John 1:44-46
“Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
Can anything good come from Nazareth? Clearly Nazareth had a reputation and it was not all that great. Jesus, of course, was born in Bethlehem originally, then lived in Egypt for a while, and eventually was raised in Nazareth. (Matthew 2)
Q: Was being raised in a backwater town like Nazareth a good fit for Jesus and his mission here on earth or would it have been better for him to be raised in a more prestigious neighborhood? Why?
Nathanael’s response say’s it all. Jesus came as one of the poor, to save the poor. Those who place value in worldly position, material wealth will rarely accept Him.
Well said, Ron! Blessed are the poor in spirit for the will see the kingdom of God. In this crazy world of keeping up with everyone else, that concept is a mind bender!
Yes Jeff, we are total opposites with no room from compromise.
We had no room for Him when He entered this world,..He was laid in a pigs trough,..so coming from a not so great place would be as fitting as His birth. He even said that a prophet is not welcome in his own town or something on that line. So even if He were to come from some prestigious town they wouldn’t accept Him just as a lot of people won’t accept Him today,..and if the ones that need Him are asked to come and see what would they go to see,..people singing in the pews,..a pastor telling us that we are sinners,..a plate passed around for an offering to a God they can’t see,..to hear a prayer to a God they think doesn’t hear or answer? If the fruit of the spirit is not in the person asking the other to come and see there will be nothing for that person to see or taste,..it is more than imagination that we come to see in Christ with,..I believe we come to see Him with our hearts when He opens the eyes to our hearts. His love is amazing and can be seen on display in all those He has chosen who believe in Him.
God Bless you John!
I have thought a lot about this question. “Was being raised in a backwater town like Nazareth a good fit for Jesus and his mission here on earth or would it have been better for him to be raised in a more prestigious neighborhood? Why?” It really raises two questions in my mind: would Jesus’s background have affected Him growing up and the realization of His purpose, and if He had material wealth, would it have affected how other viewed Him? Looking at all the prophesies from the Old Testament, it does not appear to say that Jesus would necessarily be poor. What is clear though is that Jesus would be a sacrifice for us.
Isaiah 53: 5-6 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
I believe regardless of Jesus’s station in life His purpose would have been clear to Him. It is the reason He came here.
Along that same lines of thinking though, I do believe had Jesus had material wealth it would have affected how other viewed Him, just because that is human nature. I think He would have had more of the poor looking to Him for material healing rather than spiritual healing, and the wealthy/powerful would see Him as someone to try and ally with. That thought, if correct, is interesting to me because it would mean that the the leaders would be more fearful of someone who held the power of money than who held the power of the universe.
Anyway, just my thoughts, if I am off-base please let me know, I appreciate your thoughts.
Chris,
Far from being “off base,” I think you have hit a home run! 🙂 Your thoughts about the effect of wealth on how Jesus would have been perceived are very interesting. I agree. Especially your point about the leaders being more concerned about worldly power than God’s power. Very interesting! Thank you!