Nazareth was a small and often overlooked town in Galilee, yet it became known throughout all generations as the place where Jesus grew up. Though not directly prophesied in the Old Testament by name, it fulfilled the pattern of the Messiah being despised and lowly. Matthew 2:23 says, “And He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’”
When Jesus began His public ministry, He was known as “Jesus of Nazareth.” This title became a mark of identification, though it carried little worldly esteem. John 1:46 records Nathanael’s question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Yet it was from this humble place that the Savior of the world emerged.
Nazareth was where Jesus lived with Mary and Joseph after their return from Egypt (Matthew 2:21-23), and where He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). It was in the synagogue of Nazareth that He declared the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, proclaiming Himself as the anointed One (Luke 4:16-21). The people were astonished but quickly offended, and He said, “No prophet is accepted in his own country” (Luke 4:24).
Though Nazareth was insignificant in the eyes of the world, it was honored by the presence and upbringing of the Messiah. God once again chose the lowly to bring forth the glorious.
