And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many, hearing Him, were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get these things, and what wisdom has been given to Him, that such mighty works are done by His hand?
Christ, as was His custom, enters the synagogue on the Sabbath and teaches the people. His ministry was always bound up with the proclamation of the word of God, because a person’s deepest need is not only bodily help, but also spiritual enlightenment. The inhabitants of Nazareth hear His word and are astonished. They cannot ignore the wisdom of His teaching, and besides this, they had also heard about His mighty works. But here the double condition of their heart is already revealed. Astonishment is not yet the same as faith. A person can marvel at the truth and at the same time not bow before it. Their questions—“Where is this from?” and “How is this?”—at first glance may seem like searching, but in reality they arise from inner resistance. They were astonished at His word, but at the same time they were offended by His well-known and ordinary origin and could not accept that this wisdom and power come from God. Thus an important spiritual law is revealed: a person can stand before the truth, feel its power, and still not submit to God or accept His authority over his life.