Christmas 2018 Born in Bethlehem (Part 7-He will be called a Nazarene)
Hello this is Eric again. A friend asked me, “How can I know that the Bible is true?” So, I am taking some time to answer my friends question and to do this I am looking at one of the evidences the Bible gives to answer this question, Prophecy.
(Read the previous blog here)
Matthew 2:19-23 says,
“When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ‘Get up!’ the angel said. ‘Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’”
OK, this one was a new one for me and I’m excited to share what God’s taught me. I am borrowing my thoughts from an article by *Wayne Jackson, entitled, "Was Matthew Mistaken in the "Nazarene" Prophecy?" God used Wayne’s article to help me wrestle with this passage and I hope that you are as blessed by this as I have been.
Here’s the prophecy: “This fulfilled what he prophets had said: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” Here’s the challenge: There aren’t any specific prophecies that say Jesus will be called a Nazarene.
How do I approach this?
Well, what do I know. First, this is God’s word, and He said that this fulfilled a prophecy. So, since God's word is true, this is true--and there is a prophecy to be found. Second, there are two key word clues; Nazareth, and the word ‘Prophets'--it's in the plural form.
First, Nazareth. Nazareth was a backwater, nobody town. It’s name wasn’t mentioned in the Old Testament or the Talmud, it’s a small nowhere place of less than 1800 people located in the northernmost region of Galilee that just wasn’t important enough to be remembered. Nazareth also had the infamy of housing a Roman garrison--for an occupied people, this just added to the distaste of this town—and it seems that this distaste was alive in well in daily Jewish culture. Remember Nathanael’s response to Philip in John 1:46, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Second, Prophets. This could be a play on words. Nazareth sounds like the Hebrew word ‘nasar’ which would be spelled NZR, and NaZaReth holds these same consonants. What makes this an interesting clue is the fact that ‘nasar’ is the word for Branch—(I talked about that prophecy in a previous blog) which would lead us to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1 which says,
“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
This helps, but the real treasure becomes clear as we look at both of these clues together. A despised town, and the hope of rescue for a rebellious and seemingly devastated people because of God's love—now that sounds familiar.
How many prophecies and passages talk about Jesus--the Messiah, the Rescuer--being despised…let’s see,
“But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!’…Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.”—Psalm 22:6-8, 13
“Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger…Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.”—Psalm 69:8, 20-21
“The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations, to the one who is the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’”—Isaiah 49:7
“My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care…Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.”—Isaiah 53:2-3, 8
“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.”—Daniel 9:26
Walk with me for a moment: If I compare God to all the other religions in the world that we as humans have created, one of the things that stands out about God, is who God associates and identifies Himself with. In other religions, mythologies, and spiritual systems created by us humans; the people who succeed—The gods who are idolized—The goals that are to be attained—Are idolized anthropomorphism’s--where we take human ideals, and turn them into ‘god-like’ qualities of perfection to attain. (Frankly, if a really sexy spouse, a healthy body, and riches are all a religion or system has to offer…we’d all be disappointed soon-thereafter. Don’t believe me? How long did you play with the toy/present/gadget that you had to have 3 years ago?) God associates Himself, and therefore identifies Himself with the weak, the downtrodden, the miserable, those who are oppressed and mistreated. Psalm 146:5-9 says,
“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.”
He is their God. God associates and identifies, and loves those who are unlovely. Take a moment and go to biblegateway.com. Search widow, orphan, foreigner; and see what the Bible has to say. Then, search sinner, and see how many times Jesus leans in with, and interacts with, and does life with ‘sinners.’ Romans 5:6-11 says,
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
Jesus came and stepped into our world and humbled Himself intentionally, because He loves us that much! Philippians 2:5-8 says,
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Jesus came from Nazareth. A backwater town, with a rotten reputation. And He calls Himself 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus was despised and rejected by humans—the ones He made (John 1)—in order to rescue us, and to minister to us today. Hebrews 4:14-16 says,
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
In Wayne Jacksons article he cites the passage where Jesus confronts Saul as Saul is going to kill the young church. In Acts 22:8 the Lord identifies Himself to Saul as, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ‘Saul, the ones that you despise, and are pursuing to kill—that’s me--Jesus of Nazareth, the rejected by men, but lifted High by God.'
Just like the prophets said, we have a God who loves us so much, that He walks with the despised, and is willing to be despised—to love and rescue the despised. He calls Himself, "Jesus of Nazareth."
What should our response be? Let Philippians 2:9-11 tell us what God has done--and we should follow suit in our own lives;
“Therefore, God elevated him [Jesus] to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God, 'Thank You' for loving us. We praise and worship You, the majestic "Jesus the Nazarene."
Do you want to walk on this journey with us?
