Matthew 13:54-14:12: Family and Foe: The Call to Faithfulness Amidst Rejection

Introduction

I have learned, that as humans, we don’t always love the truth.

I remember a time in my mid 20s when a younger friend of mine who had known me for a couple of years through a discipleship relationship looked at me during a Bible study and said, in front of everyone,

“David, you’re not a dad yet, but you already have a dad bod. You’re getting fat.”

Now, I had been working a job for a few years that required a lot of sitting and I hadn’t changed my eating or movement habits, AND I had reached the end of the blessing of adolescent metabolism.

So, was he wrong? No.

Was the truth being told? Absolutely.

Did I appreciate the truth being told? Absolutely not.

The truth was not something I wanted to hear. I was offended and embarrassed. I was a little angry with my friend for having the audacity to say something like that.

I liked believing that I was still within an acceptable range of fat on my body and so I didn’t take the comment lightly.

But what happens when people tell us the truth about something more serious than our weight? What if someone tells us the truth about our expectations being false, especially the expectations we have held for a long time, or if they tell the truth about our lives being in sin?

Do we always respond the way we should with gracious reflection to see if what they are saying is true?

Or do we react the way I did upon hearing that I was officially fat? With offense, embarrassment, and anger.

What happens when we tell the truth about hard things to other people? Is that a good recipe for making loads of friends?

Absolutely not. It’s a good strategy to get rejected and to lose friendships.

It’s certainly not something we enjoy doing and it’s just bad manners. In some places doing so can cost you your life.

But what do we do when we come across a situation where we must risk that in order to be faithful to Christ?

Transition:

Our passage this morning introduces the Fourth of the Five major Sections of Matthew. Now in this section we see the general attitude toward Jesus shifting significantly in a more strongly negative way.

In Matthew 13:54–14:12 we see Jesus to be a rejected prophet by his own hometown, and John the Baptist as a faithful witness who paid the ultimate cost for standing for truth.

These passages invite us to consider how we respond to God’s truth and how we follow Him in a world resistant to His kingdom.

Outline

1. The Rejection of Family (Matthew 13:54–58)

Key Verses: “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary?” (v. 55)

Main Point: Familiarity with Jesus led to skepticism and unbelief among His own people.

Explanation:

A. Key Background Details

Nazareth’s Skepticism: Nazareth was a small and relatively insignificant town (John 1:46). Jesus’ familiarity to the people—His family and humble background—caused them to stumble in their perception of Him (cf. Luke 4:16–30, where their hostility is even greater).

John 1:46 ESV

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

The people bought into the narrative that nothing significant or good could come from their city.

They saw the carpenter’s son and couldn’t

Key Theological Insight:

This section illustrates the theme of rejection that is central to Jesus’ ministry (John 1:11). Just as prophets were often rejected by their own people (e.g., Jeremiah, Elijah), Jesus faces rejection as a foreshadowing of His ultimate rejection at the cross.

B. (54-57)

Key Background Details:

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth and teaches in the synagogue.

Instead of responding with faith, the people question His authority, because they think they know him on account of their familiarity with his family and upbringing.

The Question of Authority:

Their questions in verse 55—regarding Jesus’ family and occupation—reveal a focus on earthly origins rather than divine calling.

Matthew 13:55–56 ESV

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

Now, Jesus moved much of his family to Capernaum from chapter 4 and we know that’s where he lived and where his home base of sorts was during his ministry. But Nazareth was where he had grown up.

So they knew him, because this was a small town and as we well know, everyone has an idea of who everyone is in a small town. And this wasn’t a town well known for producing great and noble figures.

John 1:46 ESV

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

So they would have had that hometown pride in Jesus.

So, they knew Jesus, they knew his family and they struggled to reconcile Jesus’ miraculous wisdom and works with His ordinary background.

And they ask all these questions about his family, in a “Who does he think he is?” kind of a way.

A side note here, this section is one of the reasons we can confidently say that the teaching of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary is just outright falsehood.

It’s wrong and it is unnecessary unless you want to add to the Gospel, which if you add or take away anything from the Gospel, then it’s not the Gospel anymore.

It’s just a figment of your imagination, and your imagination cannot save you.

Matthew 13:55–56 ESV

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

C. (58)

Unbelief as a Barrier:

Verse 58 emphasizes that their unbelief kept Jesus from performing many miracles there.

This does not mean Jesus lacked power but reflects the changing nature of Jesus’ ministry. From here on out, Jesus begins to focus his teaching outside of the Jewish synagogues and primarily to those who believe in him.

The unbelief of Jesus’ hometown prevents them from experiencing the fullness of Jesus' ministry. It keeps them from recognizing that he is their only hope of salvation.

Application:

Have you ever had to face the ridicule of someone close to you because you have become a Christian and they remember your past very clearly?

