Nazareth was a small, little-known village in lower Galilee, far from the main trade routes of the time. It does not appear in the Old Testament or in other ancient Jewish writings prior to the first century.
It was there that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would conceive the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit. After fleeing to Egypt because of Herod’s persecution, Joseph and Mary returned and settled again in Nazareth.
There Jesus spent most of his earthly life, learned the trade of carpentry from Joseph, and grew in wisdom and grace before God and men. The city’s name became so tied to him that the Gospels call him Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarene.
The smallness of the place drew attention: Nathanael even asked whether anything good could come from Nazareth. Years later, when Jesus returned and preached in the local synagogue, the townspeople themselves rejected him and tried to kill him.
Nazareth shows that God chooses humble places to accomplish his greatest purposes. There, hidden from the world’s attention, grew the one who would change the course of human history.
