The Nazareth Principle

by Skip Heitzig | August 2, 2024

The name Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most common ways we refer to the Lord. But did you know that in ancient times, Nazareth had long been a term of scorn, derision, and mockery? It was considered just a little backwards town—Podunk central.

When Nathaniel was told, "We have found Him…Jesus of Nazareth" (John 1:45), he asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (v. 46) And since Jesus called Nathaniel a man "in whom [there] is no deceit" (v. 47), it must mean everybody was saying that about Nazareth.

When Jesus was on the cross, Pilate hung a sign above Him, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John 19:19). In this context, you can hear the scorn.

Many prophets predicted Jesus would be scorned, despised, and rejected. Here's a sampling. Isaiah 53:2-3: "There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men." Psalm 22:6-7, "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head." And Psalm 69 refers to the Messiah's "reproach," "shame," and "dishonor" (v. 19).

Here's the point. The prophets all point to Jesus Christ, and to His rejection. But He was rejected so you could be accepted. He was forsaken so you would never be forsaken.

And yet, the risen Christ spoke, from heaven, of Nazareth. When he was converted, Paul the Apostle heard a voice that said, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5).

There is a principle I like to call the Nazareth principle. The Nazareth principle is when God, by design, takes ordinary people from out-of-the-way places, and does something awesome with them. This should make you sit up straight and think, "That could be me."

And that's what I think, because my life verse is 1 Corinthians 1:27, "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."

It doesn't matter where you're from. It doesn't matter where you live. It matters who you are once Jesus gets hold of you. That's the Nazareth principle.

So Nathaniel said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Just salvation. Just eternal life. Just the best thing ever came out of Nazareth. And I would say, God keeps doing that today by using you and me.

You know, a surgeon in a modern operating suite could pull off a complicated operation, and you probably wouldn't think much of it. That's what doctors do. But take that same doctor to the South American jungle where there's no operating room, no electricity, no modern tools, and give him a Swiss Army knife. If that doctor can perform an operation under those conditions, you would say, "That's quite a doctor!"

The point is, the skill of the worker is more noticeable when he's confined to using inferior tools. And God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. That's the Nazareth principle.

God "chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). In His power, He chooses weak things like us to display His strength and make His glory evident. He can use anyone to perform His will—no matter where they come from.

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