76 – Rejection at Nazareth; Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-6a, Luke 4:16-30
Matthew 13:54 And He came to [a]His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man acquire this wisdom and these [b]miraculous powers? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man acquire all these things?” 57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his [c]hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many [d]miracles there because of their unbelief.
Mark 6:1 Jesus went out from there and *came into [a]His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and [b]the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man learn these things, and what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, and such [c]miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of [d]James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are His sisters not here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in [e]his hometown and among his own relatives, and in his own household.” 5 And He could not do any [f]miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He was amazed at their unbelief.
Luke 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the [a]book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the [b]book and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
20 And He closed the [c]book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your [d]hearing.” 22 And all were [e]speaking well of Him, and wondering at the [f]gracious words which [g]were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to [h]Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.
Footnotes (Matthew)
a. Matthew 13:54 Or His own part of the country
b. Matthew 13:54 Or miracles
c. Matthew 13:57 Or own part of the country
d. Matthew 13:58 Or works of power
Footnotes (Mark)
a. Mark 6:1 Or His own part of the country
b. Mark 6:2 One early ms many listeners
c. Mark 6:2 Or works of power
d. Mark 6:3 Or Jacob
e. Mark 6:4 Or his own part of the country
f. Mark 6:5 Or work of power
Footnotes (Luke)
a. Luke 4:17 Or scroll
b. Luke 4:17 Or scroll
c. Luke 4:20 Or scroll
d. Luke 4:21 Lit ears
e. Luke 4:22 Or testifying
f. Luke 4:22 Or words of grace
g. Luke 4:22 Lit were proceeding out of His mouth
h. Luke 4:26 Gr Sarepta
Commentary
Many scholars believe this was Jesus’s first sermon, and this makes sense, based on the astonishment of the crowd and the fact that the passage from Luke is very early in Luke’s account. It is possible the accounts from Matthew and Mark were a separate incident, but the reaction of the people and Jesus’s words are so similar that I grouped them together, even though Matthew and Mark placed the incident much later in Jesus’s ministry. In many gospel harmonies, the passages from Matthew and Mark are listed together as Jesus’s final visit to Nazareth, but the passages still convey brand new awe from the audience. Joseph had probably already passed away by this point, since he is not mentioned as an active character after the incident when Jesus was 12 and got lost. However, he was a long-standing member of the Nazarene community, and they clearly remember him and know his family. The people could not overcome their shock that someone they had seen grow from a child was now claiming to be their savior.
To focus on their comments about Jesus’s family and history, I wanted to take a closer look at some of Jesus’s past and His relationships. The crowd remembers Joseph as a carpenter, and the literal translation of the original word for “carpenter” could mean either a carpenter or a stone mason. If He had been a stone mason, this has some interesting implications for the stone references Jesus made throughout His ministry (the stone the builders rejected, the cornerstone, Peter being the rock on which the church would be built). Although speculative, it’s interesting to consider this possibility that is somewhat contrary to our traditional view of Jesus’s work.
Regardless, carpentry or masonry was Joseph’s trade and would therefore have been Jesus’s, as well. He may have even continued to work this trade as He travelled around ministering, since He did not earn any money as a teacher. “Only officials of the temple and religious courts drew salaries. The rest of the religious teachers and leaders were either independently wealthy or supported themselves through a trade or profession. Jesus did receive support from several wealthy women … and He was welcomed as a guest into many homes. But of all the complaints that His enemies lodged against Him – that He failed to keep the Sabbath, that He ate and drank with sinners, that He made Himself out to be God – they never accused Him of being lazy” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1725). The people could not accept that a person with such remedial religious credentials, whose family was similarly common, could be a prophet or religious teacher. Today, this same issue afflicts pastors, whose wisdom is not highly regarded among their family members or others who can’t see past the pastor’s upbringing, especially if the pastor’s position in the family is “lower,” such as a son or younger brother.
