No Hometown Hero (Mt. 13:53-58)

Here’s the manuscript for Sunday’s sermon from our Matthew series. You can listen to the audio here.

I’ll make a confession to start. I’ve never been back to one of my high school class reunions. There are a number of factors as to why. I didn’t particularly enjoy my small Missouri town. I didn’t have the greatest childhood memories. And I didn’t really feel like I came into my own - and really began to thrive - until I left there and moved away to college.

I’m honestly not excited to see most of my high school classmates. And I wouldn’t enjoy climbing back into that box they had me in. The superintendent’s son. The chubby, nerdy kid they liked to pick on. The guy who tried really hard at sports but always seemed to come up short. Sure, it was hard to leave a town with a population of 908 and come to a massive campus like this. But I immediately felt free. And there was no turning back.

Now I think I’ve done pretty well for myself. I could introduce Amy to all the girls who, back then, wouldn’t give me the time of day. That would be kind of satisfying. But what if I’d started a Fortune 500 company? Or turned into a multi-platinum recording artist? It might be my classmates’ turn to be insecure. There would no doubt be some resentment, maybe some jealously - not unlike what I felt back in the day.

But what if I turned some water into wine? Or decided to surf the pool at the reunion - without utilizing any kind of board? Or I started talking like I knew everything. And acted like I thought I was God. Now that wouldn’t go too well, would it? It’s probably no surprise that we see Jesus here not getting the warmest reception - back at the local synagogue, there in Nazareth.

You would think it would make them proud, right? To have Christ’s photo there in their high school yearbook. Jesus, Nazareth class of 22. President of the Debate Club. Maybe “Most Likely to Succeed.” But not at all. It brought the opposite response. And, as we see their reaction here, we learn something about how we should respond to Him, as well as how others will no doubt respond to us.

Today, we’re finishing up Matthew chapter 13. We’ve just walked through a block of parables taught by the Lord - word pictures - that again made many want to run into his arms and even more run fast for the hills. Verse 53 says that the Lord “went away from there.” And those words may tell us more than just Christ’s itinerary. They may remind us of a theme - that grows bigger and bigger as we go further in the book - that Jesus is rejected. The opposition really ramps up from here. And those rejecting Him are being judged. By Him. As He kicks the dust off His feet. And walks off into the sunset.

Where He turns next, things don’t go any better. He’s heading back to His hometown. Maybe even, scholars wonder, at Mary, His mom’s, request. Let’s jump into verses 53 and 58, where we see this happen. We’ll start by walking through the text, looking first at the crowd’s response to the Lord, followed second by the Lord’s response to that crowd. And then we’ll turn quickly to application. How do these words challenge and encourage us today?

The Crowd Responds to Jesus

Let’s start first with the crowd’s response to the Lord. Jesus comes to Nazareth, this small, hick town in the southern part of the region of Galilee. As was His custom, He heads into the synagogue, verse 54 says. And He begins to teach. And how does Matthew describe their initial response? He says, “They were astonished.”

Now this is the exact same thing we read back in chapter 7, verse 28, at the end of the famous Sermon on the Mount. “The crowds were astonished at his teaching.” Why’s that? He taught as “one who had authority.” They have the same reaction - here in this synagogue in Nazareth. And they have this choice. They can lean in, they can listen up. They can get on their knees. They can lift up their hands. Or they can push down that astonishment. And they can protest.

Well, we see clearly what they choose. Their astonishment moves to resistance. They cry out, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” They hear Him teach right there. And they can’t deny the wisdom that comes from His mouth. We don’t know that He does any miracles there in that synagogue. But His fame for such works had no doubt spread to that town. And they ask, “Where is this coming from?” Listen to verses 55-56 again.

Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

Now a couple of interesting things about these verses. First, these words go against some apocryphal “gospels” that weren’t included in our Bibles. Those that portray Jesus, as a kid, striking neighbors blind, healing snakebitten friends, forming clay birds and then bringing them to life, stretching planks of wood until they end up the same length.

There’s a reason why they’re not in the pages of Scripture. They’re dumb. They sound made up. But it’s clear in Nazareth they had heard of no such thing. “Why’s Jesus doing all of these miracles now? And walking around talking like He’s God or something? We know that guy. The builder’s son. He’s just an ordinary guy. Something’s not adding up.”

