Jesus was a nazarene

JESUS WAS A NAZARENE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
“And He came and dwelt in a city calledNazareth:
that it might be fulfilledwhich was spoken by the
prophets, He shall be calleda Nazarene.” Matthew
2:23.
THE NAZARENE AND THE SECT OF THE NAZARENES NO. 1632
A SERMON DELIVERED ON THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 9, 1881, BY C.
H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
“And He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which
was spokenby the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:23.
WE find the Jews speaking of Paul, and they say, “We have found this man a
pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world,
and a ringleader of the sectof the Nazarenes”—Acts 24:5. Thus it appears that our
Lord and Master is called a Nazarene and His disciples are styled “the sect of the
Nazarenes,” while Christian doctrine was called, by the Jews, the heresy of the
Nazarenes. Our Savior, though actually born at Bethlehem, was commonly known
as Jesus of Nazareth, because Nazareth was the place where He was brought up.
There He remained with His reputed father in the carpenter’s shop until the time of

His showing unto the people. This Nazareth was a place very much despised. It
was a small country town, and the people were rough and rustic. They were some
three days distance from Jerusalem, where I supposethe Jews thought that
everything that was learned and polite could be found, as we are apt to think of our
own city, or of Oxford, Cambridge, and other seats of learning. The people of
Nazareth were the boors of Galilee, the clowns of the country. More than that, you
will generally find in every nation—I was about to say in every county of our own
country—some town made the butt of ridicule. I do not know that “silly Suffolk,”
is any sillier than any other part of the world, but I do know that I, myself, happen
to have been born in the next parish to the town of Coggeshall, in Essex,
concerning which all sorts of jokes are made—so that when any stupid thing is
done they call it “a Coggeshall job.” I merely mention this because it is an
illustration of what used to be said concerning Nazareth. It was a primitive place. It
was situated in Galilee, which was thought to be quite boorish enough, and
Nazareth was the most rustic of all. The name signifies, in rough words, “sprouts,”
and the Jews, who were great at puns upon names, threw it as a jest at the people
who came from that town. We Anglicize it in a more refined way by the word,
“branch,” for, “Netzar,” or, “Nazareth,” signifies a branch. You will begin to
understand why the Savior is said to be called by the prophet, a Netzar, or a
Nazarene, and you will guess that Matthew refers to the passagein Isaiah, in the
11th chapter at the first verse, where it is said that a rod shall come out of the stem
of Jesse, and “a Netzar, a Nazarene, a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” There is
another passagein Jeremiah where we read of the man, the Branch—the Netzar—
the Nazarene. And again in Isaiah, “And His name shall be called a Branch,” or
Nazarene. Thoseare the passages, I think, to which Matthew referred when he
said, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be
called a Netzar, a Branch, a Nazarene.” The Hebrews made a great deal out of
names—a great deal more than you and I generally do with names of places in
England—and they had reason for so doing, for there was generally a meaning in
the names of places. Perhaps Nazareth was called, “Branch” because trees
flourished there and not much else. Or because they thought that the people were
rather verdant and they, therefore, called them, “sprouts”and, “greens,” making
the same use of language as the vulgar do at this day when they wish to express
contempt. That may have been the origin of the term, “Nazareth.” Certain it is
that the place was the subject of the jests of the Jews of our Lord’s time, for even