Regarding the mention of Jesus’s brothers, “There is no valid reason for understanding brethren and sisters in any sense but the normal one. They are Jesus’ half brothers, the children naturally generated by Joseph and Mary after Jesus’ virgin birth … Two of them, James and Judas (Jude), wrote New Testament epistles and played a prominent role in the early church” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1202). “Hegesippus says (Euseb. Hist. II. 23) that James was known as “The Just” and as “the bulwark of the people.” He lived a life of such holiness and piety that he was respected even by non-believing Jews. He never ceased to keep the Jewish law with rigor and care… His knees were said to be hard as a camel’s because he was so constant in prayer and entreaty to God for pardon for the people” (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 3 pg. 395). James’s death was recorded by Josephus; the high priest Ananias had him stoned to death, and non-Christian Jews had so much respect for James that they relieved Ananias of his office after this decision (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 3 pg. 395). Some believe that the reference to Jesus’s appearance to James in 1 Corinthians 15:7 is a reference to Jesus’s brother James (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 3 pg. 394). Interestingly, James’s ministry was so prominent that Jude, in his epistle, identifies himself as “brother of James” rather than “brother of Jesus” (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 3 pg. 395). However, this passage clearly lists him among the siblings of Jesus and gives some insight into the fact that most of Jesus’s family did not appear to come around to His claims until after His death and resurrection. We see that same resistance to Jesus from the other locals who had known him from childhood.
Despite the fact He knew it would be shocking for a skilled laborer to speak at the temple meeting, Jesus persisted in standing up in His hometown synagogue and teaching. Jesus made a point of regular attendance at synagogue meetings, which may have been somewhat unusual, since the gospel writers all thought it was remarkable enough to make mention of Jesus’s “custom,” and later in the New Testament, the author of Hebrews admonishes early Christians not to give up “our own assembling together, as is the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:25). The Sabbath in these passages was observed on Saturdays because “they were still bound under the dispensation of law” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 120). Later, after Jesus’s resurrection, early Christians began meeting on the first day of the week, which we have now designated as Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2).
The passage from Luke says that Jesus stood and read from the scroll, and the cross-reference shows us that He read 1.5 verses from Isaiah 61:1-2a. “He read a portion that dealt directly with the earthly ministry of the Messiah (such as preaching and healing) and stopped just before the passage went on to describe his coming judgment in the end times” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1270). Everyone understood that this passage pointed to the coming Messiah, and when Jesus proclaimed that the prophecy had been fulfilled, He was clearly making a claim to be the redeemer. They also would have memorized the passage well enough to know the parts that came afterward (judgment and end times). This is almost certainly part of the reason they became upset with Him, if they felt He was implying they were going to find themselves on the wrong side of judgment.
The reference to the “favorable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:19) is a reference to the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-19), and I encourage you, as always, to read the cited passage which is conveniently pasted below. “Every fifty years, the Israelites were to set their slaves free, cancel each other’s debts, and restore lands to their original owners. Apparently Jesus intended to make a dramatic difference in the lives of people, not only spiritually, but sociologically and economically as well” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1778). As Jesus began insinuating that the Messiah was there to serve the poor and the marginalized, the listening crowd was eager to receive the message because they thought He was talking about them. I had a hard time deciphering the meaning of “gracious words,” or “words of grace,” as cited in the footnotes for Luke 4:22. A translation of the original Greek says the word which was translated as “gracious” is a word that means graciousness of manner or act. The 1828 version of Webster’s Dictionary actually cited Luke 4:22 as an example in the use and definition of the word gracious, which Webster defined as favorable, expressing kindness, virtuous, good, or proceeding from divine grace (http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/gracious). In this context, Jesus was proclaiming freedom for captives and liberty for the oppressed, which is what the Hebrews perceived themselves to be. For additional reference, biblehub.com has some verses cited to specifically complement the phrase “the gracious,” cited in the reference section below (Luke 2:47; Luke 21:15; Psalm 45:2,4).