Second, and I mentioned this before - Rome has long tried to build this case for the perpetual virginity of Jesus. But there’s no reason to try to read these names as being Joseph’s kids from another marriage or cousins or something like that. The crowd in Nazareth is saying, “This guy isn’t anything special. We see His sisters every day in the market. We drink with his brothers every day after work.”

There’s no reason to try to explain this away. And there’s no evidence to the contrary in history. We shouldn’t dare worship or try to pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus. She wasn’t sinless. We shouldn’t try to pretend she was. And her having children with Joe the carpenter wasn’t even a problem. As the writers of the ESV Study Bible put it, “For Mary to have sexual relations with her husband, Joseph, and to bear children, would contribute to her holiness, not detract from it.”

But let me get back to the point. The crowds say, again we see in verse 56, “Where then did this man get these things?” Now when they use that word “where,” as also in verse 54, Carson points out that they’re “not so much concerned with location as with source of authority.” “Where is this coming from?” they ask. “From God or somewhere else?”

Now we know how they’ve answered this before. We’ve seen it a couple of times here in Matthew. "It has to come from Satan,” they thought. Maybe that’s what they’re thinking here, too. But it’s not hard to hear them, at least, in their questions, denying what they see and hear comes from God.

And it’s pretty clear, also, that they’re really not asking questions. Their minds are made up, don’t you think? Have you asked questions - or had them asked of you - that aren’t questions as much as protests. “How can a good God allow this to happen?” That’s the kind of question we see here. The Jesus they see now doesn’t fit with the one they remember. It doesn’t square with who they think He is.

They’re initially astonished. But they move quickly to being resistant. To deal with the tension. To explain it all away. And think with me how tragic this is. The Lord had judged Israel. He hadn’t spoken to them, sent a prophet, for hundreds of years. They desperately wanted to hear from God - or so they thought. But there He is. And they’ve got their their fingers in their ears. Verse 57 says that “they took offense at Him.”

There’s a rumor going around this weekend. And it’s that another one of the Porter boys, Columbia’s own - this time Jevon - is going to transfer back to Mizzou - and try to rescue our basketball program. How will he be received? With open arms, right? As they put it around here - as a “true son.” Jesus, the Son of God, a “true son” of Nazareth didn’t get that response.

Let’s look second at the Lord’s response to the crowd. Jesus is unsurprised, it seems, right? Jesus gives this proverb: “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” The Lord knows where everything is headed. His own family wouldn’t understand Him. His hometown people wouldn’t welcome Him. And that would extend to even the entire nation of Israel. God’s people, His own, would reject Him. They’d put Him to death. But that would open up salvation for the nations.

Jesus calls Himself a “prophet” here. And we know that He’s so much more than that. But He clearly identifies Himself with the long line of messengers. That the Father had sent to His people. Who had suffered at their hands. Jesus isn’t surprised by any of this. He knows it’s His calling. And it’s a part of the life of all of those faithful to Yahweh.

We also see Christ restrained in His response. He doesn’t judge them. That’s one way we see His restraint. But I’m talking about something else. Verse 58 reads, “And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”

Don’t misunderstand this. Don’t read this like the health-wealthers, like the TV preachers, who make healing like something almost magical, where you push the right buttons, where you say the right chants, and then Jesus is obligated to respond. Like the toy has to get dispensed from the machine. Because you put the right coins in. Nope.

Yes, Jesus heals, we see in the gospels, in response to faith. But not in some weird, mechanical way. People see Him as a guy posing at their high school reunion. They don’t believe He’s really who He claims to be. No one comes to Him, believing He can help. Jesus doesn’t answer prayers that aren’t being asked. Yes, we see Jesus restrained here in Nazareth. But it’s not by them. He is not constrained. It’s by Him. He’s not going to show off. This no doubt brings Jesus grief. But He isn’t surprised by it, either. Doing miracles - just to do them - that didn’t fit with His calling. As D.A. Carson writes,

“The ‘could not’ is related to Jesus’ mission: just as Jesus could not turn stones to bread without violating his mission (4:14), so he could not do miracles indiscriminately without turning his mission into a sideshow.” (D.A. Carson)

The crowds are astonished, but then resistant. The Lord is unsurprised, but then restrained. What’s so tragic, of course, is that His authority does come from God. He’s not just a kid from Nazareth High, the son of the carpenter named Joseph. He’s the God-man. Before whom we should all worship. And for whom we should all also suffer.

