Matthew 13:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

NIV: Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

NASB: And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man acquire all these things?'

CSB: And his sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does he get all these things?"

NLT: All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?'

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

NKJV: And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”

The people of Nazareth are convinced that they already know who Jesus is; whatever He's saying or doing now cannot change their views. Jesus grew up among them (Matthew 13:54–55). They all went to the synagogue together as children. His sisters were all present in the room. They knew His adoptive father Joseph, who might have been dead by now. His mother Mary was there. They're not truly asking where Jesus obtained wisdom and power. Rather, they're being sarcastic, the way someone might snap "who put you in charge?" to a peer.

If the people had simply been marveling at the unexpected, their reaction might have made more sense. Had these questions been followed by repentance, it would imply sincerity. Instead, their astonishment caused them to reject any idea of Jesus being important, let alone being the Messiah. As the following verse shows, they felt insulted by Jesus instead of worshiping Him. Their comfortable, established concept of Christ was too ingrained to be changed.

The same mistake can be made today. Both for claimed Christians as well as non-believers, it's possible to prefer traditions, myths, and assumptions about Christ rather than accurate teaching. When presented with new information, some will respond by waving it away, claiming they "already know" what they need to know.

Matthew 13:53–58 describes Jesus' trip to His hometown of Nazareth. The people are astonished at His teaching and miracles, but they do not respect Him. Instead, they ask where His wisdom and power come from. Many of these people would have known Jesus from His youth, and they know His earthly family. That includes Jesus' mother and half-siblings. Rather than accept His words, the hometown crowd is offended. So, Jesus refuses to do many miracles because of their unbelief. Because the people think they already everything about Jesus, they ignore His actual message.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net. Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

Matthew 13 follows Jesus from the overcrowded house at the end of the previous chapter to a crowded beach on the Sea of Galilee. He teaches a large crowd in a series of parables, which He doesn't fully explain. However, He reveals their meaning to His disciples inside a nearby house. Jesus pictures the kingdom of heaven as a sower, a sabotaged field of wheat, a mustard seed, and a pearl dealer, among other things. He then travels to His original hometown of Nazareth where He is rejected by the people He grew up with. This leads Matthew back to depictions of Jesus' miracles, after sadly recording John the Baptist's death.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.