So often, God uses people who are not family or close friends to win people to himself because the saying “familiarity breeds contempt” is painfully true for us humans.

So do not be discouraged if you feel like you’re banging your head on the wall with trying to evangelize to your loved ones.

For many people, they simply need to hear it from someone else.

DON’T STOP in your efforts, but don’t get manic in thinking that you are their only hope.

And Earnestly pray that God would send someone into their lives who would proclaim the truth of the Gospel to them.

And isn’t this the very reason why the Lord has brought us into a family? So that if your family has great bias against you, there is a Christian who you know that they do not hold that familial bias toward.

But maybe we aren’t the ones who are getting ridiculed.

Maybe we are the ones who are like the people of Nazareth, dismissing God’s work because it doesn’t align with our expectations.

Familiarity with Christ (e.g., cultural Christianity) can lead to a hardened heart if it lacks true faith.

Faith in Christ does not mean that you say you believe in him. Faith in Christ means that you joyfully follow him, no matter where that leads. You joyfully proclaim his salvation to any who will hear, no matter what societal pressures are placed on you by your family or friends.

Where you refuse to follow Christ, you reveal your sinful idols.

2. The Fearlessness of Faithfulness (Matthew 14:1–5)

Key Verses: “For John had been saying to him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’” (v. 4) Main Point: John’s fearless proclamation of truth to Herod exemplifies boldness in the face of opposition.

Now the narrative jumps immediately to a different section where we pick back up in the narrative of Jesus’ cousin, John who was known as “the Baptist”

If you remember all the way back to chapter 4 then we know that John had been arrested and that was the start of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus and John proclaimed the same message “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand!”

Then, in chapter 11 from prison John sends messengers to Jesus to ask him if he really is the Messiah or if he should be looking for someone else.

After they leave, Jesus says there is no human greater than John the Baptist, yet the lowest person in the Kingdom is even greater than John.

And John was the last of the Old Testament prophets who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, because the Messiah came in his lifetime!

But John had been arrested by Herod the Tetrarch and his story comes to a sad conclusion here in chapter 14.

Explanation

A. Herod the Tetrarch

Herod’s family was notorious for immorality and political intrigue, which included marriages for power, betrayals, and violence.

Now, this Herod was Herod Antipas the son of Herod the Great who tried to kill Jesus when he was a baby.

And this family was messed up.

They were nominal Jews (in name only)

Herod the Great had multiple wives and children with those different wives

He killed those wives in paranoia that they were trying to steal the throne from him

So he had Herod Antipas from one wife, sons from other wives, and a granddaughter named Herodias (who is the woman mentioned in this passage)

So, yes, Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, married Herodias, the granddaughter of Herod the Great through a separate wife (and so he married his great-niece).

If that wasn’t bad enough, she had previously been married to another of Herod the Great’s sons, Phillip, and in between those two marriages Herodias had been a mistress to a step-uncle

So this is a woman guilty of multiple adulteries and incestuous relationships

And John the Baptist fearlessly condemned Herod and Herodias for their marriage that was both adulterous and incestuous, (Leviticus 18:16, 20:21)

This was especially bold of John given the volatile nature of Herod’s reign.

John was risking everything by proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to the supposedly Jewish rulers of the land. He could be killed without a second thought.

Our passage says that he was imprisoned by Herod for “the sake of Herodias”

B. Herod respected John but feared public opinion and was manipulated by Herodias’ hatred of John.

Fear of the Crowd: Herod feared and respected John as a righteous man (Mark 6:20). Mark actually says that Herod listened to John’s message with fascination and gladness, so he had been keeping him safe in prison.

Herod almost sounds like a seeker, right?

but as we see here in Matthew, Herod wanted to put John to death for his audacity to make his wife upset

However, Herod’s primary fear was public opinion, as the people revered John as a prophet, and so John remained alive in prison

This reveals that Herod’s political insecurity and moral cowardice were far greater motivators than the message of repentance.

Though he was intrigued by the gospel, he was never changed by the gospel.

He was entertained by John and his message, he never actually wanted to change his life.

And this fear ultimately let Herod be manipulated by his new wife Herodias.

C. Application:

Friends, Boldly proclaim God’s truth, even when it is unpopular or dangerous.

Love the truth and love the lost so much that you are moved to proclaim the glories of God in humble faithfulness.

Even when faithfulness to God may cost us relationships, status, or even freedom.

Illustration: Consider a couple of American pastors during WWI who refused to bend to the demands of the Ku Klux Klan and so were threatened with being shot, one of them had his church burned to the ground and he and his family were run out of town.

Their courage mirrors John’s resolve to proclaim truth regardless of the consequences.

And he would face consequences.