Our Twin Tendencies and Their Costs

With that, I want to begin moving into application. And I want us to see our twin tendencies and their costs. One thing we see here so clearly in the crowds. And another thing that relates to what we see here in Christ. Here’s our first tendency. We fight being receptive to Jesus. Don’t we? We’re drawn to, astonished by, so much of what we see. But we quickly become resistant. We lash out. We walk away. Even those of us, who would say we’re Christians. We fight listening to Jesus, to what He says in His word. We’re drawn to Him. Yet we fear where it leads. So we keep our barriers up. And miss out.

Here’s a second tendency. We fear being rejected with Jesus. Already in Matthew, we’ve seen the calling of every true disciple. To follow Christ into this kind of suffering. Remember? “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” “If they’ve called me Satan, they’re gonna call you that, too.” That’s what Jesus tells us in Matthew 10. We’re also to walk in the way of the prophets. And that’ll mean that we’ll get abuse, as well. And we don’t want that. So we live in fear. We choose the comfortable path. The one that’s wide - and easy.

We fight being receptive to Jesus. We fear being rejected with Jesus. But we kick against His words at our own peril. And the peril we follow Him into - it’s for our good. More on that in a bit.

Our Cultural Moment and the Stakes       

Let’s think about our cultural moment and the stakes. I was listening to an interview with Tim Keller this week. And he talked about four realities, that we have to proclaim, that put us between a rock and a hard place today. They’re four truths that the early church also had to preach. And it wasn’t any easier back in the empire of Rome. He said, we’re first pro-life. And I know he’d agree with this - that has to be from the womb to the tomb. We second teach a biblical vision for sex. We’re made male and female. And sex is meant for a man and a woman in the context of marriage.

We’re third for racial justice. We have to speak against and work against the racial inequities in our culture. And root racism from every corner of our hearts. And fourth, we care about the poor. We care about the marginalized. Business and the economy aren’t our priorities. People are. People made in God’s image. Those are the ways of our King and His Kingdom.

Now Keller says, and this is obvious. Holding up those four things sets us up for all kinds of abuse. From both sides. We won’t easily identity with either political party. And proclaiming these truths makes us seem weird before the world. And even seen as dangerous. And this isn’t even getting into the most basic truths of our faith. The Bible is true. Jesus is the only way. Judgment is coming.

Hear me: the world needs desperately the wisdom, the works of Jesus our Lord. Just like we need it so badly ourselves. We struggle to live out those truths at times - even as Christians. But most in the world won’t hear them at all. And they’ll hate us as a result.

Regardless, our calling is to share Jesus, and the difference He makes. To be a prophetic voice in our day, in our culture. Here in America, in Columbia, on campus, at your job. And to do it without fear.

Last week, Aaron mentioned that Francis of Assisi quote. “Preach the gospel. Use words, if necessary.” And yes, I liked St. Ferguson of Missouri’s version much better. But there’s a reason why we like to throw the original one around. It makes us feel better. It’s easier to just be a nice person. To keep our mouths shut. To not say anything controversial. But the world needs to hear Christ’s wisdom and works. But we usually choose to love ourselves - more than our neighbors and friends.

Not sure if you’ve seen this as you’ve scrolled. But there are many Christians today that are saying we’re now in a “negative world.” Not that long ago, they’d argue, our environment was far more neutral. But a switch was flipped, and now, for that reason, we’ve got to bring out the big guns. It’s given many this license to get mad, to be hostile toward our culture. Because things are negative, we need a new strategy, they argue.

But that’s ludicrous, my friends. God’s people have always lived in a negative world. This world has been fallen from almost the beginning. Try living in Babylon. Or, as in Matthew’s day, in Rome. Where unwanted babies were tossed into the street. Where men would have wives - women they treated as less than human - along with them, young “boy toys” on the side. Not that much has changed, if we think about it at all. And we also have to ask, if it used to be neutral or even better, as so many think - we’ll say back in the 50s - then better for whom? For black people? For women? For outsiders? For whom?

