Nothing good comes out of Nazareth

 

Prejudice is nothing new. Nazareth was a small rural town in Galilee. Not only was Jesus born in Bethlehem in a stable and placed in an animal feeding trough for safety, but he would go back to Nazareth to grow up because that was where their home was at the time. They had only travelled to Bethlehem to adhere to the Government census that was called for. Nazareth was a small place, and many would describe people from there as having had a humble beginning. That certainly lines up with everything we know about Jesus. Jesus identifies with our pain, betrayal, abandonment or rejection. Isaiah 53:3 says, “he was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom the people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Nazareth was a part of that prophecy coming true.

In reading further, I found out that Nazareth had a bad reputation. It was a no-good town outside of the boundary of Jerusalem. It was a Jewish town, but it was not well liked, actually quite despised by many Jewish people. They thought people there were rebellious. It was a small country farming town and the people lived simply. It wasn’t even known further afield. The gospel writers had to describe that it was a town in Galilee, because of it being in a region known for its obscurity. The more I read the more adjectives I found to consolidate how it was seen; obscure, backwater life, less sophisticated, uncelebrated, forgotten, off the beaten path, insignificant, out-of-the-way, rough, rustic, other side of the track, just a common Jewish settlement.

They focused on agriculture and local crafts. There was another town nearby called Sepphoris. It was a very prosperous, wealthy, sophisticated metropolis, with luxurious homes. Jesus likely worked here as a carpenter as it was in close proximity to Nazareth, about 6km away.  And then we have Jerusalem, an exceptionally wealthy cosmopolitan metropolitan. The main wealth came from the temple, held by a small priestly aristocracy. There was massive economic disparity between the rich elite and the poor majority. A point of social critique by figures like Jesus.

Socially it was seen as ‘going down’ to Nazareth. Jesus never grasped for the big city lights, fame and attention that could have come from living in Sepphoris or Jerusalem. He did what most aligned with his character of fully God/fully man and humbled himself in Nazareth in Galilee. His disciples were also from Galilee and most likely working-class people. Early followers of Jesus were called Nazarenes. Eventually he was rejected by his fellow Nazarenes and driven out of town with the threat of being thrown off a cliff.

We see celebrities walk down a street or into a stadium and they receive huge applause and adoration. People gasp and run up for selfies and take videos if the opportunity presents itself. That was not the life Jesus chose.

This all speaks to Jesus’s character of being humble, vulnerable, not seeing himself as above others, serving, loving, caring and compassionate.

John 7:52 says, they replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Jesus referred to himself as Jesus of Nazareth when he first greeted Paul and was called by this title on a few occasions. The term was often used to cast derogatory aspersions and doubt on his credibility, mostly by his enemies, the demons, false witnesses and soldiers. It was not seen as a sign of honour. It was placing him in the space of the marginalized and not liked people from Nazareth. He was happy to identify with them. He knew very well what people thought of the town and the people in it. Even in death the sign above his head was meant as a mockery and humiliation by saying, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” When he rose again the angel said to Mary, are you looking for Jesus of Nazareth? He’s not here.

Nathaneal expressed doubt as his first response when hearing that Jesus was from there. Never mind even questioning whether anything good could come from there, his comment is very definitive in saying that nothing good comes out of Nazareth. God always seems to like to start with unlikely places or unlikely people to show his greatness. And I wonder sometimes if there is deliberate intent to spark the feelings of doubt and prejudice in us to highlight what sits naturally in the heart of man. And then to take us on a journey out of that and towards God and his kingdom. We have the example of Jesus as to how to do that.

It begs a question to take notice when doubt and prejudice rise within us, to take a moment and reflect and ask the Holy Spirit what is up. Where would we have stood back then? Looking down on the man from Nazareth? Walking with him as a fellow Galilean? Chasing him out of our own town? What if Jesus walked in our town or our city today? What place would be Nazareth? How would our prejudice measure up if brought into the light? Would we want to be his disciple and face prejudice and criticism from others? Would we call Jesus a liar and chase him out of town?

I love the response of Philip when he says, “Come and see”. It’s an invitation to see for himself, experience Jesus directly, to come close, to be in proximity with Jesus.

Very often when we are exposed to the truth personally, when we open our eyes to see, when we listen, when we respond with humility, when we take the risk of possibly being wrong, that’s when real learning happens. That’s when our prejudice and doubt is put under a spotlight, and remember it’s never about feeling shamed with Jesus, it’s about an AHA moment, it’s an ‘Ah, ok I see now.’ We learn to look past what we initially thought to be the truth, past our preconceived ideas and our flaws. We so need this in our world today. We need people to go and see for themselves and not stick with preconceived ideas, doubts, lies and prejudice and letting them all go uncontested. To rather be willing to lean in and listen. To be willing and curious to learn more. To be willing to be wrong. To be willing to say sorry and ask for forgiveness.

We know God works through the weak, the humble and the unexpected. It is when we are weak that he is strong and when we are humble then he receives the glory. The unexpected reminds us that God can use anyone he chooses, even those we might see as unexpected. It reminds us too that we are walking a journey of faith and trust. He chooses the foolish, weak and lowly things of the world to shame the wise and mighty. It stops anyone from boasting because we are all equal and valued in his sight. We cannot do anything to earn his grace. It is given as a free gift to us. His kingdom is not about worldly power, greed and control. It’s about power under control, boundless love, generosity and freedom. Let’s raise people up instead of putting them down. Let’s value what Jesus put before us when he was here on earth. He showed us how to live by the way he lived, spoke and acted. He is our perfect example, he changed everything, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.

Artwork by Evelien Burger.