Matthew 13:58

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. AND HE DID NOT MANY MIGHTY WORKS THERE, BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF - "except that He laid His hands on a few sick folk, and healed them" (). See the notes at Luke 4:16, and Remarks at the close of that section....

58._And he did not perform many miracles in that place. Mark _states it more emphatically, that _he could not perform any miracle. _But they are perfectly agreed as to the substance of what is said, that it was the impiety of Christ’s countrymen that closed the door against the performance of a greater number of miracles among them. He had already given them some taste of his power; but they willingly stupify themselves, so as to have no relish for it. Accordingly, _Augustine _justly compares faith to the open mouth of a vessel, while he speaks of faith as resembling a stopper, by which the vessel is closed, so as not to receive the liquor (349) which God pours into it. And undoubtedly this is the case; for when the Lord perceives that his power is not accepted by us, he at length withdraws it; and yet we complain that we are deprived of his aid, which our unbelief rejects and drives far...

53-58 Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbelief is the great hinderance to Christ's favours. Let us keep faithful to him as the Saviour who has made our peace with God....

Verse Matthew 13:58. _AND HE DID NOT MANY MIGHTY WORKS THERE BECAUSE OF_ _THEIR UNBELIEF_] δυναμεις, _miracles_. So the word is used, Matthew 7:22; Matthew 11:20; Acts 19:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Galatians 3:5; Hebrews 2:4. The Septuagint translates נפלאות אל _niphleoth el, the miraculous_ _works of God_, by δυναμιν κυριε....

DID NOT MANY MIGHTY WORKS - Miracles. This implies that he performed some miracles. Mark tells us what they were: “He laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them,” Mark 6:5. BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF - That is, it would have been useless to the great purposes of his mission to have worked miracles there. We are not to suppose that his power was limited by the belief or unbelief of people; but they were so “prejudiced,” so set against him, that they were not in a condition to “judge of evidence” and to be convinced. They would have charged it to derangement, or sorcery, or the agency of the devil. Compare John 10:20. It would have been of no use, therefore, in proving to them that he was from God, to have worked miracles. He did, therefore,

EXPOSITION A few remarks by way of introduction to the characteristic portion of this chapter (Matthew 13:1). (1) We have here a collection of the Lord's parables, all spoken, as it would appear, at an early period in his ministry, descriptive of the principles of the kingdom of heaven as they make themselves felt in history, and of the way in which those who are brought into contact with the kingdom ought to act. As the chapter stands, it consists of three chief parts, which probably roughly correspond to three stages of development in its composition. (A) Matthew 13:1, also in Mark and Luke, except some characteristic enlargements in verses 10-17. The section contains the parable of the sower and its interpretation, together with a statemen

AND HE DID NOT MANY MIGHTY WORKS THERE,.... Some he did, though not many; partly that they might be left inexcusable, and partly that it might not be said, he did not wish well, to his own country: what he did, were not of the first class, and greatest note; he only "laid his hands", as Mark says, Mark 6:5 "upon a few sick folk, and healed them"; and yet these were such as raised their wonder and astonishment, but did not command their faith, and were rather stumbling blocks unto them; such were their prejudices, their unbelief, and the hardness of their hearts: and the reason indeed why he did no more was, BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF. These words in Mark are joined with this expression, "he marvelled"; showing, that their continued unbelief in him, notwithstanding his ministry and miracles among them, was matter of surprise to him; but here they are given as a reason why he did no m

Matthew 13:24. _Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:_ Jesus never sowed any other kind of seed. The truth which he taught is pure and unadulterated. It is good seed, good and only good, the very best of seed. Matthew 13:25. _But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way._ Wherever Christ is active the enemy is sure to be active too. If you have a sleeping church, you may have a sleeping devil; but as soon as ever Christ is in the congregation sowing the good seed, the devil wakes up, and by night, when men are off their guard, the bad seed the mock wheat here translated «tares» is sown among the true wheat....

II. THE REJECTED KINGDOM AND THE REJECTED KING. CHAPTER S 13-28. 1. The King at the Seaside. The Mysteries of the Kingdom. CHAPTER 13 1. The King at the Seaside. (Matthew 13:1 .) 2. The Parable of the Sower. (Matthew 13:3 .) 3. The Question of the Disciples and His Answer. (Matthew 13:10 .) 4. The Parable of the Sower Explained. (Matthew 13:18 .) 5. The Parable of the Good Seed and the Tares. (Matthew 13:24 .) 6. The Parable of the Mustard Seed....

JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH (Mark 6:1 *, _cf._ Luke 4:16). Mt. has already used Mark 4:35 and Matthew 5. Perhaps the original reading in Matthew 13:55 is neither carpenter's son nor carpenter (Mk.), but, as in the Sinaitic Syriac version, Joseph's son. It is a nice question whether in Matthew 13:58 Mt. is simply abbreviating Mk. or deliberately altering what seemed a disparagement of Jesus-' power, and making the absence of mighty works a punishment for unbelief....