THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Jesus goes home: Mt 13,54-58
In verses 53 Jesus leaves and in verse 54 he arrives; the two verses get Jesus from the lakeside to Jesus' hometown. We have noted earlier that one follows from the other so that there is a link between the discourse and this visit home .
The town is left unnamed perhaps to make the point that this is Jesus' own village where everyone knew him. Matthew has turned Mark's "the synagogue" into "their synagogue". This may reflect Matthew's own community several decades later who by then were estranged from the local synagogue.
Jesus in Matthew makes this visit on his own; in Mark the disciples went with him.
Matthew has made some interesting changes from Mark (Mk 6,2) in his presentation of Jesus' family in verse 55. Jesus is no longer a carpenter himself, for this evangelist he is far more than that. The reference in Mark to "son of Mary" would have been most unusual, hence Matthew's modification to "mother called Mary". As for Jesus' brothers and sisters, we can regard them as his extended family.
Whereas in 7,28 at the end of the Sermon on the Mount the crowd were wondering with admiration and respecting Jesus' authority, here in 13,54 and 57 Jesus gets a much more sceptical reception from his own.
The rejection of prophets is a common theme in the Old Testament. Their message was generally not what people wanted to hear (1 Kings 22,8). Amos had problems with Amaziah (Amos 8,10) and Jeremiah with Hananiah (chapter 28). Both were proved right by events.
Verse 58 brings out the need for at least some faith, some positive reception of Jesus, if he is to do any deeds of power. Matthew has shortened and sharpened Mk 6,5-6a.
9,28 provides a contrast, there the crowd is praising God who had given such power to men.
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