6 The Nazarene

Some Bible students claim that there are more than seven hundred different names and titles of Jesus Christ recorded in the Bible. Jesus Christ is so great in his person and work that it takes hundreds of names and titles to describe him, and it will take all eternity for us to begin to understand them.

Why should we study the wonderful names of Jesus? For this reason: every name that he wears is a blessing that he shares. The better we understand the names of our Lord Jesus Christ, the better we will know him. The better we know him, the better we’ll understand what he’s done for us and what he can do for us today. The names of Christ are revelations of his glorious character and his gracious ministry to his own people, and we want to appropriate by faith every blessing that he has for us.

I want to start this series of studies by examining the misunderstood name “Nazarene.” “And he [Joseph] 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’” (Matt. 2:23).

Understanding the Name

Perhaps the most common name that was used to identify our Lord when he was here on earth was “Jesus of Nazareth” or “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, but the common people didn’t identify him with Bethlehem; they identified him with Nazareth in Galilee. Even the religious leaders, who should have known the messianic prophecy in Micah 5:2, identified Jesus with Galilee. “Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee” (John 7:52).[1]

It was in Nazareth that Jesus spent his early years (Matt. 2:22–23; Luke 2:39–40, 51), learning Joseph’s trade as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). At the age of thirty, when he began his public ministry, Jesus left Nazareth and began to travel throughout the Holy Land ministering to the people. Because he came from Nazareth, Jesus was given the title “Jesus of Nazareth.”

According to Matthew, this name was given in fulfillment of “that which was spoken by the prophets.” The interesting thing is this: Nazareth is mentioned thirty times in the New Testament, but not once in the Old Testament. And nowhere in the Old Testament do we find a specific prophecy that says, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

As we seek to understand the name “Nazarene,” we must not confuse “Nazarene” with “Nazirite” (see Num. 6). The word “Nazirite” means “consecrated by a vow” and refers to people who were set apart by God for a specific time. To be sure, the Lord Jesus Christ was totally separated unto his Father, for he was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), but the Lord Jesus Christ was not a Nazirite.

Nazirites were not supposed to touch dead bodies (Num. 6:6–9), but Jesus didn’t hesitate to identify with the dead. He touched the coffin of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:14), and he tenderly took the hand of the dead daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:54).

Nazirites were not supposed to be identified with the fruit of the vine, but our Lord drank wine. In contrast to John the Baptist, who was a Nazirite (Luke 1:15), the Lord Jesus Christ accepted invitations to dinners, attended wedding feasts, and didn’t separate himself from the everyday social life of the people. “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber’” (Matt. 11:19; see Luke 22:18). So the name “Nazarene” is not the equivalent of “Nazirite,” although our Lord Jesus was completely devoted to God.

Many Bible students associate the name “Nazarene” with the Hebrew word netser, which means “a branch.” In Isaiah 11:1, the Messiah is associated with the title “Branch”: “There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”

The “branch” image isn’t difficult to understand. In Old Testament days, it looked as though David’s family tree had been “chopped down” (Isa. 10:33–34) and that the future for the kingdom was bleak. Then Jesus was born in Bethlehem into David’s family (Matt. 1:1; Luke 1:32), “a root out of a dry ground” (Isa. 53:2), the “Branch” who fulfills the kingdom promises given to David (2 Sam. 7; Luke 1:32–33). Jesus alone is “a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch. . .out of his roots” (Isa. 11:1). One day Jesus shall reign on the earth and establish the kingdom in glory and power (Isa. 9:6–7).

We have a problem, however, if we connect “Nazarene” with the Hebrew word netser. Most of the passages that refer to the Lord Jesus as the “branch” do not use the word netser; they use another Hebrew word for “branch.” Only in Isaiah 11:1 do we find a “Branch” prophecy about the Lord Jesus using the word netser.[2]

It doesn’t appear that “Nazarene” comes from netser, and it certainly doesn’t come from “Nazirite.” Then what is the basis for Matthew’s prophecy that Messiah “shall be called a Nazarene”?

We must remember the kind of reputation the city of Nazareth had in Jesus’ day. When Philip was converted and called his friend Nathanael to come and meet the Lord Jesus, Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). In Jesus’ day, Nazareth was a despised and rejected place for several reasons. Nazareth had a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles and was probably more Gentile than Jewish. This didn’t please the religious leaders at all. Galilee was called “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Matt. 4:15). The people living in Galilee spoke a rough Aramaic dialect, which explains why the people said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it” (Mark 14:70). Galilee was a turbulent place and some of the political rebels of that day made their headquarters in Nazareth.

All in all, Nazareth in Galilee wasn’t the kind of place a strict Jew would want to live, but Jesus grew up in Nazareth. Nazareth was, as we would say in America, “across town” or “on the other side of the tracks.” So when you called somebody a “Nazarene,” you were saying he or she wasn’t listed in the social register or in the Who’s Who of that day. I think our Lord Jesus was known as a Nazarene because he identified himself with the poor, the outcasts, even the people from Nazareth! “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Are there specific prophecies in the Old Testament that identify Jesus as being despised and rejected? Yes, there are. Isaiah wrote that Messiah was “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). In fact, Isaiah 53 is a prophetic description of the humiliation and rejection of the Messiah. Psalm 22 describes his humiliation, especially verses 6–8. Psalm 69 is also a messianic psalm (note vv. 4 and 8–9), and while the psalm records David’s suffering, it also describes the reproaches and sufferings of our Lord.

