Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 13:54

"And coming 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?" — Matthew 13:54 (ASV)

When he was come into his own country—The visit to Nazareth, recorded here in nearly identical terms to Mark 6:1-6, shares so many similarities with the narrative of Luke 4:16-31 that many critics have concluded it is a less complete account of the same event.

If this assumption is correct, the narrative must be chronologically misplaced in at least one of the Gospels. Indeed, some chronological discrepancy must be admitted in any case, as Mark places this visit after the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter, which follows the healing of the Gadarene demoniac, an event he places on the day after the first use of parables. We must admit, as noted previously regarding Matthew 8:1, the almost complete lack of reliable chronological markers, beyond the grouping of a few prominent events.

However, in comparing Matthew and Mark with Luke, there seems to be insufficient reason to assume the events are identical. Luke's Gospel places its narrated visit at the very beginning of our Lord's ministry and presents it as the reason for His move to Capernaum. In Matthew's account, however, there is no outburst of violent hostility as we find in Luke, but only simple amazement.

It seems more probable, therefore, that we have here a brief account of another effort to lead the men of Nazareth to acknowledge Him—if not as the Christ, then at least as a Prophet. The account may be short and incomplete, perhaps because our Lord went without His disciples.

The circumstances in Matthew's record suggest another possible motive. He had recently (as seen in Matthew 12:48), when His mother and brothers came in their anxious desire to interrupt His work, spoken words that seemed to distance them from Him. What if this visit was meant to show that, although as a Prophet He could not tolerate that interruption, familial affections were not dead in Him? What if it showed that His heart still yearned for His brothers and His townspeople, and that He sought to lift them to a higher life?

When comparing this account with Luke's, it seems almost certain that this time there was a less direct assertion of His claims as the Christ than before. It was a proclamation of the laws of the kingdom rather than of His own position within it. Consequently, the impression left on the people was one of wonder at His wisdom, not of anger or scorn at His claims.