Jesus of Nazareth

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Text: John 1:43-46

Prejudices and racists attitudes have been a very dark blot in mankind's history. When men are judged based on their colour, background, language or place of origin, we have forgotten the true origin of man!
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness'" (Genesis 1:26)
"And he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26).
It is a sad sad day when those professing to be followers of Jesus Christ will judge a man based on what he is rather than on what he does! This is the point Jesus made in Luke 6:37-45! He told us not to judge others but instead know them according to their fruits! The only way to understand the worth of a man is by what he does not by who he is!

For all of us here, certain places in the world take on a greater significance than others. For our Scottish brethren here the city of Glasgow would peak your interests. Or, for all of us, the cities in which we were born, grew up in and lived a good time would all be special to us.
While we realize that not one city is really that more special than another, they are the places that are dear to us. They hold sweet memories of our roots and how we became the people we became! For me, there are basically three cities or towns that will always be special to me, Sudbury of course where I was born and lived for 22 years. Thessalon is the town where my mom's family originated from and then Paspebiac a little town in the Gaspe Peninsula where my father's family had resided for three hundred years before venturing into strange territory!

Yet, I think all of us would agree that the cities that are most special to us, are the ones we read about where our Lord and Saviour lived! Cities such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem are among the most famous cities of all time because of one man's sojourn there.
We can be heard every year singing of the town of Bethlehem and the wondrous event that took place there. Jerusalem as well is the place that Jesus Christ performed his most important task in giving up his life and then rising from the dead so that every one of us could know the joy and thrill of being a saved child of God!

As great as those cities are in the history of the world and the history of our Saviour, the city that he is identified with is not Bethlehem or Jerusalem, but he is called Jesus of Nazareth! 17 times in the New Testament Jesus is referred to in such a way! It is also interesting that he is not known in any place as Jesus of Bethlehem or Jesus of Jerusalem!
I don't know if you have ever wondered about this or not, but why is he called Jesus of Nazareth repeatedly in the scriptures?
Why did the apostles continue to refer to him that way?
Is there any significance at all attached to it?
Let me just venture to say that for all of us who at one time or another were lost in sin and have found hope and life in the form of Jesus Christ, there may be more to this designation than we ever thought of before!

Please turn to John 1:43-46 and read with me…
Now, there are a couple of things to note about this:
  1. Philip is so excited about finding Jesus he has to tell his friend Nathanael!
  2. Now, at this time Nazareth is not something that is looked up to!
  3. Nathanael like so many others, has prejudged anything from Nazareth, and it almost cost him everything!
Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

The first time we read of Nazareth is actually when Mary was visited by the angel in Luke 1:26. We find out that Nazareth was her home before the birth of Jesus! It is interesting that Mary also lived in this town that according to Nathanael did not have a great reputation!
The first time it really plays a prominent role in the life of Jesus however is in Matthew 2:22,23! As they return from their time in Egypt, they settle in Nazareth and Matthew says this is according to prophecies!
Jesus shall be called a Nazarene!
It's interesting that nowhere in the Old Testament will you find this prophecy stated word for word but we'll explain later on the significance of Jesus being from Nazareth!
Nazareth thus becomes very important in the life of Christ.
  1. Luke 2:39-52- Jesus receives his training in Nazareth!
    This is the place that his memories would be of! This is where he worked with Joseph in the carpentry shop. This is where he went to synagogue and other things. Here it is that Luke says Jesus "grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."
  2. Mark 1:9- it is from here that Jesus had to leave to begin his ministry in public as God's Son!
  3. Luke 4:16-30- it is here that he would return and be rejected and almost killed. (vs.24,29,30)
Indeed, the city was of great importance to our Saviour. Yet, however the significance to us concerning being of Nazareth is not made clear.

Why did he become Jesus of Nazareth?
Why not Jesus of Bethlehem?
Why does that phrase 'Jesus of Nazareth' seem to be so special?
  1. Mark 1:24- demons announced him the Nazarene who had power over them!
  2. Luke 18:35-43- it is the mention 'of Nazareth' that gives a blind man exceeding hope.
  3. Matthew 21:11- it is the mention of the Nazarene that gets the crowd excited as he enters Jerusalem.
  4. John 18:5-9- it is the Nazarene that the angry mob is looking for at this arrest.
  5. Mark 14:67- in the saddest day of Peter's life it is the association with that Nazarene that he denies
  6. John 19:19- in his darkest hour his title reads 'Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews'!
Thus, everywhere Jesus went in his ministry from preaching to the multitudes to healing the sick to dying on that cursed tree he was known as Matthew said he must as Jesus of Nazareth!

Why the Nazarene?
What does it mean to you and me?
Go back to Matthew 2:23- notice Matthew says that Jesus being a Nazarene fulfills what the prophets said!
Now, not one prophecy says Jesus was to be a Nazarene literally! IN fact, Nazareth is not even mentioned in the Old Testament yet it ranks in prominence today with Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
To be called a Nazarene was not a compliment! Nathanael has already stated for us that nothing good was expected to come from Nazareth. To say you were from Nazareth to other Jews did not mean anything to be proud of!
I want to say it is for that reason that Jesus Christ had to be known as the Nazarene and not the Jerusalemite!

Isaiah 53:2- he is a root out of dry ground….
Jesus would be such a man that he would not have any great distinctions about him including his place of origin!
Phil.2:5-8- Jesus was humility in the flesh. Nazareth was a part of his humbling himself to accomplish the great will of God!
Matthew 11:29- I am meek and lowly in heart!
Jesus was not a man full of pride, but was a humble and gentle man! So, he became according to the prophecies the Nazarene!
What special significance did that result in?
  1. Mark 16:6- the "Nazarene" has arisen. Associated with the lowly in life and death, he was associated with it in victory!
  2. Luke 24:18-21- the "Nazarene" was the hope of his disciples!
The amazing thing about this all is this, as the term Nazareth did not denote anything special or great, all of a sudden because of Jesus the term became one of the greatest honours!
Acts 2:22, 3:6, 4:10, 10:38- Peter.
Acts 22:8- Jesus to Paul!
Acts 24:5- the church was labeled the sect of the Nazarenes!
There are three things that the phrase "Jesus of Nazareth" teaches us:
  1. Don't blind your heart with prejudices!
    The only thing Philip could tell Nathanael to do was this "come and see". Nathanael went and saw Jesus and fell on his knees and confessed "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel." (John 1:49) Prejudices should never exist in the church! Romans 15:3,7!
  2. There is no harm in associating with the lowly! Romans 12:16!
    Jesus was not going to go through life with advantages!
  3. Jesus can redeem the lowest of things and turn them into great and glorious things!
    The cross was a symbol of shame and abuse and now it is a symbol of glory and life! Nazareth was a city where nothing good could come from and now it is an honour to be counted as a follower of the One that did come from there.
    Jesus does this to men and women too! Matt.9:9,13. The Prodigal Son- Luke 15:11-32.
I don't know if you all knew this or not, but the enemies of the early church used the name Christian as an insult! 1 Peter 4:16!
Acts 5:40-42.
The next time you hear or read "Jesus of Nazareth" remember that was the title of the Lord who took you as you were and made you what you are! Take pride in belonging to the sect of the Nazarene, there is no shame if Jesus is involved in it!

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