Changi Chapel

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.  John 1: 46 – KJV

The Lord Jesus was known as “Jesus of Nazareth” – not “Jesus of Bethlehem” or “Jesus of Jerusalem” or any other city. Nazareth was insignificant compared to other important cities in Israel. And this is where he grew up according to the will of the heavenly Father. Even the demons recognized him and identified him as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Mark 1:24). When the Lord Jesus revealed himself to Saul on the road to Damascus, He identified himself as “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest”.

We all have our Nazareth’s. It was those early growing up years in our life. It is the place where we grew up, had our early life experiences and matured into adulthood.

Lets look at the meaning and significance of this question that Nathaniel so spontaneously asked – and also its implications for our lives

1. Jesus of Nazareth – the name defined his Nazarite vow – a separated life – Num 6: 2 and 3

One of the significant issues about this passage is that there is no known reference to Nazareth as a town in the Old Testament. While theologians continue to debate about this, it is rather clear that Matthew was obliquely referring to the Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow was in a physical sense a ‘rigorous separation’ from wine, grapefruit, coming near a dead body etc. In the spiritual sense as Jesus embodied it, it was ‘separation from the world’. As he said in John 17:16, being in the world but “not of the world”.

As a disciple of the Lord Jesus, separation from the world is an option but an obligation. It is a pre-requisite for any believer who wants to be a disciple. Daniel was in the court of a pagan king and so was Joseph. But they lived separated lives.

Are you living a separated life? Will your colleagues at work see those distinctives that will mark you out as a disciple of the Lord Jesus? Are you conforming to the world and is your behaviour, choices and values just like everyone else?

2.  Can any good come out of Nazareth? Can any good come out of you or me?

This is a question that can be aptly applied to any of us. Put your name down and ask yourself “Can any good come out of  ……………?”. Paul saw this truth about him and boldly declared in Rom 7:18 “no good dwelleth in me”.

Till we come to the point of acknowledging there is no good in any of us, the fullness of His grace and power will not flow through us. We will live anaemic spiritual lives. The more we glory in our talent or our smartness, the more we will limit the power of God in our lives. To the extent we like Moses see our unworthiness and our inadequacy for the task ahead of us, to that extent we will see God’s enabling power. It is in our weakness we are made strong.

How much are you able to see ‘no good can come out of you’ unless the Lord enables and anoints you for His service? Will you be careful to always pray the prayer of the Publican who smote his breast and cried out “Lord have mercy on a sinner like me?” Or will you like the Pharisee boast and brag about your goodness and your spirituality? (Read Luke 18:13)

3. Nazareth also represents our home town – our family context – where it often the hardest to witness. It was in Nazareth that Jesus said “A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown” (Mark 6:4)

One of the hardest places to live out our Christian life is our home front. It is here we are often 24 x 7 under constant scrutiny. Our family see us in a variety of contexts where our faith will be tested and challenged. We can put on a good front when coming to church and when with our friends. But how we conduct ourselves at home is the acid test of our faith.

Do our family members see in us patience, longsuffering and the love of Christ when we are provoked and annoyed? What will your spouse or your children bear witness about your faith? Will they say you are different when in church and someone else when at home? What our family members will say about our faith (even if they don’t agree with us) often will reveal much of how earnest and consistent is our witness as a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Can anyone check with our family members about you or me? What would they have to say about our faith and our daily walk with the Lord?

johnbsamuel@pobox.com