What does it mean that Jesus did not do many great works because of unbelief?

Explanation:

In Matthew 13:58 we read that Jesus did not perform many mighty works because of their unbelief. Does it mean that their unbelief caused Jesus not to have the ability to perform mighty works, or that because of their unbelief Jesus chose not to perform mighty works? Most likely Matthew means that because of their unbelief, Jesus decided not to perform mighty works.² We can deduce this because in Matthew 12:38–39 some scribes and Pharisees come to Jesus and ask him to perform a sign. We might take it that a sign is a mighty work, such as the mighty works that Jesus does not perform when he reaches Nazareth. To the request to perform a sign Jesus replies that while an evil generation seeks a sign, none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. In other words, Jesus knows the hearts of his audience and that the scribes and Pharisees want Jesus to perform a sign because mighty works are a spectacle. Jesus will not allow his mission to become a sideshow, so he will not perform mighty works for the sake of entertainment.³ The same is true in Nazareth. There the crowds take offence at Jesus, so that while he would have healed their sick and demonstrated the power of the kingdom, he chooses not to because of their unbelief

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that Mark recalls the same scenario in his Gospel but says that Jesus was not able to do mighty works in Nazareth. In other words, it is not just that Jesus did not perform mighty works in Nazareth, but that he was not able to perform mighty works in Nazareth. Most likely, Matthew was familiar with Mark’s account of Jesus’ inability to perform miracles in Nazareth but he softens things so as not to infer that Jesus did not have the ability to perform miracles.⁴ So, it is not that Jesus chose not to do miracles because he did not want to create a needless spectacle, but he could not perform miracles there because miracles are somehow connected with belief.

Response to counterargument:

It is true that Mark writes that Jesus was not able to perform miracles in Nazareth, but it is hasty to conclude that therefore Jesus’ miracles depend on the belief of his audience. For example, in Mark 9 we learn that the disciples were not able to cast a demon out of a boy, so the boy’s father brings the boy to Jesus (Mark 9:18–20). The father asks if Jesus can do anything, to which Jesus responds that anything is possible for those who have faith. The father then cries out that he believes and to help his unbelief. After this Jesus heals the boy. So we can see that Jesus sometimes heals people even when they do not believe (e.g., the feeding of the five thousand, the stilling of the storm).⁵

Response to response to counterargument:

Unfortunately, this response will not do because the father in Matthew 13:54 does believe. The father says, I believe, help my unbelief. The father’s belief in Jesus may have been weak or unstable but he clearly believes that there is something special about Jesus, and he humbly requests Jesus’ assistance, not for the spectacle, but to help his son. The people in Nazareth, on the other hand, take offence at Jesus. In other words, there is a difference between some belief and no belief.

Explanation:

In Matthew 13:3–9 Jesus tells the parable of the sower, and in Matthew 13:18–23 he explains what it means. One aspect of the parable is that when a sower sows seeds, some fall along the path and are devoured before they can sprout. Jesus explains that the seed thrown on the path is analogous to when people hear the Word and do not understand it, and the evil one snatches whatever is sown in their heart (Matthew 13:19). Only a few short verses later, Matthew presents us with the real-time example that Jesus describes.⁶ Jesus preaches in his hometown, but his listeners do not understand, and instead of recognizing his lordship, they take offence at him (Matthew 13:54, Matthew 13:57). The truth has been snatched from their hearts, and Jesus will not bother to do miracles because he knows that in Nazareth the seeds of faith are not going to grow.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that while the parable of the sower teaches that some will not understand the gospel, it does not say anything about the connection between belief and miracles. In other words, our question is why Jesus did not perform miracles in Nazareth because of unbelief, and the parable of the sower does not answer this question. Rather, the parable of the sower explains plausible reasons for unbelief, not plausible reasons for why Jesus does not perform miracles in the face of unbelief.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that the parable of the sower explicitly teaches why Jesus does not perform miracles in the face of unbelief. Still, while the parable does not explicitly teach why Jesus did not perform miracles in the face of unbelief, it might teach this implicitly. We know from the parable that when the kingdom is not understood, Satan snatches away what remains. This seems to be precisely what happens in Nazareth. For the people admit that Jesus has wisdom and power (Matthew 13:54). Still, they fail to understand the kingdom element of Jesus’ mighty deeds. In other words, they fail to understand that Jesus is the Messiah, and so the devil snatches away what remains.⁷ Of course, since Jesus knows that the people do not understand, he does not perform many miracles because of their unbelief.

