Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G070 The Lord Jesus Returns to Nazareth
Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6

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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted

Matthew 13:53-58

53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence.

54 And when He was come into His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Mark 6:1-6

1 And He went out from thence, and came into His own country; and His disciples follow Him.

2 And when the sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him.

4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5 And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6 And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And He went round about the villages, teaching.

In this lesson, we will study together about the Lord Jesus returning to Nazareth, where He had lived for nearly 30 years. At the beginning of His ministry, the Lord Jesus taught in Nazareth, as recorded in Luke 4:14-30. However, His teaching made the people there angry, and they wanted to kill Him. He avoided them and went to Capernaum. After that, He preached throughout the towns and villages of Galilee. Matthew 13:53-58 and Mark 6:1-6 record the event of the Lord Jesus returning to Nazareth after that preaching journey.

Matthew 13:53-54

53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence.

54 And when He was come into his own country, He taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Mark 6:1-2

1 And He went out from thence, and came into His own country; and His disciples follow him.

2 And when the sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

The phrase “He departed thence” in Matthew 13:53 implies that after the Lord Jesus taught the parables to His disciples, in the place where He was staying, in Capernaum, He set out to return to Nazareth. The phrase “He went out from thence” in Mark 6:1 implies that the Lord Jesus left Capernaum to return to Nazareth. The journey from Capernaum to Nazareth is about 60 km.

Based on Mark 6:2, we can understand that on Friday evening, before the sun set to begin the Sabbath, the Lord Jesus was present in Nazareth.

According to tradition, the Israelites would gather in the synagogue or at home, if there was no synagogue, just before sunset every Friday. This gathering is called “קבלת שבת” /kabbalat shabbat/, which means welcoming or celebrating the Sabbath. During the gathering, the Israelites would begin with special prayers, sing hymns, and light candles. This would be followed by a prayer session, the reading of Psalms, and passages from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. The Israelites collectively refer to these five books as “תורה” /Torah/, meaning “law.” Finally, there would be a fellowship meal with blessings recited over bread and wine. Today, Israelites who have faith in God still observe this Sabbath welcoming gathering.

Mark 6:2 implies that the Lord Jesus taught during a Sabbath welcoming gathering of the Israelites in the synagogue in Nazareth.

The Bible does not record that the Lord Jesus performed miracles during the gathering that day. However, those present marveled at His preaching and the rumors about the miracles He had performed. These rumors had reached Nazareth before the Lord did. It is also possible that many people in the crowd followed the Lord Jesus from Capernaum to Nazareth and spread the news of the miracles He had performed.

Matthew records one of the exclamations of the people of Nazareth: “Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?” Mark records another exclamation: “From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?” We understand that Matthew and Mark both faithfully recorded different exclamations from those present at the gathering.

Those who made such exclamations should have understood that the Lord Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah in the Bible. He came from God. The wisdom and miracles manifested through Him were from God. Instead, they referred to His background, implying that He was just an ordinary person among them, questioning how He could speak such wise words and perform miracles.

Matthew 13:55-56

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

Mark 6:3

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Again, we see that Matthew and Mark recorded the words of different people. Some said one thing, others said another. However, the main point was that the Lord Jesus was the son of a carpenter, and He Himself was a carpenter. His mother was Mary. His four brothers were James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. All His sisters also lived in Nazareth.

The Bible clearly mentions the names of the Lord Jesus’s four brothers but does not mention the names of His sisters. The adjective “all” (G3956) in Greek can be used to refer to two or more people, so we know that the Lord Jesus had at least two sisters.

Regarding the brothers, Matthew lists Simon before Judas, possibly in order from oldest to youngest, while Mark lists Judas before Simon, for reasons unknown. According to some traditions in the Church, Judas was the youngest child of Mary and Joseph. Immediately before Judas, there were two daughters, but their names are not mentioned in the Bible.

The nouns “brothers” and “sisters” used in the Bible to refer to the Lord Jesus’s brothers and sisters are terms for “biological brothers” (G80) and “biological sisters” (G79). The original meaning of these terms was siblings from the same womb, used to refer to siblings with the same father and mother. In a broader sense, they can be used to refer to siblings with only the same father or only the same mother, but they are not used to refer to cousins. The noun “ἀνέψιος” /anepsios/ (G431) in Greek means “cousin” and is used once in the New Testament, when Paul speaks of Barnabas in Colossians 4:10. We see that the Bible does not use this term to refer to the Lord’s siblings. In Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no term for “cousin”; instead, the phrases “son of the aunt” and “son of the uncle” are used. The Bible does not use the term for “female cousins” (ἀνεψιά).

We believe that the brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus, according to the Biblical use of the terms, are the sons and daughters of Mary and Joseph, born after the Lord Jesus.

Nowhere in the Bible does it affirm that Mary remained a virgin for her entire life. On the contrary, the use of the terms “biological brothers” and “biological sisters” to refer to the Lord Jesus’s siblings implies that after giving birth to the Lord Jesus, Mary continued to have more children with Joseph. The doctrine that Mary remained a virgin for her entire life, taught by the Catholic Church, is not consistent with the Bible.