Nathanael, in whom was no guile—one who spokein a simple-hearted, honest
way, and had no prejudices, but wished well to everybody, said—“Can there any
good thing come out of Nazareth?” As if he felt that prophets and saints were by
no means likely to spring from a town so low down in the scale of progress and
education. How could He of whom Moses
2 The Nazarene and the Sect of the Nazarenes Sermon #1632
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spokebe found way down there among the country folk of Nazareth? As Nazarene
was a term of contempt in the olden times, so it has continued to be. The apostate
emperor, Julian, was known always to call our Lord, the Galilean. And when he
died, in his agony of death, he cried, “O Galilean, You have vanquished me!” He
was obliged to confess our Lord’s supremacy, though he still showed his contempt
by calling Him the Galilean. The Jews, to this day, when they feel wrath against
our Christ, are known to call Him the Nazarene. Nazarene is not at all the same
word as Nazarite. It is a different word in the Hebrew, and you must not confuse
the two. Never supposethat when you say, “He shall be called a Nazarene,” that it
signifies that He was called a Nazarite. Nazarite, among the Jews would have been
a title of honor, but Nazarene is simply a name of contempt. A late traveler tells us
that he had a Muslim guide through Palestine and whenever they came to a village
that was very dirty, poorand inhabited by professed Christians, he always said,
“These are not Muslims, they are Netza,” or, “Nazarenes,” throwing all the spite he
possibly could into the word, as if he could not have uttered a more contemptuous
term. To this day, then, our Lord has the name of the Nazarene affixed to Him by
those who reject Him. And to this day Christians are called, among Muslims,
Nazarenes. Our Lord Jesus Christ was never ashamed of this name. In fact, He
called Himself, “Jesus of Nazareth,” after He had risen from the dead. He told
Paul, when He smote him to the earth, “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you
persecute.” His disciples were not ashamed to call Him by that name, for as they
walked to Emmaus and He joined them, and asked them what they were speaking
of, they said they were talking of Jesus of Nazareth. This is a name at which devils
tremble, for they besought Him, even Jesus of Nazareth, that they should not be
sent into the deep when He cast them out! It was the name which, in contempt, was
nailed above His head upon the cross—“JesusofNazareth, the King of the Jews.”

Oh, but it is a glorious name, as I shall have to show before I have done! But still,
this is the meaning of it—the meaning of Matthew when he says that the prophets
declared that He should be called a Nazarene. He meant that the prophets have
described the Messiah as one that would be despised and rejected of men! They
spokeof Him as a great Prince and Conquerorwhen they described His second
coming, but they set forth His first coming when they spokeof Him as a rootout of
a dry ground without form or comeliness, who, when He should be seen, would
have no beauty that men should desire Him. The prophets said that He would be
called by a despicable title and it was so, for His countrymen called Him a
Nazarene. I want you to notice our divine Redeemer’s condescension, before I
plunge further into this matter. It was a marvel that Jesus should live on this world
at all! He who inhabits all things, whom space is not wide enough to contain,
dwells on this poor, dusky planet! If He must dwell in this world, why is He born
in Judea? Forthough I am grieved it should be so, yet the Jews are a people greatly
despised— shame on Christians when they ever join in such despising! But still, if
Jesus must be a man in this world, why is He not born in Rome, in the capital of
the nations? Why must it be in a little miserable country like Judea? And if He
shall be born in Judea, why must He live in Galilee—that Boeotia of Israel—that
most despicable part of Judea? If He must live in Galilee, why not at Capernaum?
Why does He chooseNazareth? Why must He go to the lowest of the low—that
most despised place of a despised country? And if He must come to Nazareth—
follow Him a step lower—why must He be a carpenter’s son? Why, if He lives
there, can He not be the son of the minister of the synagogue, or some respectable
scribe? No—He must be reputed to be a poorman’s son. And then if He must be a
carpenter’s son, why can He not so constrain men’s hearts that they shall receive
Him? For the deepest depth of all is that even as a carpenter’s son His fellow
citizens will not endure Him—they take Him to the brow of the hill to cast Him
down headlong from the cliff whereon the city stood!Was there ever such
condescensionas that of the Savior? If, in the lowest depth, there is a lower depth,
He plunges into it for our sakes! He emptied Himself. Our old version says, “He
made Himself of no reputation,” but the new one is, in this case much better—“He
emptied Himself.” Nothing was left Him of honor or respect. He gave up all.
“Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor”—poorto the last degree,
poorin reputation! He was born a man, a Jew, a Galilean, a Nazarene. You have
gone down as far as language can descend and I invite you, now, to think of the

