Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to 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?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

- Matthew 13:53-58

Yesterday we read Jesus' teachings of parables of the Kingdom:   "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to 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?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  Jesus' own country is His hometown of Nazareth, where He was brought up.   His neighbors in Nazareth know His extended family (His brothers are considered to be either children of St. Joseph by an earlier marriage or cousins -- as it was customary to refer to cousins also as "brothers").  But my study bible remarks upon this double response to Christ of being both astonished and offended.  It says it is a frequent occurrence in those who encounter Christ (see Luke 114:22-30, 11:14-16; John 9:16).

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  This statement appears in all four Gospels (see also Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).   This suggests its importance to our understanding of our faith.  My study bible says that Christ's rejection in His own country fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha (see Jesus' response in Luke 4:25-27), and it also foreshadows Christ's rejection by the whole nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).

It's interesting to read Matthew's remark that Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief.  Again, it's an emphasis on the power of belief, and its crucial singularity in salvation.  If we think about Jesus' hometown, we understand that these are the people closest to Him.  They are the ones with whom he's grown up, who are most familiar with Him.  In simple worldly terms, a hometown is a place from which we take identity, a place we belong, or might need to defend and protect.  But those ties don't count in terms of the power of Christ to do "mighty works" in His hometown where He's come to visit and preach.  Moreover it is implied by the text that Jesus Himself would like to do these "mighty works" but He is, in fact, prevented from doing so by their lack of faith.  In Mark 6:6, we're told that Jesus Himself marveled because of their unbelief.  To my mind, this implies His desire to do His mighty works and healings, but without faith there was nothing He could do.  The text emphasizes many mighty works that could have happened, but did not, simply because of lack of faith.  In our reading from Saturday, a believing woman's touch of Christ's hem made this connection of power unleashed by her faith.  Jesus told her in response, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."   That is His acknowledgement of the power of her faith to allow Him to do a mighty work for her.  In our own lives, we can consider what this might mean.  In my own experience, I haven't experienced the kind of stupendous healing acts and mighty works we know from Christ's work in the Gospels.  But then again, how can we know what it would be like to stand before the human being who was God and be in His presence uniting heaven and earth and all things in existence?  But I have experienced the tiny mustard seed of faith and what it has done for me in my life, transforming through time and through persistent prayer and faithful following my entire life in ways I could not have imagined.  I know what it is to lose everything you thought you cared about, and to have it all restored a hundredfold -- and in many ways, small and great.  But all meaningful and important to me.  So try a little faith when everything else looks bleak, and don't dismiss its value in life.  You never know what Christ holds for you.  These people of His hometown dismiss Him because they're jealous.  They can't imagine where He got His learning or what He knows with authority.  You never know what God will hold in store for you to learn, listen to, and open your eyes to discover, that you would never expect otherwise.