The Collect
O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 45
Ecclesiastes 2:16–26
Gospel: 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.
Commentary:
In these half dozen verses, Matthew delivers a summation of the principle issue that many of the religious faithful had with Jesus; they expected a grand and glorious king in all his splendor, and God sent them one of their own, the son of a carpenter, who was destined by God to be the savior for the entire world.
“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished,” (v. 54a) “When he taught them in their synagogue, they were astonished; not that they were taken with his preaching, or admired his doctrine in itself, but only that it should be his; looking upon him as unlikely to be such a teacher. Two things they upbraided him with.” Henry goes on to explain that while they admitted Jesus had great wisdom, and did mighty works that only someone from God could do, they questioned his [1] academic qualifications. He had not formerly studied under the tutelage of an accepted Rabbi. The family relations of Jesus, [2] did not meet with their expectations. Only a family of wealth and standing could see a son provided with the education that Jesus obviously displayed; they never considered that his academic credentials came from God himself.
“It is the very ordinariness of Jesus’ home background that causes the astonishment.” (France)
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” (vs. 55-56)
“This insulting question seems to intimate that our Lord’s family was a very obscure one; and that they were of small repute among their neighbours, except for their piety.” (Clarke)
“And they were offended in him.” (v. 57a)
“When we think of how strongly Jesus is identified with Nazareth (see at Matthew 2:23), it is even more surprising to note that the people of Nazareth did not appreciate it. The success and glory of Jesus seemed only to make them more resentful towards Him.” (Guzik)
“People bring the same charge against Jesus today; ‘I see those associated with Him, and they seem lowly or very normal; Jesus must also not be special.’ ” (Guzik) Guzik makes a good point her—in my opinion—in that Christianity has always been a faith of the people, not something limited to Kings or captains of industry. Until relatively recently, the vast majority of Protestant ministers were self taught or studied in somewhat obscure bible schools; but now it is not uncommon to see ministers with academic pedigrees such as Doctor of Divinity, and other evidence of their scholarly background.
Perhaps this aspect—that of our ministers having studied under the tutelage of professors that would be more suited to teach in secular universities—explains why we see the message from many pulpits embracing ideologies that contradict rather than to compliment, the Gospels. A decade ago, a minister confessed to me that at the seminary where he studied, each and every one of his professors, were atheists. And we wonder why the Christian church is in decline.
Perhaps it is the attitude of many people today, an attitude in which they are like these religious people Matthew tells us about in these verses who were critical of Jesus, an attitude in which “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.” (v. 57b)
“Prophets should have honour paid them, and commonly have; men of God are great men, and men of honour, and challenge respect. It is strange indeed if prophets have not honour. Notwithstanding this, they are commonly least regarded and reverenced in their own country, nay, and sometimes are most envied. Familiarity breeds contempt.” (Henry)
“We often have wrong ideas about what it means to be spiritual. We often think that spiritual people will be much more strange than normal. Therefore, those closest to truly spiritual people see just how normal they are and sometimes think that they aren’t spiritual because they are normal.” (Guzik)
“And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (v. 58)
It would be a mistake to read verse 58 and come away with the idea that Jesus could not do mighty works there due to their disbelief. Later on in this Godpel, Matthew writes:
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Mt. 19:26)
Several hundred years ago, Matthew Henry wrote; “So that if mighty works be not wrought in us, it is not for want of power or grace in Christ, but for want of faith in us.”
How many of us go through life totally oblivious to the wondrous works of God, from the miracle of chlorophyll in a simple blade of grass changing sunlight into energy and food for the plant’s sustenance, to the marvels of the celestial bodies in the night sky. All these things—even some scientists are now admitting—are too stupendous and complex to have evolved naturally, but must have had some form of intelligent design. Those of us who have faith, know in our hearts that this intelligent design was at the hands of the great artificer. As Jesus said; “but with God all things are possible.”
It all boils down to making a choice to believe, or to ignore the obvious. The same choice that these men religious had to make two millennia past, to acknowledge the obvious—that Jesus must have been from God as no man could have done what he did—or remain ignorant by choosing to show contempt for the local guy, regardless of the might works he did.
Benediction
Jesus called us to be the salt and light of the world, so as to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deeds. The way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service. Almighty God, we ask you to continue to bless us and prepare us for this task. We ask these things in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thought for the Day:
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
Bible Studies From The Daily Office, is an outreach ministry designed to encourage the viewer to read one Old Testament or Epistle, a Psalm, and a Gospel selection everyday. Following each Gospel reading is a commentary designed to help the reader understand the traditional meaning of God’s Holy Word.
…………
If you like our work, please click on the Like and Follow, or Subscribe buttons—we do not receive any funding for this, nor do we openly solicit tithes or donations—but by liking and subscribing to our pages, you help to raise our rankings in the search engines so that a larger audience may find our work, especially those individuals who may need this inspiration.
Saint Michaels Chapel 