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“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.”
Merry Christmas!
᛭ INI ᛭
The Lord really did keep His Word. “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Christ was whisked away to Egypt, and then brought back to the promised land. Just like Abraham, just like Isaac and his sons, so also Christ for Abraham, Isaac, his sons, and for you.
Our hope and confidence is that the LORD keeps His promises. Among all the so-called gods of the world, the LORD alone makes promises, even one-sided promises and then fulfills them, often in spite of His people. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2-Tim 2) As He also says through Malachi: “I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”
Prophecies are not only stuff that’s going to happen in the future. That’s such a bland way of putting it. They are things that are going to happen, but they aren’t only that. They are things that the Lord Himself is going to do. Prophecies are promises. He’s promising to do these things. So it was with Joseph taking Christ to live back in Nazareth:
“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.”
We doubt that the Lord keeps His promises. Especially when things are crazy or not going right. Well, not right according to us, at least. When things are not going according to our plans, the way we’d like it, then doubt and fear multiply, and stress along with it! This is a failure according to the First Commandment, when we want to be God in God’s place. So it was even with Joseph: “When he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.”
See, there’s no reason for you to fear. When the Lord promises, He does it. So it was with Christ’s birth and His suffering and death. As the Lord promises through Paul: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Moreover, we see the lovingkindness of God with Joseph: When he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being [given a Divine oracle] in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 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.” How true it is that “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” (Prov 16)
The Lord didn’t deal with Joseph according to his doubt and fear. He doesn’t just take care of Joseph. He passed over and forgave His transgressions. He does the same for you. And His forgiving your iniquity and transgression and sin is promised to you today in these words: “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, under direction of the Holy Spirit, goes deep cut into Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even Micah. For the Lord promised through Isaiah: “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch”—“a נֵצֶר”—“shall grow out of his roots,” and so then “He shall be called a Nazarene.” What more do we know about this Branch? Through Jeremiah it is promised: “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “When I will raise for David a Righteous Branch. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely, And this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Indeed, He is your righteousness, bearing your sins in His own body, as He was grafted by nails into the tree of the cross. There “ΙΗϹ of Nazareth,” ΙΗϹ the Nazarene, “the King of the Jews.” Born not in Nazareth but Bethlehem as promised: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” (Mic 5) Branch sprung forth from Jesse, from David’s line in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth, that He might be known as “Branch,” as “נֵצֶר,” as “Nazarene,” even “ΙΗϹ of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” crucified for you.
And you are grafted into Him through faith by baptism, of course. But more fully He is your Branch, or rather He is your Vine, and you His branch, as you Christ promises: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15)
Christ also promises: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (Jn 6) Not only life everlasting on the Last Day, but a life of love and faith rather than fear. For the forgiveness of sins, God’s love for you in Christ, casts out fear and in its place fosters faith. (1-Jn 3)
“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.” Christ is Nazarene, “נֵצֶר,” “Branch” for you. Sprouting and growing from Bethlehem through Nazareth, cut off, planted, regrown on the Third Day for you. All as the Lord promised “according to the Scriptures.” (1-Cor 15)
Nazarene finds its fulfillment not only by Christ being born in Bethlehem, or growing up in Nazareth, or dying at Calvary, but in Him causing you to remain in Him and He in you by making you bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh at Communion. See, the Lord makes and keeps promises: “He shall be called a Nazarene,” “this is My body, this is My blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
See, eat and drink, believe how He is Nazarene for you, and because this is so, He’ll take care of you, too.
Gracious Mercy Blog 