However, when Jesus alluded to the widow of Sidon and to Naaman, He was making a statement about the lack of faith in the Israelites, such that prophets often had to go elsewhere to find people who would respond to God (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1778). Once the people realized He was in fact reproving them and warning them that they might not receive God’s gracious gift if they did not repent, they became incensed. However, Jesus’s message was critical for them to understand and apply if they were to experience the portion of Isaiah’s prophecy that Jesus did not read in 61:6 “You shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God.” “This would be a profound change. The Tasks of ‘ministry’ would no longer be done just by priests, rabbis, or clergy, but by all of God’s people. Just as the Spirit of the Lord had come upon Christ, enabling Him to accomplish God’s work, so the Spirit would enable Christ’s followers to accomplish God’s work, too” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1779).
In addition to claiming to be the Messiah, Jesus’s reading also foreshadowed His fate, as aligned with that of Isaiah. Isaiah himself had brought prophecy to Judah, knowing it would be rejected, and he was later executed. Isaiah’s writings are the richest in Old Testament references to the Messiah, and his predictions clearly depicted a person who would heal and perform miracles. Regarding those miracles, the text says that Jesus didn’t do mighty works in Nazareth, and this was not because He was unable to do so in the face of unbelief, but because He only worked miracles in response to faith, which He was explaining that these people did not demonstrate (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1202). However, they had heard He performed many miracles in Capernaum, and they taunted Him to prove Himself in the same way in Nazareth. Even though Jesus had performed many miracles, however, the people refused to believe He was the savior God had promised, and they attempted to kill Him, whereupon God supernaturally saved Him by allowing Him to pass through the crowd unseen.
Find the next post here https://onthepath.online/2023/04/04/shortage-of-workers/
Scripture References
Matthew 13:54
1 Samuel 10:11 All those who had formerly known Saul and saw him prophesying with the prophets asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
Luke 2:47 And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers.
Matthew 13:55
Matthew 12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.
Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
Matthew 13:57
Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
John 4:44 Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown
Matthew 13:58
Matthew 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus
Mark 6:2
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
Mark 10:1 Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.
Luke 2:47 And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers.
Mark 6:3
Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
Matthew 12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.
Acts 12:17 Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.
Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
Mark 6:4
John 4:44 Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown
Mark 6:5
Mark 5:23 and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”
Acts 28:8 The father of Publius was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after praying and placing his hands on him, he healed the man.
Mark 6:6
Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.
Mark 1:39 So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Mark 10:1 Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.
Luke 13:22 Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem.
Luke 4:16
Luke 2:39 When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
Luke 2:51 Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
Acts 13:14 And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.
Luke 4:17
Luke 16:29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
Luke 4:18
Isaiah 42:1 “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 49:9 to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Matthew 11:5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Matthew 12:18 “Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
John 3:34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
Luke 4:19
Leviticus 25:10 So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.
Isaiah 42:1 “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 61:2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn,
Luke 4:20
Matthew 26:55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.
Matthew 27:60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.
Luke 4:22
Psalm 45:2 You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
Luke 2:48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His mother asked. “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.”
John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Luke 4:23
Matthew 4:13 Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Mark 1:21 Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.
Mark 2:1 A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum. And when the people heard that He was home,
Luke 2:39 When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
Luke 2:51 Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
Luke 4:24
John 4:44 Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
Luke 4:25
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives–the God of Israel before whom I stand–there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
1 Kings 18:1 After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
James 5:17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Revelation 11:6 These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
Luke 4:26
1 Kings 17:9 “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
Obadiah 1:20 And the exiles of this host of the Israelites will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath; and the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev.
Matthew 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 4:27
2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
2 Kings 5:14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.
Matthew 8:3 Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Luke 4:28
Matthew 2:16 When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
Luke 4:29
Numbers 15:35 And the LORD said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death. The whole congregation is to stone him outside the camp.”
Acts 7:58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Hebrews 13:12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.
Luke 4:30
John 10:39 At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
Luke 4:31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
Commentary
Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
1 Cor 16:2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.
Leviticus 25:8 ‘You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. 9 You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. 10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field. 13 ‘On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property. 14 If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend’s hand, you shall not wrong one another. 15 Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. 16 In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. 17 So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God. 18 ‘You shall thus observe My statutes and keep My judgments, so as to carry them out, that you may live securely on the land. 19 Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it.
Luke 2:47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Psalm 45:2,4 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever…
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