JESUS OF NAZERATH
“Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good come of Nazareth?’ [John 1:45-46].
I welcome you to this Special season of good tidings and favor from the Lord. It’s Christmas, a time of the year the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. I respect the opinions of those who feel different towards Christmas celebration because among other reasons, Christ was not born on December 25. However whichever day, He had to be born someday before He lived, died and resurrected. As we celebrate this season, the centre points at Jesus, the Nazarene, and a city in Galilee. To this city, God sent an angel Gabriel to a virgin, the Mary, engaged to a man named Joseph, from the family line of David [Luke 2:26-27]. The message was, “You will be pregnant and give birth to a son and His name will be Jesus [vs31]. Later on Matthew Gospel records that Mary became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit [1:18]. She was going to have a son and must give the name Jesus because He will save his people from their sins [vs21]. The name Jesus means “Jehovah-Savior.”
After Jesus was born, Joseph escaped with Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt, as refugees, to avoid King Harold from killing the baby. So the first Christmas was not all celebration. When the king died, they returned to their home city of Nazareth, in Galilee so what the prophet had said about Jesus came true. They had said, “He will be called a Nazarene.”[Matthew 2:23]. Nazareth was a poor, dry and backward city and commands no respect of any kind. It was not surprised that Nathaniel enquired, can any thing good come from there? They had no prominent people; had neither good roads nor means of transportation. They had no rich vegetation and no good yield came from such place. How then can a messiah of the world come from such a place? They had low standard of living, poor health state and curable disease killed people at will; infant mortality, malnutrition and lack of communal development as well as no visible government present in that city. Indeed, nothing remarkable had ever come from that city. They lived in a simpler age and had no material affluence. Does that sound like your story?
A Messiah was expected from the king’s palace or either from the family of top military stalwart or top political figure; so he could fight for the liberty of the Jews under Romanic rule. He was expected to redeemed and deliver them from sufferings and ill-treatment. That was simply man’s thinking. But God Almighty always works in a mysterious way. Surprisingly, God had planned that a Messiah comes from a low estate; a place where nothing significant or prominent has ever happened before. Incidentally, as you go through the history of most great leaders, some came from suburbs and not well to do families; their parent were unknown and some had funny and unfamiliar names. For example: In the case of Moses, “And a man [no name] of the house of Levi and took a wife [no name] a daughter of Levi. So the woman [no name] conceived and bore a son [no name]. And when she saw that he [no name] was a beautiful child, she hid him [no name] for three months” [Exodus 2:1-2]. This family was so common that no one mentioned their names, not even the son’s name was known until the daughter of Pharaoh named this unique boy – Moses, because she picked him out of water.
Also in the case of Jesus, Joseph was a poor carpenter engaged to Mary [from common background] and was already living together. The only credential worth mentioned was that he came from the house and lineage of King David. They were so poor and could not afford a room in an Inn; gave birth to their first child, Jesus in a manger [a feeding box or trough for animals] in a sheep pen. At a particular time, surprised by Jesus’ unique actions the Pharisees asked, Is this not the son of Joseph, the carpenter? Given his background, there was nothing spectacular about him. However, when He became extraordinary and expressed uncommon knowledge and wisdom, they call Him the Teacher of the law, Prophet and the Lord. Among them, some later became His followers and ended up dying for their faith in Him. “Some princes are born in palace, some are born in mangers but a few are born in the imagination, out of scraps of history and hope.”
Our world has many well to do people that had humble births and upbringing; raised in hardship and layback homes. Some bore funny names and could not afford a meal a day. Others had an identity wears for which they were known. They completed High school through the help of kind hearted benevolent people or community welfare and went through college by scholarship. Others could not make college but through hard work and God’s favor, they became prominent. Some came from household or community where no one has gone to college or become highly respected and prominent. Others are the first to step out to a foreign land. In some cases, their parents sold their inheritance and borrowed from “Esusu” [Community contribution] to send them abroad; may still be struggling to make right their immigration papers. Yet this question has continuously bothered them: Can anything good come from Nazareth? I declare to you today, that the same people that asked that question shall in due time, ask: Is this not the son of a carpenter?
David, the last son of Jesse was a family shepherd. Unknown to his family, God chose the field to train and prepare him for the next king of Israel after Saul. Prophet Samuel asked: Are these the only sons you have? No, Jesse answered: my youngest son is taking care of the sheep. When he walked in, the Lord said to Samuel, get up and anoint him; he is the one. Joseph was one but the last son of Jacob, and was the beloved of the father. The father made him an identity coat of many colors that erupted hatred from the brothers. He went through the pit, prison and fulfilled his dream in the palace of Egypt as a Prime Minister. Jeph’thah, the Gile-adite was a man of valour and a son of a harlot. He was denied his inheritance because he was a son of a strange woman. He fled from his brethren. When the time came, the elders seek him to lead them to war. He did and became their Head and captain over them [Judges 11:1-11]
It could be that you are the poor that God will raise to dine with princes [Psalms 113:7-8]. You could be the messiah that God had predestined to save your people; that will become a great leader in your community. God prepares and destines people long before they are born into this world. For example: The President Elect, Senator, Barrack Obama, slept at Chicago subway when he went to register for college because he had no money to check into an Inn. That did not deter him from studying hard, remained focus and made his college with flying colors before heading to Harvard College. He was raised by his grandmother who passed on to glory a day to his landslide victory as the first Blackman, to become American President and occupy the Whitehouse.
Do not be discouraged by what you see. God had a reason for you to be born at the time and place, you were born. Your birth is not an accident but an act of God and has a purpose. Moses after being raised in the palace of Egypt still returned to his people to fulfill God’s purpose for him. Through Jesus, the city of Nazareth became known and prominent. It does not matter if your parents raised you in hardship or you grew up as an orphan or your parents were not there for you; that will not change God’s plan for you. Your birth has brought a great breakthrough to your family and community. You are highly favored and the Lord God is with you. You will affect your generation and speak favorably on their behalf; through you your community will be known. But you have to remain focus, determined and put faith in God. There is a season of favor and good tidings coming your way. What ever you’re passing through prepares you for the role God intends you to play; it’s in no measure comparable with the joy of the future.
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or .