When were these good old days exactly? And if it was easier to be a Christian - at some point in our history - was it really that good for our souls?

The world is fallen. It’s always been “negative.” We can’t be silent, out of comfort and fear. We also can’t lash out, out of anger and pride. And convince ourselves through some maze of circular logic that we’re martyrs. As N.T. Wright puts it, “Just because people are offended by what you say, that doesn’t mean you are telling the truth, that you are a heaven-sent true prophet. It may simply mean that you’re talking a lot of nonsense.” But then he goes on.

“But equally, if the signs that God is at work are there elsewhere — as they were abundantly, of course, in Jesus’ case–then the fact of rejection, not least in one’s own home district, should never be taken as an indication that one is off track, that God has withdrawn his blessing.

In fact, rejection can sometimes be a strange encouragement. Provided we understand such a moment with humility, it can become a further indication, albeit a dark and negative one, that God is truly at work. If new creation and new life are going forward, those who have invested heavily in the old creation, the old ways of life, are bound to be offended. But make sure, before you use this argument in your own favour, that the offence in question is the gospel itself, and not something about the messenger.” (N.T. Wright)

Here’s where I’m going. We need - our world needs - the truth in love. We need guidance in all of the insanity going on in this world. The truth. And not only does it need to be shared in love. If we don’t share it, it’s not very loving. We have to have courage. We can’t live in fear. We have to go in faith. With our Lord. Come what may. We are not Jesus, but we go in His authority. That’s what the Great Commission, in Matthew 28 says. We have His Holy Spirit in us. We can do powerful things in Him. If we listen to Him. And stand for Him.

Our Response to This Passage

I want to go back to those twin tendencies I talked about a moment ago. And think about what our response should be - here to these words. Two responses that match those tendencies we all feel.

Here’s the first. We must embrace the works - and wisdom of Jesus. Friends, we need what Jesus says, to survive in this world. And we greatly need His work in our lives. We need the Bible, the worldview it presents. The story it gives. Especially, the remedy it provides. We need His words of life. And especially the words that we tend to resist.

Think about it. If we worship a God who made everything we see. Who can even raise the dead. And heal all this hurt around us we see. Wouldn’t we expect Him to say some things we can’t understand? That might even make us uncomfortable at times? As many have said, if we find ourselves with a God that says everything we want to hear, it might not be God - it might be an idol. One made in our own image. Therefore, as author Claire Smith puts it, “We must always allow God’s word to critique us and our culture, rather than the other way around.” Friends, let’s not be like those crowds we see here in Matthew. Let’s let our astonishment close our lips and put us on our knees.

We must embrace the works - and wisdom of Jesus. And with that, our wholeness and joy. Jesus didn’t heal those gathered in that synagogue. They wouldn’t put down their fists so that He could take them in His arms. When we fight against Christ, we fight against our good. Our souls. But also our bodies. As one day, He’ll raise us up. If we’re His. With the rest of His creation.

Second, we must expect resistance, and even persecution for Jesus. In 1 Peter 4:12, the Lord tells us not to “be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” But we so often are, right? If we’re disciples of Jesus. And we go into this city, speaking the truth in love. We, too, are going to get resistance.

And so often, it will come from those close to us. We’ve got a team heading out soon to Brazil. Have you gone on a mission trip and just felt free? No one knows you. You’ll never see them again. You can say whatever. Courage comes easier. But to your co-workers and neighbors, certainly your parents and siblings - that’s another matter. They know you. They’ve seen you at your worst. They point out your inconsistencies and also your hypocrisies. And we can be so easily confined - thrown into a box. And easily controlled by them - and what they think. The closer they are, the more it hurts. Right? It can be the hardest place for us to share our faith.

But, in reality, the abuse really isn’t much about us. If we’re faithful, it’ll be about Jesus, first of all. But that’s not really what I mean. It usually has more to do with them. They’re threatened by us. They want to feel like they stack up well to us. Or even be higher on the “I’m a good person” scale than us. You’d think it would be the safest place for us to be ourselves. But so often, it isn’t - at all. “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” Just as with Jesus, it doesn’t mean we’ll be honored everywhere. We shouldn’t expect it anywhere. But, especially not close to home.