way in which Jesus, the Nazarene, is still despised. That shall be our first head.
When we have thought upon that, we will say a little upon His disciples—the sect
of the Nazarenes must expect to be despised till brighter days shall dawn. When we
have
Sermon #1632 The Nazarene and the Sect of the Nazarenes 3
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talked about that we shall have to say, in conclusion, that there is nothing
despicable either in the Master or in the servants, though they are called Nazarenes
by a contemptuous world. I. First, then, OUR MASTER, THE NAZARENE,
WAS DESPISED AND IS DESPISED EVEN TO THIS DAY. He was despised,
first, because in His person, His parentage, His state, His apparel, His language,
His habits there was nothing of grandeur, nothing of parade, nothing but what was
simple, gentle, lowly. He did ride, once, but it was on a colt, the foal of an ass. It
was said, “Behold your King comes,”but His coming was meek and lowly. He
might have been a king—He was very near being taken by force to be pushed up
into a throne—but He withdrew Himself, for He did not strive, nor cry, nor cause
His voice to be heard in the streets. He was no popularity-hunter, or flatterer of the
great. He was no man of confusion and strife, who sought to push Himself
forward and tread down others. Thosethat opposed Him were weak like bruised
reeds, but He would not break them though He could have done it. They offended
Him with their weak arguments, for they were like smoking flax to Him, but He
would not quench them. He left them for another day when He shall bring forth
judgment unto victory. I suppose, if we had seen the Savior, we should not have
thought Him “altogether lovely,” for His heavenly beauty was not of the kind that
strikes the natural eye. Hence the impossibility of any painter ever being able to
paint Him, for though He must have been superlatively lovely, it must have been a
beauty with which nobodywould be charmed unless their eyes were opened to
perceive the beauty of holiness. His was the loveliness of virtue, the charm of
purity and not that sensuous beauty which excites desire and kindles the passions
of mankind. He was loveliness itself, but only to those who know what loveliness
is. About His dress there was nothing remarkable. He wore the ordinary smock-
frock of the country, a garment without seam, woven from the top throughout—a
very serviceable, useful piece of workday apparel—but possessing nothing in it of

official dignity, or princely richness to distinguish Him from an ordinary person.
As for the place where He lived, it was no bishop’s palace, nor even an ordinary
manse, for He had not where to lay His head. He sought no dignity and no honor.
As for His companionships, they were of the lowest, for it is said of Him, “This
man receives sinners and eats with them.” “Then drew near unto Him all the
publicans and sinners for to hear Him.” The outcasts of society delighted in His
discourses, and they gathered round Him to receive blessings at His hand. He lifted
them up from the dunghill, renewed them and set them among princes. He was the
last personin the world to be hampered by pride. There was nothing of the kind
about Him! He was the personification of love. He condescended, butHe did not
seem to condescend, forgraciousness was natural to Him. He did it so really that
one almost forgot the condescensionin the altogether naturalness of the way in
which He sympathized with all grief and helped all who came for succor. And,
therefore, the proud despised Him. Thosewho looked for dress and garb, as so
many do in our day—those who looked for a show of learning, quotations from
great writers, continual perplexities to human minds—could not see much in Jesus.
Thosewho needed a display of power, a leader bold and brave to drive out the
Romans and play Judas Maccabaeus for the people, turned away and said, “He is
nothing but an ordinary Nazarene.” His followers, too, were another cause of the
contempt poured upon Him, for His chosen friends were, to those who knew them,
nothing but common fishermen. Indeed, that is all they were! Unlearned and
ignorant men they are said to have been, though they baffled the pretended wisdom
of the age in which they lived. How could He have selected such followers? There
were scribes and there were Pharisees—there were Rabbis and Rabboni—He
might surely have called some of those to follow Him! But, you see, the Savior
was not a preacher that at all attracted the elite of society. Thosehighly cultured
minds, as a rule, went to hear RabbiSimeon, the Pharisee, who expounded points
of no earthly importance. But Jesus was one of whom it is written, “The common
people heard Him gladly”; and so the wise ones ran Him down as “a Nazarene.”
“Look,”they said, “look and see who they are that He has chosento be His chief
helpers! See how the lower orders flock around Him. They are no judges—what
notions have they of profound learning and research? They like a man who is
ignorant, for He is like they are. They have no taste, they have no education, and so
they gather to one of themselves.” “Ah!” said one of these wiseacres, “I am
ashamed of Him—quite ashamed. Indeed, I shall speak to Him, for He ought not to