In Luke 2:41-52, it records the story of when the Lord Jesus was 12 years old and Mary and Joseph brought Him to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover Festival. Luke does not mention the siblings of the Lord Jesus. It is possible that His siblings were too young at that time and were left in Nazareth under the care of relatives. At that time, James might have been only a few years younger than the Lord Jesus. It is also possible that Mary had not yet given birth to more children by then. If the Lord Jesus was 12 years old and Mary had not yet had more children, then when the Lord Jesus began His ministry around the age of 30, His siblings would still have been adolescents, under 18 years old.

James later became the elder and bishop of the Church in Jerusalem. He is also known as the author of the Epistle of James. In Galatians 2:9, Paul refers to him as a “pillar” of the Church. According to Church tradition, James was stoned to death by the Pharisees in 62 AD.

Jude, the youngest in the family, is another form of the name Judas. He is the author of the Epistle of Jude. According to Church tradition, Jude died of old age.

The Bible does not mention anything about Joseph, Simon, or the sisters of the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 13:55 tells us that Joseph was a carpenter. Mark 6:3 informs us that the Lord Jesus also worked as a carpenter. According to Israelite customs, sons in a family were expected to learn a trade to support themselves and their families. Even someone like Paul, a Pharisee from a wealthy family, learned the trade of tent-making.

The people of Nazareth were very familiar with the family of Mary and Joseph, a devout family that lived modestly through the carpentry trade. Therefore, they looked down on the family of the Lord Jesus.

We do not know when Joseph passed away. The Bible mentions Joseph for the last time when the Lord Jesus was 12 years old. But it is likely that by the time the Lord Jesus began His ministry, Joseph had already passed away. This means that James had to take over the Lord Jesus’ role in caring for Mary and the siblings.

Matthew 13:57

57 And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Mark 6:4

4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

Instead of accepting the Lord Jesus as Christ, the people of Nazareth looked down on Him. They were only amazed at His wisdom in teaching and His many miracles.

A prophet is someone whom God uses to express His divine will to humanity. Therefore, prophets are worthy of honor. The Lord Jesus revealed God’s truth to humanity, making Him the prophet of God and the greatest of all prophets. He clearly explained the Gospel of Salvation bestowed by God, and He Himself fulfilled that redemption by sacrificing His own life on the cross.

Because of the disbelief of the people of Nazareth, they stumbled over the Lord Jesus. Stumbling over Him means falling into sin. They fell into sin by not accepting the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Peter, taught clearly:

“Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed” (1 Peter 2:6-8).

The Bible speaks of two ways that cause others to stumble.

Firstly, living a life of faith and obedience to God’s commands by God’s people may provoke those who do not believe in God to become angry and harm them. This is causing others to stumble, for which God’s people are not responsible.

Secondly, living a life of sin leads others into sin. This is causing others to stumble, for which the one causing the stumbling will face severe punishment on the day of judgment.

Some biblical scholars argue that the Lord Jesus’ words are a proverb in Israelite culture. However, such a proverb is not found in Israelite literary documents. Therefore, we can believe that these are words spoken by the Lord Jesus.

Both Matthew and Mark record the words of the Lord, but Mark adds a detail: “among His own kin.” Mark may have recorded the exact words of the Lord as heard from someone else. Meanwhile, Matthew recalls the words of the Lord from memory. Even though Matthew does not provide as much detail as Mark, it does not diminish the meaning of the Lord’s words. Alternatively, if Mark added a detail not present in the Lord’s words but only remembered that way by the storyteller, it also does not change the meaning of the Lord’s words.

Matthew 13:58

58 And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Mark 6:5-6

5 And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6 And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And He went round about the villages, teaching.

In Nazareth, where the Lord Jesus lived and grew up for nearly 30 years, He could not perform many miracles because His fellow townspeople did not believe in Him. They were amazed at His wise teachings and astonished by the miracles He performed elsewhere. However, they did not believe He was the prophet of God, the promised Christ foretold in the Scriptures. Therefore, the Lord Jesus only laid hands and healed a few sick people. Perhaps some of these sick people were present at the gathering. Afterward, He went to the villages around Nazareth to teach.

Mark records that the Lord Jesus was surprised by the unbelief of the people of Nazareth. Some wondered: If the Lord Jesus is God, then He knows all things, even the thoughts of people’s hearts. Didn’t He foresee the unbelief of the people of Nazareth? Why was He surprised? We need to understand that, in His human nature, the Lord Jesus was entirely like us. He set aside the attributes of God and became fully human. He was limited by the physical laws, just like us. Only when the Spirit imparted understanding could He have that knowledge. All the miracles He performed were through the holy spirit given to Him by God the Spirit. It was only after His resurrection that His physical body fully embodied all the attributes of God. From then on, every action of the Lord Jesus is the action of God through His human flesh.

The Church will be united as one with the resurrected body of Christ. This is the glorious promise that we will soon enjoy.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
07/13/2024