We must expect resistance, and even persecution for Jesus. Out in the world. At times inside our home. And with it, our purpose and blessing. We were made, church, for the glory of God. To image Him, to proclaim Him - His wisdom, His works, to the world. To point to that glory - that will one day overtake the earth. And to bask in it now, even in this fallen world. That is our purpose.

And it’s also where there’s blessing. Even if there’s persecution. Especially if there’s persecution. Do you remember the last Beatitude, verses 10 through 12 of Matthew 5?

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If we suffer persecution for Him, it means we’re in the long line of the prophets. We won’t get much honor from the world, but we sure will from our Lord. And it also means that we’re “blessed.” We should rejoice. Our reward will be great.

We must embrace the works - and wisdom of Jesus. We must expect resistance, and even persecution for Jesus.

Two Warnings and Two Encouragements

I want to go further even into application, and close with two warnings and two encouragements that flow from this passage.

The Warnings. First, don’t mock - and walk - away from the Lord, or He soon will from you. Whatever light you can see, don’t close your eyes. Don’t turn your back. Or it may be gone forever. Jesus left Nazareth. And they remained empty. Humble yourself. Don’t try to be God. Open your ears to God in the flesh. It’s for your good.

Second, don’t let Jesus become too familiar in your sight. Familiarity can breed contempt, as they say, as we see here. Maybe you’ve grown up in the church. And you’ve heard all the stories. And now Jesus seems harmless, really ordinary. You’re no longer in awe of Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in you again. To make you astonished - and receptive.

The Encouragements. First, the Lord understands fire - and even that from close range. He wasn’t welcomed by His own people. He got mocked in His hometown. Inside of His home, as we’ve seen here in Matthew, His mom, his siblings - they thought He was nuts. They came and tried to get Him help. Jesus understands friendly fire. He went through it, too. And He’s there for you and me - in that pain.

Second, the resurrected King is on our side. He not only gets us. He sends us out in His power. He promises to work on our behalf. He likes to work through the humble, in seemingly impossible situations. That magnifies His grace. It brings Him glory. It’s likely that Christ’s family were part of those who didn’t understand Him here. But that wasn’t the end of the story.

His brother “James” ends up as a leader of the Jerusalem church. The “Judas” here is also called Jude. And yeah, he wrote the book that’s here in our Bibles. His mom came to faith. It’s likely the others here did, too. As we listen to His word, and obey what it says, as we carry the truth in love - and endure suffering - we can trust Jesus will be at work - and in surprising ways.

The Hope of the Gospel

Here’s the good news, what we call “gospel.” None of us listens to Jesus as we should. We too much look and sound like the people described here in Matthew. We also tend to cower and run when we try and then things get hard. But again, Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem. And the cross He’d hang on there. And He endured that so that we could be forgiven. So we could be free. Let’s run to Jesus for His healing now. That’s the greatest work. What He ultimately came to do.

Welcoming the “True Son” Home

Now as I mentioned at the start, the opposition to our Lord - it just gets stronger, things get harder - as we go throughout the book. And, as we’ll see, it’s also for those who are following after Him. Disciples like us. In a couple of weeks, we’ll jump into chapter 14, and we’ll see the fate of John the Baptist, another prophet of our Lord, another disciple of our King. And we’ll be reminded that following Jesus has a cost. But again, it’s so much worth it.

Let’s be the type of people, Karis, that welcome Jesus into our town, who eat up His words of wisdom - and revel in His works. And let’s not try to play to the crowd, to be hometown heroes ourselves. Let’s speak the truth - in love - with Jesus. Let’s embrace Him - and with it, our wholeness and joy. And expect suffering - and with it, our purpose and blessing. There was no billboard back in his hometown that day that said, “Welcome to Nazareth, the home of Jesus the King.” And there won’t be one for us. If we’re His, that is. But we can have a sign like that in this place. One written on our own hearts. Where we welcome His words. And welcome His works. Where we are loyal to Him. And stand firm for Him. Let’s pray.