be so lost to all sense of propriety.” And so he goes to the Master and says, “Do
You hear the boys crying, ‘Hosanna!’ in the temple? Do You hear what these say?”
He thought that the Lord
would be ashamed of having such admirers as mere street boys. But the Savior
answered, “Have you never read”—as if He were going to question this great
man’s reading—“Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
He has perfected praise”? He was not ashamed, even, of chits of children that
strewed the pathway for Him, nor ashamed of the sick and sinful people that
gathered around Him, nor ashamed of the poorfishermen that were the lieutenants
of His salvation army! But rather did He rejoice therein and say, “Father, I thank
You that You have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed
them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” But the
higher classes, the refined and the cultivated, said, “Tush! He is nothing but a
Nazarene!” Well, then, when they came to listen to His doctrine, they were not a
bit more pleased, nor did they hold Him any higher in esteem. What do you think
He taught them? Among other things it is reported that He said, “Except a man is
born-again he cannot see the kingdom of God”—and, would you believe it, He said
this not to one of the lower order at all, but to a learned gentleman who was a ruler
in Israel? Why, it has come to a pretty pass, this, to tell educated people, refined,
aesthetic people, that they must be born-again or else they cannot see the kingdom
of God—to insist upon regeneration as a thing as necessary to a philosopher as to a
prostitute—as necessary to a senator as to a jailbird! As necessary to the purest as
to the most defiled; oh no, we cannot bear such leveling doctrine! It is shocking!
So they turned their backs on Him and called Him a Nazarene! When a man tells
you unpalatable truth, it is very easy and natural to call him bad names. If you
cannot answer him anyway else, you can always answer him by reviling him. And,
then, what do you think He said besides that? On one occasionHe had the audacity
to say—and I am sure the Pharisees thought it was audacity, indeed—“Except you
eat My flesh, and drink My blood, there is no life in you.” What could the man
mean—that they, even they, the sons of Abraham who were born free—the priests
who had partaken of the sacrifices, must actually eat Him? Did they think that they

would accept His teaching as food for their souls? I wonder if they went as far as
that in understanding Him? But if they did, they liked it no better. They were
indignant that He should say that the only food for their souls must be Himself—
that unless He became their life and the nourishment of that life—unless He
became part and parcel of their very being, they could not be saved! Even those
who did think a little of Him, said that after this they must give Him up. They
could not stand that, and so they walked no more with Him. But He went even
further. Why, He actually dared to tell the scribes and Pharisees who had fasted so
many times in the week, and never ate bread without washing their hands, and
tithed the mint and the cummin, that there was nothing in all this! He said—“You
blind guides, you hypocrites, you strain at a gnat, and you swallow a camel!” He
went on to tell them that all their outside religion was a lie and a falsehood unless
the inner part of the soul was cleansed. He said that it was not that which a man ate
or drank, but that which came out of the man that really defiled him. People said,
“Did you ever hear such talk as that? Why, He is putting us all down, we that are
the best people around! If we are not good;we that are the leaders of society, the
pink of perfection; who can be? We swallow a widow’s house sometimes, but we
always do that behind the door. It is true that we are not as clean inside as we
should be, but then we always make clean the outside of the cup and platter.
Nobodycan say but what we do, and He has been talking against us—and at the
same time He is inviting the fallen to Himself and saying—‘Come unto Me, all you
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Well, well,” they said, “we
cannot bear it! He is nothing but a Nazarene!” And so they turned their backs upon
Him. Dear friends, today Jesus Christ is as much despised as ever by those
ungodly and vainglorious men who understand what His gospel is! How frequently
you will find, in the public newspapers, and in the magazines of those who think
themselves the cultivated class, remarks against the doctrine of justification by
faith. You and I are simpletons enough to believe that we are justified by faith in
Christ Jesus, because God has told us so, and we sing— “Nothing in my hands I
bring Simply to the cross I cling” and they tell us that this is inconsistent with
public morality! That the masses ought to be told that unless they behave
themselves they cannot possibly go to heaven, and so on—which thing they have
been told times without number—and they have grown worse, the more they have
been told it! When we talk about free grace which pardons the vilest through faith
in Christ, men are changed and made moral and

