Homilies on Matthew — Homily 48

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 4
4. Chapter 8
5. Chapter 9
6. Chapter 10

Matt. XIII. 53.

And it came to pass, that, when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence.

Wherefore said He, these? Because He was to speak others besides. And wherefore, again, does He depart? Desiring to sow the word everywhere.

And when He had come into His own country, He taught them in their synagogue. [[Matthew 13.54]]

And what does he now call His country? As it seems to me, Nazareth. For He did not many mighty works there, [[Matthew 13.58]] it is said, but in Capernaum He did miracles: wherefore He said also, And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto Heaven, shall be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works, which have been done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [[Matthew 11.23]]

But having come there, while He slackens somewhat in His miracles; so as not to inflame them unto more envy, nor to condemn them more grievously, by the aggravation of their unbelief: He yet puts forth a doctrine, having no less of wonder in it than the miracles. For these utterly senseless men, when they ought to have marvelled, and to have been amazed at the power of His words, they on the contrary hold Him cheap, because of him who seemed to be His father; yet we know they had many examples of these things in the former times, and from fathers of no note had seen illustrious children. For so David was the son of a certain mean husbandman, Jesse; and Amos, the child of a goatherd, and himself a goatherd; [[Amos 7.14]]-15 and Moses too, the lawgiver, had a father very inferior to himself. When they therefore, for this especially, ought to adore and be amazed, that being of such parents He spoke such things, it being quite manifest, that so it was not of man's care, but of God's grace: yet they, what things they should admire Him for, for those they despise Him.

He is moreover continually frequenting the synagogues, lest if He were always abiding in the wilderness, they should the more accuse Him as making a schism, and fighting against their polity. Being amazed therefore, and in perplexity, they said, Whence has this man this wisdom, and these powers? either calling the miracles powers, or even the wisdom itself. Is not this the carpenter's son? [[Matthew 13.55]] The greater then the marvel, and the more abundant the ground of amaze. Is not His mother called Mary, and His brethren James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Whence has this man these things? And they were offended in Him. [[Matthew 13.55]]-56

Do you see that Nazareth was where He was discoursing? Are not his brethren, it is said, such a one, and such a one? And what of this? Why, by this especially you ought to have been led on to faith. But envy you see is a poor base thing, and often falls foul of itself. For what things were strange and marvellous, and enough to have gained them over, these offended them.

What then says Christ unto them? A prophet, says He, is not without honor, save in his