The background of Isaiah 11:1 is the Assyrian invasion of Judah, which occurred during the reign of King Hezekiah (Isa. 37). It was a time of chastening for God’s people. At the end of the previous chapter (Isa. 10:33–34), the prophet compared this invasion to the chopping down of a forest, the lopping off of the high haughty trees (Jewish leaders). By the time the kingdom of Judah came to an end with the invasion of the Babylonians (606–586), it looked like the “tree” of Judah was nothing but a stump. But from that stump God would cause a humble shoot, a despised Branch, to grow, and he—the Messiah, Jesus Christ—would bring salvation.

So, instead of quoting one specific prophecy, Matthew referred to the several statements of the Old Testament writers that the Messiah would be despised and rejected, that he would identify himself with the poor and the outcasts of the people, and even die on a cursed cross to save them from their sins.

Applying His Name

Now let’s apply the significance of this name to our own lives. What does it mean to you and me today that Jesus Christ was called “a Nazarene”?

The Grace of God

This name speaks to us of the grace of God. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world, he didn’t identify with Jerusalem (the leading city of religion), or with Rome (the great city of law). Nor did he come to Athens (the most prominent city of philosophy). Where did he go? He went to Nazareth; he identified with people who were despised and rejected, the poor and the needy.

But the remarkable thing is this: the Lord Jesus took that despised name “Nazareth” and glorified it! He was known as “Jesus of Nazareth.” Wouldn’t you be happy to have your name identified with Jesus? Nazareth, a place despised by many, was glorified by Jesus Christ because he identified himself with it. The sad thing is that the people of Nazareth rejected him (Luke 4:16–30). A prophet is always without honor in his own country and among his own people (see Matt. 13:57).

The name “Nazareth” was honored further when Pilate wrote that title for Jesus and put it on the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). Can you imagine that—“Nazareth” put up high on the cross! When the people came to the tomb after our Lord’s resurrection, the angel said, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth” (Mark 16:6). Can you imagine angels mentioning Nazareth? Jesus made the difference!

Our Lord Jesus himself used the name “Nazareth” when he spoke from heaven to Saul of Tarsus: “I am Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 22:8). He took the name “Nazareth” and lifted it all the way up to heaven!

No matter where you live, no matter how much you own, no matter how unimportant you may seem to other people, Jesus Christ comes to you where you are. He identifies himself with those who are needy, despised, and rejected. Throughout his earthly ministry, he identified with publicans and sinners, with lepers and sick people—people who were unwanted, abused, ignored, and rejected. Jesus hasn’t changed. Though exalted on the throne of heaven, he is still “Jesus of Nazareth” and identifies with common people, needy people, rejected people.

Jesus of Nazareth is still passing by, and by faith you can reach out and say, “Lord Jesus, save me; Lord Jesus, help me—this is my need today.”

The Word of God

The name “Nazarene” speaks to us not only of the grace of God, but also of the Word of God. Do you know why the Lord Jesus lived in Nazareth? Because God’s Word told him to do so. At least twelve times in his Gospel, Matthew says, “This was done that it might be fulfilled which was written by the prophet.”

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? Because through the prophet Micah, God said that Bethlehem was to be Messiah’s birthplace (Micah 5:2). Do you know why those children were slain in Bethlehem by Herod’s soldiers? Because the prophet Jeremiah said it would happen (Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:17–18). Why did Mary and Joseph take Jesus to live in Nazareth? Because the prophets said he would be called a Nazarene, somebody who was despised and rejected (Matt. 2:19–23). Whatever Jesus did when he was here on earth was in fulfillment of the Word of God.

That encourages me! If you and I will just simply obey the Word of God, we will live in the will of God and accomplish the work of God. We should work where we work because God tells us to. We should do what we do because God tells us to. The name “Nazarene” magnifies the Word of God because it’s in the Word of God that we find the will of God revealed.

The Sufferings of Christ

There is a third lesson that comes from this name “Nazarene”: We should be identified with the sufferings of Christ. Jesus came to a despised and rejected place; he himself was despised and rejected, and we should share in his reproach. Hebrews 13:13 tells us we should go “outside the camp, bearing his reproach.” Don’t be afraid to suffer for the Lord Jesus. Don’t be ashamed to be identified with him. He wasn’t ashamed to be identified with us.

The enemies of Christ called the early Christians “the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). That’s quite a title—“the sect of the Nazarenes.” These proud people looked down on the Christians and asked, “Who are these people who are identified with Jesus of Nazareth? They can’t be very important!” Charles Spurgeon said, “If you follow Christ fully you will be sure to be called by some ill name or other.”[3]

Never be ashamed of the Lord Jesus or of his gospel! “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. . . .” (Rom. 1:16). We must not be ashamed to take up his cross and follow him. In fact, we should be honored to be identified with Jesus Christ—Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Nazarene.

I recall a wealthy businessman visiting a Sunday morning worship service of a church I pastored and after the service saying, “Well, I didn’t see anybody important there.” He wasn’t impressed with God’s people! He needed to read 1 Corinthians 1:26–29: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

The grace of God, the Word of God, and the sufferings of Christ—these are all wrapped up in this wonderful name, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Let’s live by the grace of God, let’s obey the Word of God, and let’s be very careful that in everything we do we are not ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ but willingly, yes, gladly bear his reproach.

Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Yes, something good did come out of Nazareth—the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God. He left Nazareth and ministered to needy people. Wherever there were people who were broken and hurt, Jesus was there to heal. Wherever there was sin, he was there to forgive. If you will just open your heart and trust Christ as your Savior, you will be saved by the grace of God. You can then live in obedience to the Word of God. You can then be identified with him in “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10), unashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ, and living to glorify him.

Jesus of Nazareth is passing by (Luke 18:37). Will you trust him now, before it’s too late?

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