This is the beginning of a new part of the story that runs through [Matthew 17:27](../17/27.md), where Matthew tells of continued opposition to Jesus' ministry and teaching about the kingdom of heaven. Here, the people of Jesus' home town reject him.
The people believed that Jesus was just an ordinary man. They use this question to express their amazement that he was so wise and was able to do miracles. Alternate translation: "How can an ordinary man like this be so wise and do such great miracles?" or "It is strange that he is able to speak with such wisdom and do these miracles!" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])