March 5, 2026
(Matt Koerber)
Matthew 13:53-14:12 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.
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Two stories, back to back, warn of the increased opposition that Jesus was facing. The prior parables form the backdrop for these two setbacks. Teaching about the four soils and varied responses to the message of Jesus prepare us for both growing crowds and hostile enemies. The parable of the weeds shows that both positive and negative responses will grow until the last day. Finally, the parable of the net implies that the last day will bring definitive separation. On one hand, Herod hears of the “fame” of Jesus (14:1), and looking ahead we will see shortly that thousands of people gather to listen to Jesus. They stay so long that their hunger almost produces an emergency. However, these first two stories after the parables highlight opposition to Jesus. Certainly, the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth and the execution of John the Baptist would have felt like major setbacks to the disciples.
In Matthew 13:53-58, we find that Jesus has returned to his hometown of Nazareth. Rather than rejoicing in the success of the “hometown boy”, the crowds are offended by him (v.57). In particular, they find it difficult to believe that Jesus could be anything special. After all, his dad was a carpenter, and his family members were ordinary people trudging down the dusty streets of their village. Apparently, Jesus had not been voted “most likely to be messiah” in his high school yearbook! As the saying goes, “familiarity breeds contempt.” Still, the rejection must have felt personal and painful for Jesus.
In the second story, we are told about the death of John the Baptist. When Herod the tetrarch heard reports of the fame of Jesus, he wondered if John the Baptist had come back from the dead. At this point, John “flashes back” to tell us the story of how John had died at Herod’s hand. (Side note: Herod the tetrarch is the son of Herod the Great, who killed the children in the region of Bethlehem earlier in the story). It was a pretty humiliating way for John to die. A dancing girl and a scheming mother lead to a rash oath and John’s execution. Not only was he killed, but his head was placed on a platter like a slaughtered animal. Given the close association between Jesus and John the Baptist, this foreshadows growing opposition to Jesus. If John was the forerunner who served to introduce the ministry of Jesus, this is not a good sign of where things are headed.
And yet, we can look back at the story and see that these setbacks were not outside of God’s purpose and power. Human opposition does not delay or derail God’s plan. The shameful death of John really did foreshadow the eventual death of Jesus. But death was not defeat. The humiliating rejection and excruciating death of crucifixion were not the end, but the means God used to accomplish the salvation of his people. Momentary setbacks serve a larger purpose. Death gives way to life. Victory springs up from the tomb of defeat.
A closer look at the family of Jesus also shows us a surprising thread of redemption. Two of the names of Jesus’ brothers would carry further significance. James and Judas were brothers of Jesus (v.55) who did not follow him while he was alive. In fact, Mark tells a story in which the family of Jesus showed up to try to talk him out of pursuing his public ministry for fear that he had lost his mind (Mark 3:21). Though they did not follow him in his life, his resurrection seemed to have brought a change of heart to at least two of his brothers. Paul referred to an important leader in Jerusalem as “James, the brother of our Lord.” Most early Christians believed that this was the same person who wrote the book of James and presided over the Jerusalem council. Furthermore, the book of Jude is written by an author who introduced himself as “Jude, the brother of James.” It seems likely that Jude was short for Judas, the brother of Jesus listed here by the villagers at Nazareth. So, growing up with Jesus did not provide a shortcut to faith, and the work of the Holy Spirit could produce disciples out of incredulous siblings.
Are there setbacks in your life that feel confusing or shameful? We should not expect anything less. In our connection with Jesus, we participate in his death and resurrection (Col 2). Jesus himself announced that the members of his kingdom would be blessed in the midst of persecution. (See: “Sermon on the Mount”). But we can know for certain that we do not suffer alone. All Christian suffering opens the door to sharing in the fellowship of suffering with Christ (Phil 3). And who knows how God can be using our momentary afflictions to form a story of redemption that will be transformed into a glorious future (2 Cor 4)? Even those that oppose the Gospel message now, may bend to the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. Current oppressors are sometimes future leaders in the church. Take heart, he is risen!
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An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.