Matthew 13:58 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

NIV: And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

NASB: And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

CSB: And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

NLT: And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.

KJV: And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

NKJV: Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Luke's description of a visit by Jesus to His hometown of Nazareth includes a demand from the people that Jesus do the kinds of miracles they had heard He had performed in Capernaum (Luke 4:23). This might be the same incident Matthew refers to here, or a subsequent visit. In either case, Jesus refuses. This verse shows that He would not do many miracles in Nazareth because of the unbelief of the people. This is consistent with His response to similar demands from the Pharisees (Matthew 12:38–39). Such people are not sincerely asking for proof—they're ignoring the evidence they've already seen, and insincerely demanding more.

Matthew notes that Jesus "did not" perform many miracles, for that reason. Mark indicates that Jesus "could" not, but not because Jesus needed people to believe in Him for His miracles to work. Rather, this is much like saying "I could not give my son a reward, because of his bad behavior." It means Jesus could not appropriately do something, since it would contradict His message, not that He was physically incapable of it.

Jesus was the Son of God and filled with all of God's power. He could do whatever miracles He wanted to. Yet as Jesus emphasized to those He healed, He responds to requests inspired by faith (Matthew 15:28; Mark 10:52), not disingenuous demands for proof (John 2:18–19; Mark 8:11–12). The fact that the people of His hometown refused to believe that His power came from God gave Him little reason to demonstrate His power to them (Matthew 7:6).

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.