Subscribe here
_____________________________________________________________________________
*Jackson, Wayne. "Was Matthew Mistaken in the "Nazarene" Prophecy?" ChristianCourier.com. Access date: December 18, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/573-was-matthew-mistaken-in-the-nazarene-prophecy
(Read the previous blog here)
Matthew 2:19-23 says,
“When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ‘Get up!’ the angel said. ‘Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’”
OK, this one was a new one for me and I’m excited to share what God’s taught me. I am borrowing my thoughts from an article by *Wayne Jackson, entitled, "Was Matthew Mistaken in the "Nazarene" Prophecy?" God used Wayne’s article to help me wrestle with this passage and I hope that you are as blessed by this as I have been.
Here’s the prophecy: “This fulfilled what he prophets had said: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” Here’s the challenge: There aren’t any specific prophecies that say Jesus will be called a Nazarene.
How do I approach this?
Well, what do I know. First, this is God’s word, and He said that this fulfilled a prophecy. So, since God's word is true, this is true--and there is a prophecy to be found. Second, there are two key word clues; Nazareth, and the word ‘Prophets'--it's in the plural form.
First, Nazareth. Nazareth was a backwater, nobody town. It’s name wasn’t mentioned in the Old Testament or the Talmud, it’s a small nowhere place of less than 1800 people located in the northernmost region of Galilee that just wasn’t important enough to be remembered. Nazareth also had the infamy of housing a Roman garrison--for an occupied people, this just added to the distaste of this town—and it seems that this distaste was alive in well in daily Jewish culture. Remember Nathanael’s response to Philip in John 1:46, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Second, Prophets. This could be a play on words. Nazareth sounds like the Hebrew word ‘nasar’ which would be spelled NZR, and NaZaReth holds these same consonants. What makes this an interesting clue is the fact that ‘nasar’ is the word for Branch—(I talked about that prophecy in a previous blog) which would lead us to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1 which says,
“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
This helps, but the real treasure becomes clear as we look at both of these clues together. A despised town, and the hope of rescue for a rebellious and seemingly devastated people because of God's love—now that sounds familiar.
How many prophecies and passages talk about Jesus--the Messiah, the Rescuer--being despised…let’s see,
“But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!’…Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.”—Psalm 22:6-8, 13
“Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger…Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.”—Psalm 69:8, 20-21
“The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations, to the one who is the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’”—Isaiah 49:7
“My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care…Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.”—Isaiah 53:2-3, 8
“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.”—Daniel 9:26
Walk with me for a moment: If I compare God to all the other religions in the world that we as humans have created, one of the things that stands out about God, is who God associates and identifies Himself with. In other religions, mythologies, and spiritual systems created by us humans; the people who succeed—The gods who are idolized—The goals that are to be attained—Are idolized anthropomorphism’s--where we take human ideals, and turn them into ‘god-like’ qualities of perfection to attain. (Frankly, if a really sexy spouse, a healthy body, and riches are all a religion or system has to offer…we’d all be disappointed soon-thereafter. Don’t believe me? How long did you play with the toy/present/gadget that you had to have 3 years ago?) God associates Himself, and therefore identifies Himself with the weak, the downtrodden, the miserable, those who are oppressed and mistreated. Psalm 146:5-9 says,
“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.”
He is their God. God associates and identifies, and loves those who are unlovely. Take a moment and go to biblegateway.com. Search widow, orphan, foreigner; and see what the Bible has to say. Then, search sinner, and see how many times Jesus leans in with, and interacts with, and does life with ‘sinners.’ Romans 5:6-11 says,
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
Jesus came and stepped into our world and humbled Himself intentionally, because He loves us that much! Philippians 2:5-8 says,
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Jesus came from Nazareth. A backwater town, with a rotten reputation. And He calls Himself 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus was despised and rejected by humans—the ones He made (John 1)—in order to rescue us, and to minister to us today. Hebrews 4:14-16 says,
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
In Wayne Jacksons article he cites the passage where Jesus confronts Saul as Saul is going to kill the young church. In Acts 22:8 the Lord identifies Himself to Saul as, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ‘Saul, the ones that you despise, and are pursuing to kill—that’s me--Jesus of Nazareth, the rejected by men, but lifted High by God.'
Just like the prophets said, we have a God who loves us so much, that He walks with the despised, and is willing to be despised—to love and rescue the despised. He calls Himself, "Jesus of Nazareth."
What should our response be? Let Philippians 2:9-11 tell us what God has done--and we should follow suit in our own lives;
“Therefore, God elevated him [Jesus] to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God, 'Thank You' for loving us. We praise and worship You, the majestic "Jesus the Nazarene."
Do you want to walk on this journey with us?
Subscribe here
_____________________________________________________________________________
*Jackson, Wayne. "Was Matthew Mistaken in the "Nazarene" Prophecy?" ChristianCourier.com. Access date: December 18, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/573-was-matthew-mistaken-in-the-nazarene-prophecy
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