Have you ever heard Jesus referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth” or “the Nazarene”? What does that mean?
Jesus grew up in a town called Nazareth. Thus, He has been called “Jesus of Nazareth” in the same way you might say “Bobby from New York” or “Cindy from London.” Especially since Jesus wasn’t an uncommon name in His time, adding “of Nazareth” helped people know who was being talked about.
However, Jesus being from Nazareth means a bit more than your cousin Bobby hailing from New York.
Where Was Jesus Born? And Where Was He Reared?
Though Jesus grew up in Nazareth, He wasn’t born there.
Jesus was born to a virgin, Mary, who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Luke 2 records that at that time there was a census, for which Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem in Judea because of his lineage from David. Mary, pregnant with Jesus at the time by the power of the Holy Spirit, came with him.
At some point, while they were in Bethlehem, Jesus was born. The Bible doesn’t say how long they were there before this happened, and it isn’t clear exactly how long they stayed afterward. Forty days after the birth of her son, a Jewish woman was to go to the temple for purification, which Luke records that Mary and Joseph did, after which they appear to have returned to Bethlehem. The wise men from the east came while Jesus was “a young child” and visited him at a house in Bethlehem, which was probably a year or two later.
The family left Bethlehem and fled to Egypt after Joseph was warned to leave in a dream. This was because King Herod decided to have all boys under two years old in and around Bethlehem killed. Herod had heard about the new “king of the Jews” from the wise men and was determined to eliminate the threat to his power. This, then, ended the family’s time in Bethlehem.
After Herod died, an angel told Joseph in a dream that it was safe to return to Israel. Depending on when scholars date events in the life of Jesus, the answer for how long they remained in Egypt will vary, but it was most likely less than two years. After the dream, Matthew 2:21-23 records:
So he [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Thus, Jesus, most likely around two to four years old, finally landed in the town in which he would grow up.
What Is Nazareth Called Today?
Nazareth today seems to operate under the same name, but it doesn't look the same way that it had in Jesus' day. In Jesus' day, Nazareth likely would have had fewer than 1000 people in the town's population and most of the people would've worked off the land. It has now shifted from a land of agriculture to a city with a predominant Arab population.
Nevertheless, you can still go and visit the place in which Jesus grew up today. Most of the architecture from Jesus' time would have disappeared, however.
What Does the Name Nazareth Mean?
Nazareth means "a watchtower" or a "sprout." The latter part of the name likely refers to the hillside that sloped near the town or the hill right behind the town. Considering the town draws attention to its topography probably tells you there wasn't really the world's largest ball of twine or any other interesting attractions here. This is probably why people expressed surprise that Jesus hailed from such a nobody town. They probably wanted the Savior of Israel to come from a "somebody" place like Jerusalem.
The large Gentile population in the area that influenced the Nazareth peoples probably played into this dislike for the inhabitants of the town who did business with less-pure and less-Israelite types.
Where Was the Town of Nazareth?
Nazareth is located in the modern country of Israel. In Jesus’ time, Nazareth was located in southern Galilee, which was north of Judea (where Bethlehem and Jerusalem were). Galilee was geographically somewhat separated from Judea by the non-Jewish territory of Samaria.
It’s important to realize that Jewish Judeans typically thoughtless of their northern Galilean brethren. Galileans were thought of as country “bumpkins,” and their accent was mocked by Judeans. During Jesus’ trial, Peter was suspected of being a follower of Jesus simply because of his Galilean accent (Luke 22:59).
Judeans also looked down on Galilee for its greater racial and religious mixing, where conservative Jews lived right next to pagans. Galileans were considered less sophisticated and corrupted by Gentile influence. Judeans tended to believe that Galileans were lax in following proper religious rituals. The fact that Galilee was so much farther from the temple and theological leadership in Jerusalem didn’t help matters.
Nazareth held an extra level of abhorrence for Jews: it housed a Roman garrison. Perhaps this is what led to the following conversation, recorded in John 1:45-46, between two soon-to-be disciples of Jesus:
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Phillip.
Why Is Nazareth Significant?
Nazareth isn’t expressly mentioned in the Old Testament. However, Jesus coming from Nazareth did fulfill Old Testament prophecy. In Matthew 2:23, when Joseph went to Nazareth with Mary and Jesus, Matthew says, “So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.”
Jesus being from Nazareth potentially fulfills prophecy in two different ways. First, predictions abound in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah being despised and rejected (e.g. Psalm 22, Isaiah 53). Nazareth fits that description.
Second, the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1 states, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” In this prophecy, understood to be about the coming Messiah, the word we translate as “branch” is “naser” or “netzer.” Notice the similarities of “naser” to Nazarene, or “netzer” to Nazareth. Some, including many early church leaders like Jerome, point to this as a play on words.
Jesus chose not to be born in a palace; we celebrate His lowly birth at Christmas. But He also didn’t choose to grow up in a religiously prestigious place like Jerusalem. He came from the “country-bumpkin,” religiously lacking land of Galilee, from the frowned-upon town of Nazareth.
He was doing something new, and it was all about God, not grandeur — forgiveness, not pharisaical laws. Our Savior’s humble childhood in Nazareth reminds us that He came for the Jews and the Gentiles, the rich and the poor, the respected and the maligned — for us all.
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This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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