In his hometown - Mt 13:54-58
The last pericope in Mt 13 can be treated as an account of Jesus' stay in his hometown. This passage goes beyond teaching in parables. All the synoptic Gospels inform about Jesus' visit to Nazareth, but each presents this event in a different context (Mk 6: 1-6; Lk 4: 16-30). Matthew's account is the shortest and was placed immediately after the great speech in the parables. The evangelist informs about the arrival of Jesus in his hometown, and then relates his meeting with the inhabitants in the local synagogue. Although the evangelist does not mention the name of the city, it is known that it is about Nazareth. We draw this certainty from Mt 2:23, which says that the Holy Family, after returning from Egypt, settled in Galilee, in Nazareth. Nazareth, as the place where Jesus came from, appears also in Mt 4:13, at the beginning of his public activity, and in Mt 21:11, in connection with Jesus' solemn entry into Jerusalem, and thus at the end of his saving mission on earth. Nazareth was then a small town, unknown from the Old Testament writings, but so significant that it had its own synagogue. It is believed that at the time of Jesus it could have had about 1,500 inhabitants.
The considered pericope - although this is not its main message - provides us with a lot of information about Jesus' family. Matthew says that people considered Jesus to be the son of Joseph without knowing the full truth about his origin. Luke likewise tells us that Jesus was believed to be the son of Joseph (Lk 3:23). Moreover, we receive information about Joseph's profession: he was a carpenter. Mark completes this information by adding that Jesus was also a carpenter (Mk 6: 3), which should not come as a surprise, because according to the family tradition in Israel, the father usually taught his son the profession that he practiced himself. The information provided about the profession of Joseph is interesting because Matthew, paying attention to Joseph at the beginning of his Gospel, focused primarily on his spiritual and moral attitude, but now he reveals the professional life of the Guardian of Jesus to the reader. When writing about the carpentry profession, it should be added that the Greek term tektōn used here goes beyond the meaning attributed to it and indicates a craftsman or construction worker, including a carpenter.
In this brief passage we also find relatively much information about Jesus' sisters and brothers. The latter were even mentioned by name. The issue of Jesus' "siblings" is not unique to all Christians. The Catholic Church, professing the dogma of the intact virginity of Mary, is convinced that Jesus was the only Son of Mary, that is, after his birth, Mary did not give birth to anyone else. Her marriage to Joseph was virginal from beginning to end, and these brothers and sisters are actually Jesus' cousins. Taking into account the extensive family structure in biblical Israel, the position of the Catholic Church fits perfectly into the prevailing reality at that time. This is a rational argument, but not the most important one. The information about Jesus' brothers and sisters touches upon the truth that is important to us about the perfect holiness of Mary's life, which we believe with conviction, accepting the facts of the Gospel and guided by the so-called sensus Ecclesiae in their assessment or interpretation. It is a classic case when it is rationally difficult to explain something that you are completely convinced of inside.
What has been said so far deals with secondary matters in our pericope, while the main information contained in this fragment concerns the surprise and doubt of Jesus' countrymen in the uniqueness of his person and mission. They were surprised, but it was not wonder in terms of delight. It was idle wonder, tantamount to doubt, and perhaps even jealousy. The inhabitants of Nazareth succumbed to the confusion of thinking guided by the limitations of their own local world. For them, Jesus is remembered as one of them, the one who would play in the same sandbox with their children and run after the same goats. It was an inviolable paradigm. Someone who until recently was one of them, had no right to cross the established patterns, could not become someone else, someone extraordinary. Believing in his messianic or divine sonship was for them an absurdity that was impossible to imagine. Someone else, for example from Jerusalem, maybe so, but not from Nazareth. Their city, in general opinion, was not held in high esteem (cf. John 1:46), they also believed it, burdening themselves with an insurmountable complex.
The greatest drama of Jesus' countrymen was the lack of faith. Jesus came to them with a blessing, open to their needs, ready to help them, also in an extraordinary way. Lack of faith has become a stumbling block in everything. There were no miracles because there was no faith. Strictly speaking, there were not many miracles. Those that were, however, may testify to how much Jesus wanted to help, how much He was inclined to do good. He was not allowed, and the discharge of his power was limited. He was disregarded, as he himself noted. The narrative context of the Gospel of Matthew gives the event in Nazareth a special meaning, from Jesus' point of view it was his personal failure. Having previously taught about the kingdom of heaven in parables, in a very pictorial, emotional way, with personal commitment, with faith in the reality and close fulfillment of what he preaches, he comes to his homeland and encounters a hard, impenetrable wall of unbelief and indifference. He could expect more support from his countrymen, but the opposite happened. The incident in Nazareth showed how difficult the Good News of salvation lies ahead. Pettiness, narrow particularism, adherence to the principle that "it has always been like this and never has been like this", has been successfully hindering God's cause until today. On the other hand, we realize that faith in God is not ignorance, backwardness, superstition, as some claim. Real faith needs broad horizons in looking at the world, openness and nobility of heart, readiness to make changes in our life. Heavenly Father desires such followers.
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen”. (Heb 11:1)
Until Tomorrow
fr. george