holy! But our unbelieving critics chooseto ignore all that and go and talk against
what is the very essence of the gospelof Christ, as though it were a poor, miserable
thing, only fit for a set of fanatics to preach! “Only believe and you shall be
saved?” they ask, “That is their absurd doctrine!” In other words, they repeat the
old abuse and call us Nazarenes. But if you want to see the ungodly world foam at
its mouth—oh, if you want to see rage get at its worst—and wish to see pretended
learned men upon their mettle, preach the doctrine of atonement by blood! Tell
them that remission of sin is by substitution—that Christ stood in the sinner’s place
and took the sinner’s sin—and that without shedding of blood there is no remission
of sin. See how they writhe and rage! They cannot bear this horrible doctrine of
atonement by sacrifice and yet, most learned sirs, it is upon that horrible atonement
that our hope depends!It is upon that horrible doctrine that we hang our destiny for
time and for eternity! And we are not ashamed to bring it out with all plainness of
speech, for the precious blood of Christ, God’s dear Son, and that alone, cleans us
from all sin! “Ah, well,” they say, “that is just the old story which your Puritan
fathers used to tell. That is the old Methodist doctrine. That is your
Presbyterianism, and as James the First said, ‘Presbyterianism is no religion for a
gentleman.’” These learned men admire the broad-church schoolwhere everything
is taken to be true except the truth of God! Still, Jesus is to the mass of mankind
the despised Nazarene! I will not dwell longer upon it, however, because you that
know the Lord need not be told that He is, to this day, despised and rejected of
men. Call yourself a Christian, and forget what Christianity is—and you will have
easy times of it. Instead of preaching the simple gospelof Christ, get fine music
and fix up fine shows. Turn the place of worship into a conservatory, or a theater,
and there will be no persecution for you! Of course not, that is not Jesus Christ!
But preach Jesus Christ and see if all the dogs will not howl at you directly! You
shall have ill names and wicked stories, and all sorts of jests poured upon you! Go
through the world as a respectable professorof religion, and never let fall a single
distinctive truth of God from your lips; never perform one single distinctive action
of Christianity—but just do as others do and live as others do—and I will
guarantee you, you shall be in a whole skin from the first of January to the end of
December! But be a Christian, and live your Christianity, and speak it out—and

see how long it will be before they of your own house are at war with you! If we
are true to the Master, we shall find that we have not enlisted in a service which is
all fine feathers and music—stern fighting is to be done! There is war to be borne,
and hardness to be endured by every good soldier of the cross, forJesus is still
called the Nazarene! II. But now, secondly, our other text informs us that
CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS THE SECT OF THE
NAZARENES—that is to say, they must expect to bear a measure of the
indignities poured upon their Leader. Dear young friends, I need to press some
matters home upon you who have lately joined the church, and also upon you who
love the Lord but have never yet confessed it. If you follow Christ fully, you will
be sure to be called by some ill name or other. For, first, they will say how singular
you are. “My inheritance,” God says, “is unto Me as a speckled bird. The birds
round about her are against her.” If you become a true Christian, you will soonbe a
marked man. They will say, “How odd he is!” “How singular she is!” They will
think that we try to make ourselves remarkable, when, in fact, we are only
conscientious, and are endeavoring to obey what we think to be the Word of God.
Oftentimes that is the form of contempt—practical Christians are set down as
intentionally eccentric, and willfully odd. Mothers have brought that charge against
daughters who have been faithful to Christ because they would not go into gaiety,
or indulge in vain apparel. And many a working man has said it to his fellow man
by way of accusation, “You must be different from everybody else.” This
difference, which God has made a necessity, men treat as a mere whim of our own!
If we do not come out from among them and be separate, we cannot expect to be
housed beneath the wings of the eternal! But if we do, we may reckon upon being
regarded by those around us as strange, unfriendly creatures. Then, again, they
will say to the genuine Christian, “Why, you are so old-fashioned! Look at you!
You believe the same old things that they used to believe in Oliver Cromwell’s
day—those old Puritan doctrines! Do you not know that the world has made a
great progress since those times, and we have entered upon the 19th Century—a
wonderful century—there never was century like it! There was only one

