NAZARETH
The past 2,000 years seem to have had zero effect on a small village in the heart of present day Nazareth. If you walk its dusty path, switching back and forth up the hillside, you’ll pass young shepherd boys tending their sheep, then a small cave on your right, serving as a tomb. You can look inside, it’s quite empty, I assure you. Then pause to watch a kind woman dying yarn a very unique color of blue, she’d be glad to tell you all about it. Then just beyond the olive press at the top of the hill, at the end of the road, is the village Synagogue.
As you pass under the archway into the Synagogue, you’ll notice the air is cool inside, despite the mid-afternoon sun. Square-shaped openings, in the walls high above, allow air to flow freely and heat to escape, while a thatched roof stretches from one end to the other. A row of tall, stone pillars dot the outline of this rectangular room, behind which rise three levels for seating against the cool walls. A single podium is centrally positioned, holding an unfurled scroll of parchment.
It was here in Nazareth, inside its only Synagogue, where Jesus read from the Isaiah scroll at the beginning of His ministry.
The Angel Gabriel, who stands “in the presence of God,” once visited this little town with an earth-shattering message for a young girl named Miriam (Mary) and “a good man” named Yosef (Joseph). Jesus Himself was raised in this very town along with his younger siblings: Yaakov, Yosef, Shimon, Y’hudah, and their sisters.
With a population of less than 500, everyone in Nazareth would have known the “Yosef Ben David” family and their bright, firstborn son: Yeshua!
It’s easy to imagine the excitement buzzing throughout town that Shabbat, as everyone gathered in and around the Synagogue (looking precisely like the one we’re standing in now) to hear 30-year-old Yeshua read from the Scrolls! Word had spread, from the cities around the Sea of Galilee, that a great teacher was proclaiming good news about the Kingdom of Heaven and even healing diseases! The villagers knew this respected teacher was their hometown hero and they were so proud!
The moment finally came when Yeshua stood up. A hush settled over the packed Beit Knesset - their House of Gathering. People peering through the doorway quieted the chatter of the whispering crowd outside. The local Rabbi handed Yeshua a scroll. He laid it on the podium, unrolling it with reverence and respect. He paused. Then slowly inhaled. Held his breath for a moment, then began to read from Isaiah: a prophesy that speaks about the role of the Messiah when He comes: to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to captives, to renew sight for the blind… Yeshua read these words with such confidence and familiarity, it was no wonder the nation was following this young man!
When finished, Yeshua closed the scroll and sat down. Everyone stared, waiting for the expected commentary. Yeshua looked at His childhood friends, elders, teachers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, mother… then with a look of inevitability, and a hint of sadness, He spoke:
“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
- Luke 4:21
The Gospels reveal it didn’t take long for the people in Jesus’ hometown to turn against Him. Filled with fury, they drove Him out of town and dragged Him to the edge of the cliff, intending to throw Him off. But, Jesus walked through the middle of the crowd, unscathed. It wasn’t the time yet. This wasn’t the way.
Not many miracles would ever be performed by Jesus in this unbelieving village. And it was because of this event that we have the saying, “A prophet is not welcome in his hometown.”
TODAY, however, there ARE miracles taking place in Nazareth…
I have a Nazarene friend named Saleem, the pastor of a church in Nazareth known for their incredible humanitarian work, both in the city and throughout the entire nation of Israel. They bless people, of any race or creed, in the name of Jesus.
Saleem recently met a Holocaust Survivor, an elderly Jewish lady, while delivering food to her home.
She asked him, “Are you Arab?”
“Yes ma’am,” he answered.
“…Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“…Why is an Arab bringing food to Jews? We are enemies.”
“No we are not,” Saleem assured her.
“…How?”
“Because of your Messiah!”
“…My Messiah?! He didn’t come yet.”
“Oh my…they didn’t tell you? He already came!!!”
“…I don’t believe in the New Testament,” she dismissed.
“I’m not talking about the New Testament! Where is your Bible?” …
Saleem proceeded to walk this dear lady through passages in her own Hebrew Scriptures, pointing to Jesus of Nazareth as her Messiah.
She was shocked. “Should I change my religion?!”
“No! Jesus was a Jew! You just need to accept Him as your Savior! He’s the Messiah!”
She did, and on that day, the angels in Heaven rejoiced like a shepherd who finds his lost lamb!
“You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth…He has risen!”
The angels at the Tomb referred to Jesus as being from Nazareth. Demons, when they recognized the Son of God, called Him Jesus of Nazareth. On the road to Damascus, Jesus Himself clarified that He was from Nazareth when answering Saul’s question about Whom he was persecuting.
Early followers of Jesus were called Nazarenes, and to this day, the modern Hebrew term for Christians is notzrim [notes-REEM], connecting Followers of Jesus to the town of Nazareth!
Jesus called His followers “the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill…” He said, “…cannot be hidden.” Just like Nazareth, perched high on a hill.
No one leaves Nazareth Village without receiving a small, clay oil-lantern as a gift. It’s a continual reminder to me that I am also a Nazarene. A light called to point to the Light of the World.
“The Light shines in the Darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
