Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 13:53-14:12)

June 9, 

(Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Where was Jesus’ hometown during His Galilean Ministry?
2. Where was Jesus invited to speak when he returned to Capernaum? 
3. Is everything in the Bible true?
4. What two last things did Jesus do at Capernaum?
5. Why was Jesus once again rejected in Capernaum for the second time?
6. What was the primary thing the people of Capernaum could not accept about Jesus?
7. Did Mary, the mother of Jesus, remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus as a mainline denomination teaches? 
8. What one thing do we share with Jesus when witnessing to family and friends?
9. Did the siblings of Jesus believe He was the Messiah?
10. Who was Herod the Tetrarch in relation to Herod the Great?
11. After Jesus taught the people in Capernaum in the Synagogue, what did the Jews intend to do to Him?

Introduction

As we finish chapter 13 and move into chapter 14, we enter the halfway point of Matthew. At this point, we enter the first of the last two sections of Matthew and the final days of Christ’s ministry on earth leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. During the final days of Jesus’ ministry, the crowds gradually turn against Him, and many follow Him no more.

Now the journey begins with the first of the hostile receptions, which include Jesus’ family and friends in His adopted hometown:

Matthew 13:53-58, “And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 54And when he was come 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? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

Earlier in our study of Matthew, we learned that Jesus moved His family to Capernaum, a seaside fishing village on the Sea of Galilee. Apparently, at that time, Jesus’ father, Joseph, had died, and Jesus being the firstborn, made the discission to move the family. Capernaum became His headquarters during His Galilean ministry. If you were to visit the remains of Caperaum today, you would see a large sign at the entry, which reads “The Hometown of Jesus.”

After He concluded His teaching on the parables, Jesus decided to return to Capernaum. There, He preached in the Synagogue, which was the custom in that day when a leader returned after being away for some time. The remains of that Synagogue still stand today; it stands right above the original one where Jesus taught. 

During His Galilean ministry, Jesus’ reputation had become well known. The people had gotten to know Him and apparently had been following His ministry closely. Jesus accepts the invitation to teach, and it would be the last time in a synagogue, as far as we know, since Matthew does not mention it again. In fact, this is the last time Jesus is seen speaking to a crowd. The change in ministry is in keeping with Jesus’ rejection as Israel’s Messiah. Matthew does not say what Jesus said on that day because He and His message, once again, is rejected.

Jesus was rejected on this occasion, as we see in verse 54: The people were astonished at His teaching. Jesus was teaching them a new and revolutionary way of interpreting Scripture, which overturned the way the Pharisees had taught, incidentally for their own gain.

The crowd asked Jesus where his wisdom and power came from, not to compliment Him but to call Him in doubt, indicating they thought His power might come from an evil source. They did not believe a person could have such wisdom and the ability to heal but were not willing to consider God the source. The people accused Jesus of many things that were not true. Even though all Scripture is inspired, not all recorded Scripture is true. We find this in several places in Scripture. For example, Job’s friends accused him of many things that were untrue.

We may wonder why the crowd doubted what they heard from Jesus? According to verse 57, the people took offense at Him. It wasn’t so much His message; it was Him that they rejected. They asked a question in verse 55: Isn’t this the carpenter’s son, the son of Joseph who worked among us, and wasn’t Mary, His mother? Isn’t this the brother of James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? They could not perceive that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. The gospel of Mark goes further and includes this, “Are not His sisters with us?” This meant Jesus’ sisters had married and continued to live in Capernaum. Jesus had brothers and sisters; this, by the way, disproves those who believe Mary remained a virgin all her life as one mainline denomination claims.

The point is, these people were trying to bring Jesus down to their level, just an average person, instead of recognizing Him as Lord. In essence, they could not see the Jesus they had known, the carpenter’s son, as the Jesus they now saw speaking with great wisdom and performing miracles as the Messiah. Jesus knew their talk and their unbelief and responded by saying that a prophet receives no honor in his hometown and household. Children have sometimes experienced this when they have tried to explain to their parents how to be saved or with friends with whom they grew up. We shouldn’t be surprised if our unsaved family and friends reject us when sharing the gospel with them. Some may be reluctant to share the gospel with strangers, but that is God’s way. He may place us in a situation where we have that opportunity. Once we try, we might find it easier to witness to strangers and far more effective, although that should not eliminate our witness to family and friends. We may be the only hope our family and friends have to know Christ. So, please don’t give up on them. 

As we move on, notice at the end of verse 58 Matthew tells us that due to the crowd’s rejection of Jesus, He did only a few miracles there. It is incredible to note that not only did the nation Israel reject Jesus as Messiah, but His family also did. It was only after His resurrection that his siblings recognized Him as Lord. Jesus focuses now on those who believe and performs miracles to benefit them.

Now in chapter 14, Jesus gets attention from Herod:

Matthew 14:1-2, “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.”

Herod the Tetrarch is one of the sons of Herod the Great. If you remember, Herod the Great was the one who tried to kill baby Jesus by killing all the little children around Bethlehem. After he died in 4 BC, his sons divided up his kingdom among themselves. The Herod in view here is Herod Antipas, who ruled the northern region. His palace was at Tiberias on the western shore of Galilee. Today it is a quaint little city. My wife, Margaret, and I visited there and spent two nights. It was in this area that Jesus conducted His Galilean ministry. Herod was the one who beheaded John the Baptist at the request of his wife. He believed Jesus was John the Baptist resurrected. 

Matthew then explains the death of John the Baptist:

Matthew 14:3-12 KJV, “For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. 4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. 9And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. 12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.”

Verse 3 mentions Antipas, and his wife, Herodias, who ruled during the ministry of Jesus. They claimed to be Jews, but it was in name only. Herod the Great had many wives and sons and daughters by different ones. His son, Aristobulus, was the father of Herodias mentioned in Matthew, who had also been the wife of Philip, the brother of Antipas. Herod’s family was lived out like an “R” rated movie, sordid and filled with immorality and violence. In between marriages, she was the mistress to a step-uncle. So, this woman would have fit well in today’s soap operas.

We read in verse 4 that John the Baptist condemned Antipas for marrying this woman. John was a prophet, so his word carried much weight; it intimidated Antipas, a weak king worried about holding to his power over the kingdom. We know this from Mark’s gospel: “For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” Mark 6:20. 

Satan is a scheming evil enemy of God’s people and was trying to put John to death. So, he used the woman in the king’s palace to accomplish his scheme. Herod was having a birthday party at the palace for himself with several people attending. His daughter, by marriage, was dancing for them, no doubt in a lewd way. According to Mark, the king, so impressed and probably intoxicated by this time, offered the young woman anything she wanted, up to half of the kingdom. Instead of asking for half of the kingdom, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod was upset at this request, but he had no choice but to abide since he had promised.

Jesus shared this story because He knew that He also would soon face the same fate. Jesus had visited here before and got the same response. They rejected His message and even attempted to kill Him. Jesus met this kind of opposition daily, which would ultimately bring Him to the cross. This account is according to Luke’s gospel:

Luke 4:28-30 (KJV), “And all they in the Synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30But he passing through the midst of them went his way.” 

By returning, Jesus gave them another opportunity to hear His message of life, and this time some did believe and were saved. We, like Jesus, should not give up on family and friends, nor the strangers we meet. As believers, our purpose is to live for Christ, for the Apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” Phil. 1:21 (KJV). We may face persecution in this life and have to make many sacrifices, but remember, it is a small price to pay compared to what Jesus has done for us as well as the reward we will receive in heaven.