In His human living the Lord Jesus was a despised Nazarene. Matthew 2:23 says that Joseph “came and settled in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene.” The title Nazarene may refer to the branch in Isaiah 11:1, which in Hebrew is netzer. The branch there, signifying Christ, is a sprout out of the stump of Jesse, the father of David. By the time Jesus was born, the throne of David had been overthrown. This means that the royal stem, stump, of David had been cut off. Now a new twig sprouted from the stump of Jesse and grew out of his roots. The sprouting and growing of this twig were in a situation of humiliation. Jesus was not born in a recognized and honored royal home, and He did not grow up in a renowned city such as Jerusalem. He was born in a poor home and grew up in a despised town. All this made Him a Nazarene, a branch-not a lofty branch of a stately tree but a seemingly insignificant sprout from the stump of Jesse.
Because the Lord Jesus was a despised Nazarene who was born in a poor home and raised up in a despised city, He could contact every kind of man. If He had been born as a king, few would have been able to approach Him. But He was born as a poor man, and He could and did approach every class of men, especially the poor and sick ones, such as the blind, the lepers, the sinners, and the tax collectors. He became their Friend to cherish them.
As the Nazarene, the Lord Jesus was the One rejected by the world (Matt. 2:13b, 21-22). The Lord Jesus truly was the Most High God and the genuine royal descendant of the great king David. According to His status in both His divinity and His humanity, He should have been highly regarded and greatly exalted. But due to the way He was born and the environment in which He was born, there was no sign that He should have been regarded and exalted. In addition, His physical appearance did not bear any beauty or form that could be attractive to human eyes. Furthermore, His way of living was not to make a show of Himself, and His way of working was quite peculiar to the human concept. In His lowly humanity, He concealed all the excellent aspects of both His divine and human status. Hence, He was absolutely rejected by the worldly people according to their worldly view.
As a Nazarene, the Lord Jesus was also the One despised by men. He was called Jesus of Nazareth, for He was a Nazarene. When Philip met Jesus, he knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Then Philip went to Nathanael and told him that he had met the Messiah and that He was the son of Joseph, a man from Nazareth. Immediately Nathanael said, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46). Although Jesus was from Nazareth and was a Nazarene, He, the seed of David, had not been born in Nazareth but in Bethlehem. Because the Lord was raised in Nazareth, others did not consider Him as one born in Bethlehem. The Lord thus appeared as a Nazarene from Galilee (John 7:52), a town that was despised by the people at that time. As a despised Nazarene, the Lord Jesus was low in rank and position.
We need to experience Christ as a Nazarene, as the One rejected by the world and despised by men. If we experience Christ as such a One and walk in the way of the kingdom, we too will be rejected by the world and despised by others.
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