He Shall Be Called a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23)

2022-12-08

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. (Matthew 2:23)

This is a prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is an enigma, considering that (as far as I can tell) Nazareth is not mentioned by name by any Old Testament prophet. The word is not connected to being a Nazarite since there is no mention of Him either taking such a vow or being dedicated that way.

Some have connected the root word of Nazareth with a word meaning Branch, as is used in Isaiah 11:1: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). This verse is clearly speaking of the Lord. However, Matthew 2:23 mention “prophets” in the plural. The Lord is mentioned by “Branch” in other passages like Jeremiah 23:6 and Zechariah 6:12, but the word for Branch in these cases is another word from another root. It still could refer to this.

Matthew 2:23 may not be referring to any direct quotation. There are no quotation marks used anywhere in the Bible, so this could mean conceptually Jesus would be a Nazarene. This most likely means undesired. “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see” (John 1:46). It was put in His superscription on His cross: “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19). Tertullus the orator accused Paul, saying, “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5).

Nazareth was in Galilee, and this larger geographical area had a stigma also. “They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” (John 7:52). Of the Galilean apostles, it was said: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). They had a distinctive accent that gave them away. “Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto” (Mark 14:70). “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:7-8).

The prophets talked about Jesus not being desired. “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:2-3). “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn” (Psalm 22:6-7). “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself” (Daniel 9:26).

However, we embrace these terms of derision, as the Lord did. Jesus Himself freely identified Himself as one from Nazareth: “And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest” (Acts 22:8). “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them” (John 18:4-5). We belong to Him. When they mock us because of Jesus of Nazareth, it is an honor, because we are identified with Him. What the world derides, we embrace.