Possible weaknesses:

This view has two weaknesses. First, there is an ongoing theme in Matthew that emphasizes the importance of the connection between faith and miracles (see Interpretation 2, argument a). The notion seems to be that when people have faith, miracles are possible, which implies that when people do not have faith, miracles are not possible. So, even if Matthew does not explicitly explain the connection between miracles and faith, he wants his audience to see that in fact, there is a connection. This view somewhat downplays that connection by stating that, connection or not, Jesus simply preferred not to do miracles in Nazareth.

The second weakness of this view is that it does not offer a strong response to the fact that Mark says Jesus was not able to perform miracles because of their unbelief. Does this imply that when Matthew says Jesus did not perform miracles because of unbelief it’s because he was not able, as Mark indicates? This view leaves us wondering.

Explanation:

Matthew emphasizes the importance of faith in conjunction with Jesus’ miracles on several occasions. In Matthew 8:10 a centurion asks Jesus to heal his son, to whom Jesus replies, not even in Israel have I found such faith. Jesus then sends the centurion home, explaining that it will be done as he has believed (Matthew 8:13). Later, in Matthew 8:23–27, we learn that Jesus is in a boat with his disciples when a storm threatens to swamp their boat. When the disciples wake Jesus in a panic he responds, why are you afraid, O men of little faith (Matthew 8:26). When they get off the boat a paralytic is brought to Jesus, and when Jesus sees their faith, he tells the paralytic his sins are forgiven (Matthew 9:2). Sometime later a sick woman touches Jesus’ garment, and Jesus tells her that her faith has made her well before she is healed (Matthew 9:22). This is only a sampling of examples where Matthew highlights the connection between faith and Jesus’ miracles (Matthew 9:28–29; Matthew 14:31; Matthew 15:28; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21–22).¹⁰

In keeping with this theme, when Jesus arrives at Nazareth the people do not believe in Jesus. So Matthew highlights the fact that because of their unbelief, Jesus did not perform many miracles there (Matthew 13:58). While the precise connection between Jesus’ performance of miracles and faith is not clear, there is a connection. Given all our examples we might conclude that faith is a great help and stubborn unbelief a tremendous hindrance when it comes to miracles.¹¹

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that there are plenty of examples where Jesus performs miracles in which the beneficiaries exhibit no faith. For example, when Jesus feeds the five thousand (Matthew 8:28–34), stills the storm (Matthew 13:52), and heals the Gadarene demoniac (Matthew 8:28–34).¹² In each of these cases, Jesus performs mighty works while the recipients display no faith. Unfortunately, this undercuts the above argument because the above argument is based on the idea that there is a connection, however elusive, between faith and miracles. But if Jesus performs miracles when there is no faith, there is no connection.

Response to counterargument:

There are multiple problems with this counterargument. First, the examples on offer fail to support the case that Jesus performed miracles when no faith was displayed. When Jesus feeds the five thousand, although Matthew does not record their faith, we can deduce that they were attracted to Jesus, and that possibly many in the crowd believed in him. That’s because Matthew records that Jesus healed their sick, which implies belief. Plus, why would they follow Jesus to a lonely place with no food unless they were attracted by him? Next, when Jesus stills the storm, he says that his disciples are men of little faith. Of course, the difference between little faith and no faith cannot be overstated, for Jesus himself says that if one has the faith of a mustard seed, one can move mountains (Matthew 13:52). Finally, when it comes to the demon-possessed man of Gadarene, the demons immediately recognize that Jesus is the Son of God, before Jesus sends them into the pigs and heals the man. In this case, the demons know precisely who Jesus is, and the power he wields. So none of these counterexamples work to show that Jesus performs miracles when there is no display of faith.

Second, no display of faith is not the same as unbelief. If someone does not display faith in a gospel story, this could mean that the gospel writers have simply failed to point out the faith of the people in the story, or the people could have a secret faith in their heart. Finally, they could be neutral when it comes to belief in Jesus so that the miracles force them into a decision to either believe or not believe. On the other hand, Matthew says that Jesus does not perform miracles in Nazareth because of their unbelief. Unbelief is a strong term that Jesus only uses when he is rejected.¹³

Possible weaknesses:

The weakness of this view is that it cannot explain the connection between faith and miracles. This view wants us to hold that there is a connection, but what that connection entails remains a mystery. Further, we know that Jesus is God, so it is hard to see why Jesus could not perform miracles regardless of a recipient’s faith.