“Jesus of Nazareth” wasn’t just a descriptor, it was an insult. When people referred to Him as “Jesus of Nazareth,” they were saying it to be rude and unkind.
Nazareth wasn’t a place of high regard.
In fact it was a place that wasn’t seen as positive at all. We don’t know much about Nazareth or it’s people other than the general disdain for it. It isn’t mentioned at all in the Old Testament simply because it wasn’t a place they put thought and focus into. Outside of Israel it wasn’t known at all. Within Israel it was known for being unliked.
There are some records that say that the Romans attacked and killed 2000 Jews in Nazareth after Herod’s death. Some scholars think it was due to lack of culture or an unfamiliar dialect. It may simply be that it was really small.
But at the end of the day, none of that matters.
All we know is that in John 1:46, Nathanael asks if anything good can come from there. Not only because it had a not-so-great reputation, but because it was so small, no one would expect something incredible to come from there.
Let me backup a minute.
In John 1:43, Jesus told Phillip to follow Him. Phillip then went to Nathanael and told him that they had “found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45 ESV)
This is when Nathanael responds in verse 46, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” What I love here is that Phillip didn’t try to argue with him or convince him, he just told Nathanael to come and see for himself that this was truly Jesus and something good could, in fact, come from Nazareth.
Can we just take a step back and praise God for a minute?! This dude thought of EVERYTHING. He knew that at this moment that I would be writing this, that you would be reading this, and He gave us Jesus from Nazareth to show us that something good can come out of a lousy place.
But Jesus didn’t just come from a lousy place – He didn’t have that great of a lineage either.
Matthew 1:1-17 is the lineage of Jesus. As I was reading up on this, something stood out to me. I use the ESV Study Bible and the commentary shared the following, “The lineage is comprised of men, women, adulterers, prostitutes, heroes and Gentiles – and Jesus will be the Savior of all.”
I could talk forever on the lineage alone, especially how Joseph adopting Jesus as his own is what gave Jesus the legal right to the royal Davidic bloodline and how that beautiful portrayal is exactly why we’re able to be adopted into His family. But that will be a post for another day.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been through some stuff. You don’t come from a picture perfect family. You’ve got some mess in your family history. Personally, I’ve got enough material to fill a whole season of Jerry Springer. Alcoholism, domestic violence, drug use, abuse, cheating.
You name it, I got it.
I used to think that because of all of that mess, I wouldn’t actually be able to make anything of myself. I’d be stuck forever in this mess, continuing the generational curses. But what I didn’t know is that good things can come from rough places. I didn’t know that God had a plan specifically for me, to pull me out and to change not only my life but my son’s life, too. That my testimony would be used to inspire people all over the world.
Jesus of Nazareth.
We’ve all heard the story of Jesus’s birth on repeat. Born in a manger, the son of a carpenter. Not only did his family come from meager means, he also grew up in Nazareth, the place that no one believed anything good can come out of.
God doesn’t do anything by accident and I fully believe that He did this to prove a point.
When Jesus rose again, He didn’t just redeem Himself and all of humanity, He redeemed Nazareth. He proved that beautiful, wonderful, amazing, GOD things can come out of Nazareth. He answered Nathanael’s question when He rose again, saying “yes.”
God doesn’t care about your history.
In fact, God may use it to do something wonderful in you and in others. He cares about you, wants you to be healed, wants you to be free. He wants you to live out the incredible life that He has planned for you.
When you surrender and give your life over to God, there’s nothing that He can’t do with it. It doesn’t matter how dark your past is, how dark your history is. It doesn’t matter where you came from or where you’ve been. What matters is your heart. What matters is the fact that you are saved by grace and Jesus Himself knew you were worth dying for.
If Jesus can come from a manger in Bethlehem, from Nazareth and save the whole world, you can come from nothing and still be used by God for incredible, wonderful things.
Don’t let the enemy get under your skin. Don’t let yourself believe that you aren’t good enough, aren’t smart enough, aren’t enough enough.
You were made with purpose for purpose. You were made for such a time as this.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You so much for Your attention to detail in every single aspect of our lives.
Thank You so much for sending Your Son to not only die for us, but to show us that good things can come from rough places. That GOD things can come from rough places.
I ask, Lord, that You never let me forget who I am in You. Don’t let me get stuck in where I come from. Help me to keep my eyes on You and where You’re taking me.
You’re doing incredible, wonderful things and I’m so honored that I get to be part of it.
Thank You, God. For everything.
Amen.
If you’ve come from a rough place, that doesn’t disqualify you, it might just be the beginning of something beautiful.
My Biblical Affirmation Cards are filled with truth straight from Scripture to remind you of who you are, who God is, and what He can do with your story.
Grab your set here and start speaking truth over your life today.
