And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
All Commentaries on Matthew 13:58 Go To Matthew 13
John Chrysostom
AD 407
What then says Christ unto them? A prophet, says He, is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house: and He did not, it is said, many mighty works, because of their unbelief. But Luke says, And He did not there many miracles. And yet it was to be expected He should have done them. For if the feeling of wonder towards Him was gaining ground (for indeed even there He was marvelled at), wherefore did He not do them? Because He looked not to the display of Himself, but to their profit. Therefore when this succeeded not, He overlooked what concerned Himself, in order not to aggravate their punishment.
And yet see after how long a time He came to them, and after how great a display of miracles: but not even so did they endure it, but were inflamed again with envy.
Wherefore then did He yet do a few miracles? That they might not say, Physician, heal yourself. Luke 4:23 That they might not say, He is a foe and an enemy to us, and overlooks His own; that they might not say, If miracles had been wrought, we also should have believed. Therefore He both wrought them, and stayed: the one, that He might fulfill His own part; the other, that He might not condemn them the more.
And consider thou the power of His words, herein at least, that possessed as they were by envy, they did yet admire. And as with regard to His works, they do not find fault with what is done, but feign causes which have no existence, slaying, In Beelzebub He casts out the devils; even so here too, they find no fault with the teaching, but take refuge in the meanness of His race.
But mark thou, I pray you, the Master's gentleness, how He reviles them not, but with great mildness says, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country. And neither here did He stop, but added, And in his own house. To me it appears, that with covert reference to His very own brethren, He made this addition.
But in Luke He puts examples also of this, saying, that neither did Elias come unto His own, but to the stranger widow; neither by Eliseus was any other leper healed, but the stranger Naaman; Luke 4:25-27 and Israelites neither received benefit, nor conferred benefit, but the foreigners. And these things He says, signifying in every instance their evil disposition, and that in His case nothing new is taking place.