He would learn the Cost of Faithfulness

3. The Cost of Faithfulness (Matthew 14:6–12)

Key Verses: “The king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.” (v. 9) Main Point: John’s death demonstrates the ultimate cost of faithfulness to God.

Explanation:

Now, Herod had a birthday and threw a big party and the daughter of Herodias danced for him

(not Herod’s daughter, but likely his great-niece as well as his great-great niece)

Now to add to the grossness of Herod’s family dynamics there is an implication that the dance was a lewd dance, a sensual dance that “pleased” Herod

And in his pleasure he offers her anything she wants, Mark says up to half his kingdom!

And remarkably, she didn’t ask for half the kingdom.

Now this is where we really start to see that Satan is working here

He wants John destroyed and he wants Jesus destroyed. So he works through the evil wills of people to ensure that happens.

Little does he know that he’s actually doing the will of God to bring about salvation to people from all of the world.

We see Satan working, because the girl doesn’t ask for half the kingdom

Instead Her mother, Herodias, seizes an opportunity to destroy John through her daughter’s request for John’s head.

Herod, though grieved, prioritizes his reputation and pride over justice.

Notice in verse 9 why Herod listens to these scheming women.

Matthew 14:9 ESV

9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.

He didn’t want to lose face in front of his guests!

So they cut off John’s head and present it on a platter before the girl who presents it to her mother.

And some of John’s disciples buried the body and then went to tell Jesus.

John’s martyrdom is a reminder that faithfulness to God’s truth may lead to suffering and sacrifice.

Now why are these two stories presented right beside each other?

“Now Pastor,” you might say, “they are different chapters, they aren’t meant to be read together.”

but we have to remember that the chapters and verses weren’t finalized until the 1500’s, literally 1,500 years after this was written.

Matthew intended this to be read straight through.

So why are these two stories placed together?

To show that resistance to Jesus and his message was now coming from both the everyday people (often called “the crowds” in Matthew) and the governmental rulers.

Matthew is showing how Jesus goes from being adored and followed by huge crowds to being placed on a cross instead of Barabbas the Zealot.

This is an orchestrated campaign by Satan, through human beings to bring Jesus to this end.

What are we

Two oppositions -

unbelievers, family and friends who oppose you because they cannot imagine that God could work through you (they know you too well) They see the old, and cannot see the new.

We do what Jesus did.

He treated them with Grace and just walks on.

He doesn’t argue, he doesn’t fight, he just moves on.

He does this because he knows that when he comes back he may be able to win more people later.

And ultimately he does. How can we know that? Because this is not the first time Jesus taught the gospel here in Nazareth.

Luke tells us in Luke 4 that at the very beginning of his ministry he went and taught in the synagogue in Nazareth and they hated him so much that they tried to kill him by throwing him off a cliff.

Luke 4:28–30 ESV

28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

He just walked away.

But what happened this time? What’s different this time?

They didn’t try to kill him and what does Matthew say in 13:58?

Matthew 13:58 ESV

58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

The word MANY means that he did do some! He was met with some belief this time!

Jesus walked away the first time in order to be able to minister the second time.

Now you may not be facing persecution like this, in fact I would be surprised to find out if you were, and the lack of opposition may make us think we’re in a safe spot

Opposition is growing and it will get worse: from both our family, friends, and those we are culturally like AND from the governments over us.

Jesus promises this to us.

To the extent that we do not actively make our life a witness to Christ, there is no need for the enemy to persecute us, because we have decided to censor ourselves.

He won’t waste the time and energy on us because he doesn’t need to.

In a real sense, where we are not seeing persecution we need to seriously ask ourselves if we are being faithful to the gospel message of our king.

If we never see rejection and hatred, we should realize that something is wrong, because Jesus promised hatred to his followers in chapter 10.

Matthew 10:22 ESV

22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

But the verse doesn’t end there. Jesus doesn’t only promise hatred. He also promises that the one who endures under persecution will be saved.

Matthew 10:22 ESV

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Conclusion

Big Idea:

Jesus and John the Baptist demonstrate that faithfulness to God’s mission often leads to rejection and sacrifice.

But, the kingdom of God is worth everything. Even our relationships and our very lives.

Challenge:

Like the people of Nazareth, are you rejecting Christ because He doesn’t meet your expectations?

Like John, are you boldly proclaiming truth, even when it costs you?

Are you walking away when the time calls for it so that you may have future opportunities? not in cowardice, but in wisdom?

Are you willing to endure suffering for the sake of Christ, knowing that eternal glory awaits?

Closing Illustration:

The missionary Jim Elliot, famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Jim was murdered by the tribe he sought to bring the gospel to.

Final Call to Faith and Action:

Commit to following Jesus fully, even when it leads to rejection or sacrifice.

Rejoice in the hope of God’s kingdom, where every cost will be rewarded in glory.