Matthew 13 57

Matthew 13:57 kjv

And 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.

Matthew 13:57 nkjv

So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

Matthew 13:57 niv

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home."

Matthew 13:57 esv

And 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."

Matthew 13:57 nlt

And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family."

Matthew 13 verses

Matthew 13 57 Meaning

Matthew 13:57 describes the paradoxical reaction to Jesus in His hometown, Nazareth. Despite His wisdom and miraculous works, the people were "offended" by Him. Jesus then responds with a proverb, indicating that a prophet, a divinely sent messenger, rarely receives honor or recognition among his own people, in his hometown, or even within his own family. This verse highlights the deep-seated resistance to divine truth when it comes from an unexpectedly familiar source, challenging their preconceived notions about Jesus' identity and authority.

Matthew 13 57 Context

This verse immediately follows Jesus's return to Nazareth, His hometown, where He taught in the synagogue (Mt 13:54). The people of Nazareth were astonished by His wisdom and miracles, but their astonishment quickly turned to skepticism and offense (Mt 13:55-56) because they knew Him only as "the carpenter's son," identifying His earthly family. Chapter 13, known as the "Parable Chapter," is largely about the differing receptions to the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. The rejection of Jesus in His own hometown serves as a practical illustration of some forms of rejection discussed earlier in the parables (e.g., the seed falling on rocky ground or among thorns), showing that familiarity and human prejudice can blind people to divine truth. It foreshadows the broader rejection Jesus would face from the religious establishment.

Matthew 13 57 Word analysis

• And they were offended in Him.

  • And (kai - καὶ): Connects their reaction to Jesus's previous teaching and mighty works.
  • they were offended (eskandalizonto - ἐσκανδαλίζοντο): Imperfect passive tense of skandalizō. Means "to cause to stumble," "to shock," "to cause to fall into sin," or "to find objectionable/be scandalized." Here, it signifies that they found Jesus, specifically His origins in conflict with His perceived authority, to be a barrier or stumbling block to their faith. The imperfect tense suggests an ongoing or pervasive attitude.
  • in Him (en autō - ἐν αὐτῷ): Direct object of their offense. Their issue was specifically with Jesus's person and what they thought they knew about His humble background.

• But Jesus said to them,

  • But (de - δέ): Marks a contrast, introducing Jesus's response to their offense.
  • Jesus said (eipsen autois - εἶπεν αὐτοῖς): Jesus responds to their inner thoughts and their visible rejection.

• "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own household."

  • A prophet (prophētēs - προφήτης): Someone who speaks on behalf of God, conveying divine messages and revealing His will. Jesus here applies this recognized figure to Himself, implicitly affirming His own prophetic role.
  • is not without honor (ouk estin atimos - οὐκ ἔστιν ἄτιμος): This is a strong double negative ("not dishonored"), effectively meaning "is honored." Atimos (dishonored, without honor) derives from atimia (dishonor) and timē (honor, esteem, respect). The phrase means that generally, prophets receive honor.
  • except (ei mē - εἰ μή): Introduces the condition or exception to the general rule.
  • in his own country (en tē patridi autou - ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ): Literally "in his own fatherland" or "homeland," referring to Nazareth. Familiarity breeds contempt; those who knew Jesus from childhood struggled to acknowledge His divine commission.
  • and in his own household (kai en tē oikia autou - καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ): Refers to His own family, relatives, and close kin. This extends the rejection beyond the general populace of the town to those most intimately connected, suggesting that even Jesus's own immediate family or extended relatives had difficulty accepting Him fully as a prophet until after His resurrection (e.g., His brothers initially disbelieved, Jn 7:5; compare James, the brother of Jesus, who became a leader in the Jerusalem church, Gal 1:19).

Matthew 13 57 Bonus section

• This proverb by Jesus highlights a deep irony: while God often chooses the lowly and the obscure to convey His greatest truths, it is precisely this ordinary origin that becomes a barrier for those who demand grandeur or pedigree.
• The use of "prophet" (prophētēs) aligns Jesus not only with past messengers of God but also subtly claims that unique divine authority for Himself, which was offensive to those who viewed Him as an ordinary man.
• In Matthew's narrative, this rejection by His hometown signifies a turning point or clarification in Jesus's ministry regarding who would genuinely receive the kingdom message, aligning with the earlier parables about different kinds of soil.
• The principle "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country" also implies that outside one's immediate circle, recognition for one's gifts or message is often more readily given, contrasting the resistance experienced from those with close familiarity.

Matthew 13 57 Commentary

Matthew 13:57 is a concise yet profound commentary on the nature of divine revelation and human reception. Jesus's experience in Nazareth illustrates a recurring pattern for God's messengers: rejection often comes not from outsiders, but from those most familiar with the messenger's earthly origins. The term "offended" (eskandalizonto) highlights the root cause of their rejection—they stumbled over Jesus because their familiarity with "the carpenter's son" prevented them from accepting Him as "a prophet," the Son of God. This challenges the common assumption that proximity equates to understanding or acceptance.

Jesus's proverb reveals that familiarity can breed contempt, particularly in honor-shame cultures where perceived social status and established hierarchy dictated one's authority. For the people of Nazareth, accepting Jesus as a prophet, let alone the Messiah, would mean overturning their social perceptions of Him as merely "Joseph's son" from their local community. The inclusion of "his own household" intensifies the scope of this rejection, underscoring the personal pain that can accompany fulfilling a divine calling, even within one's own family sphere. This pattern of a prophet being rejected by their own resonates with Old Testament narratives of prophets facing opposition in Israel. The verse thus serves as both a descriptive statement of a common reality and a theological comment on the human resistance to divine truth when it comes in an unexpected, humble package. It emphasizes that true faith looks beyond earthly appearance to recognize divine authority.