeds, which he plans to recount later.

He taught with greater authority and persuasion than the renowned figures of the past and executed remarkable signs, yet they failed to recognize Him as the very Wisdom and Power of God. They were in awe of His teachings and miracles but allowed envy to take root, seeing Him as a source of irritation merely because He hailed from humble origins. Indeed, envy can be irrational and blind. Thus, we ought to marvel even more and revere Him for arising from such modest beginnings, as they were deceived concerning His true nature.

They expressed their astonishment, questioning, “Where did He acquire such wisdom?” This question comes from those who do not acknowledge God, from whom all wisdom and strength flow. It is evident that Christ embodies the wisdom and might of God. The source of wisdom is illustrated by Solomon, who in his youth ascended to the pinnacle of kingship, governing the people entrusted to him with virtue and humility, informed by the inclinations of his heart rather than mere intellect. He sought wisdom from God, requested it, and was granted it. From where does He derive this wisdom and power? It is the divine power that restores sight to the blind, enables the deaf to hear, liberates the mute to speak, empowers the lame to run, and resurrects souls from the grip of death. This power is from God, and only those who envy the Gift of Salvation would dare dispute it.

Simultaneously, he foretells that Christ shall announce good news not to the arrogant, but to the humble in spirit; He will mend the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to those held captive by sin and the devil, grant sight to those who recognize their spiritual blindness, and liberate those ensnared by darkness—but only those who desire this freedom.

This reading captivated the attention of everyone in the synagogue, and they listened intently to the Divine Messenger. He revealed to them that He was indeed the Messiah foretold by the great prophet seven centuries earlier. His words were filled with love, power, authority, and strength, leaving all in awe: SO THEY WERE AMAZED at the gracious words flowing from His lips, AND SAID: WHENCE HATH HE SUCH WISDOM AND POWER? The naive Nazarenes failed to grasp that Christ embodies the hypostatic Power and Wisdom of God. In their ignorance, they believed that their ancestors' humble status disqualified them from divine acceptance. Blessed Theophylact argues, 'Even if Jesus was perceived as an ordinary man, what would prevent Him from performing great miracles?' Additionally, St. Chrysostom notes that there are many instances where uneducated parents have given rise to remarkable children. For instance, David was the son of Jesse, a humble farmer; Amos, raised by a goat herder, was also a herder; and Moses, the lawgiver, had a father who was unlearned. Therefore, Christ should be honored and even more admired for having come from such modest origins, as He spoke with extraordinary insight. This clearly demonstrated not mere human wisdom but divine grace at work within Him.

In larger cities, synagogues were constructed from white marble and adorned with sculptural decorations like grapevines, flourishing rods, and vessels of manna. The interior featured seating arranged with men on one side and women on the other, behind a partition, where women sat covered with long veils. At one end stood the ark made of painted wood that housed the Holy Scriptures, and beside it was a prominent seat for the reader and preacher. There was no established clergy; the worship held in the synagogue was straightforward. After the prayers, two scriptural readings were typically conducted, one from the law and another from the prophets. With no specific individuals allocated for these readings—since the priestly duties were confined to the singular temple in Jerusalem—whoever was permitted by the synagogue leader could read, often offering their own interpretation as well. At this point, the reading from the Torah had been completed, leaving only the prophetic scriptures to be read. The Savior opened the scroll handed to Him and located a passage from Isaiah 61. The entire assembly stood to listen attentively. While readings usually comprised three to twenty verses, Jesus chose to read only the first two, which stated: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” After closing the scroll, He sat down to deliver a message, adhering to Jewish custom. The selected passage carried its own significance, but its importance grew even more profound as He, the One it spoke of, addressed the crowd. All eyes were fixed intently on Him, the divine Teacher. The congregation listened with anticipation and trepidation as He revealed that He was indeed the Messiah foretold by the prophet seven hundred years earlier. His message radiated love, authority, and power, leaving the audience in awe. However, as He continued, a shift occurred among His listeners; they began to comprehend the implications of His words. In synagogue tradition, it was common for attendees to express their sentiments openly, and soon murmurs of disbelief and resentment circulated among them. The awe and wonder that once filled their eyes were replaced with envy and animosity. They questioned, “Is this not the carpenter? Is He not the brother of artisans like Jacob, Josiah, Simon, Judas, and His sisters who live among us? Do we not know that even His own family does not believe in Him?” Such sentiments erupted from the crowd. This was not a distinguished rabbi trained under the renowned scholars of the era (such as Gamaliel or Shammai), yet He spoke with an authority that surpassed even the most esteemed scribes. The illustrious Hillel himself often relied solely on the authority of past lawgivers when he could not persuade based on his own teachings. Yet here was a teacher—a mere carpenter from their town—who made no such references. What right had He to instruct them? How could He be learned in scripture without having studied in the esteemed rabbinical academies?

They expressed their disbelief when He first preached, and even after Jesus had disseminated the Gospel across Galilee and Judea, demonstrating His divine calling through remarkable miracles, the Nazarenes remained obstinate. Upon returning to Nazareth with His disciples, He taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The wisdom bestowed upon Him and the miraculous acts performed by His hands prompted questions: Is this not the carpenter? Is He not the son of the carpenter? Is not His mother named Mary, and His brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas—where are they among us? And what of His sisters? Where did this come from? The townspeople were not the only ones struggling with disbelief; even His own unbelieving relatives struggled to accept Him (John 7:5). Consequently, the Lord reminded the Nazarenes of a familiar truth: a prophet is without honor in his own homeland, and among his own relatives and within his household (Luke 4:24). Due to the lack of faith from His own people, as articulated by the sacred Evangelist, Jesus Christ was unable to perform any significant deeds there, apart from laying His hands on a few sick individuals to heal them (Mark 6:5). As St. John Chrysostom noted, He performed some miracles and refrained from others, fulfilling His mission while also guarding against revealing His glory to those who would face greater judgment. Disheartened by the Nazarenes' disbelief, the Lord departed from His homeland and traveled to other towns and villages in Galilee.