Jesus Preached on the Sabbath in Nazareth
And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!”
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The people in His home area were not surprised that Jesus was observing the Sabbath, but they were astonished by His powerful teaching, wisdom and the miracles they had heard He had done.
They knew His family, His mother, four brothers and more than one sister. (Joseph isn’t mentioned, so perhaps he had died and Jesus had taken over the carpentry business for a time before His ministry began.)
The people of Nazareth knew Jesus hadn’t received the education that the religious leaders had received, and they discounted His teaching because they knew Him. As Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4).
Their lack of belief prevented Jesus from performing mighty miracles there.
The Sabbath is one of the 10 Commandments that the One who became Jesus Christ thundered from Mount Sinai (1 Corinthians 10:4; John 5:37; Exodus 20:1-18; see our article “Jesus in the Old Testament?”).
For more about the consistent teaching of the Bible about the 10 Commandments, see “Are the 10 Commandments Upheld in the New Testament?”
