I have a friend who has tried many times to get a nickname. Names like Cornbread, T-Bone, and Jellybean. Even after years of effort, my friend is still nicknameless. I also have never been given a nickname, even though Smitty would have been perfect!
In our reading for today, we see the origins of one of Jesus’ nicknames, something he is called 16 times in the New Testament: Jesus of Nazareth.
During this time in Matthew, Nazareth is believed to be a small town with only a few hundred people. Luke tells us it is where Mary is from. It also seems to be a very insignificant place, especially for the Son of God who was born in Bethlehem, the City of David. To be born in such a prestigious place and grow up in a no-name town highlights exactly how God works in this world, though.
From King David being overlooked as the next king of Israel by his family (1 Samuel 16) to Gideon’s army being downsized to merely 300 people (Judges 7), God chooses the small and overlooked to bring him glory. Or as Paul writes to the church of Corinth:
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important (1 Corinthians 1:28).
When you look at Jesus’ ministry, most of it was spent healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and uplifting the outcasts. Jesus came to help restore the earth to the way God intended it to be. His time here was to help change how we see power and authority. Jesus came to make things right again, and he invites us to be a part of it!
Getting back to nicknames, it turns out we all have one: Christian or Christ-follower. Now go, and love like Christ.
Reflection:
- Why do you think God so often chooses small, overlooked places and people—like Nazareth—to accomplish important work?
- How does Jesus being known as “Jesus of Nazareth” reshape the way you understand power, significance, and success in God’s kingdom?
- What does loving like Christ look like in your daily life, especially toward those who are overlooked or marginalized?