Solomon, centuries ago, but we are all Solomons now! The very least of us! While
the greater ones far excel a thousand Solomons rolled into one! The 19th Century!
And here you are, you still stick to an old bookthat was written half of it ages ago,
and the other half is at least 1,800 years old! Will you never move with the times;
will you get as far as Moses, Jesus, and John and stick there?” Yes, exactly there!
We go not an inch beyond Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever!
We try to hold fast the faith that was once delivered to the saints. In ordinances we
hold to the olden baptism and the ancient supper! In doctrine we abide by the truths
of God which Paul taught among the Gentiles, for we feel that we cannot improve
upon them! We would wish to exhibit the same spirit as Jesus Christ our Lord, for
we know we shall never improve upon His perfections! Therefore they say, “You
are so old-fashioned!” And we answer that for this we give no apology. When that
form of criticism does not take effect, they laugh at our faith. They say, “You
simple-minded people have great capacity for believing! Look at us, we are far too
sensible to believe anything. We do not feel sure about anything! What we think
we know today we are not certain of; we are so receptive that we may learn the
reverse tomorrow! We get our faith out of our own moral consciousness, and dare
even the Scriptures to plead at the bar of our inward conceptions!We do not need
to have things revealed to us, and to have a Bible and bind ourselves down to a
Book of Revelation. We are our own teachers, judges, and infallible guides—and
the very idea of absolutely certain truth is abhorred by us! As to this Spirit of God
that you trust in, it is sheer enthusiasm! There is nothing in it, and we wonder that
you should be so credulous! Instead of that, you ought to be rational and believe in
Huxley and Tyndall. Do not be credulous and believe in God, but be rational and
believe in Bradlaugh, Voltaire, and Tom Paine!” This is another sting for the
Nazarenes, but happily it has small power to vex us, since our reverence for the
authorities of modern wisdom is not sufficient to make us fear their scoffs. Time
was when Christianity was opposed bymen of real ability, masters in learning—
but in the present age its antagonists are men of much smaller caliber whose lack
of argument is scantily concealed by the outrageous absurdities which they invent!
Instead of attempting to overwhelm us by the weight of their learning, they
endeavor to surprise us with unexpected hypotheses which we are more inclined to
ridicule than to refute! And then, with mock sobriety, they assert that our
bewilderment is defeat! The spears of the phalanx of reason are seen no more, but
the shafts of folly stand thick upon our shields. In this, also, we shall conquer

through the blood of the Lamb! Meanwhile we leave sneers of contempt to those
who are such masters of them. It is for Nazarenes to receive, but not to return
arrogance. Another arrow of contempt is the assertion that Christian people have
not their liberty. “Lookat you; you dare not go to the theater! You dare not drink!
Why,” says one man, “I like a jolly drink sometimes, and if I were a Christian, I
could not enjoy that great privilege.” No, friend, you certainly would lose that
boozeof yours. As far as we are concerned, we have no ambition in that direction.
Some of us know a little of what the amusements of the ungodly are, and we are
astonished that you should be able to find content in them, for they do not suit our
taste at all! We never envy hogs their wash. Let them have their trough well-filled
as often as they please! We have no taste in that direction; but you need not say
that we have no liberty because we do not feed out of the swine trough, for such
liberty we never desired! We have liberty to serve God and do good, and this is the
freedom which we covet. We have liberty to do as we like, for we like to do what
God would have us do—and we pray that our likes may, every day, be more and
more conformed to the liking of God. There is not much, after all, in the taunt,
“You Godfearing people are cowardly! You dare not enjoy yourselves.” We live
daily so as to give this taunt the lie, for we are a happy people, a free people—even
we who are of the sect of the Nazarenes! Again, some turn round upon true
Christians for their not being very choice in their company. If we associated only
with the rich and great, whose society, as far as I know of it, is about the poorest
thing out, we should then be acting properly. Keep to “society,” and society will
smile upon you. But if you attend meetings where you call a coal miner your
brother in Christ, where the washerwoman is your sister, where so long as people
love Christ you count them the best of company, then you are low and vulgar, a
Philistine, or a Nazarene! If you are willing to be a true brother to a black man or
to one who is an outcast in condition—who was actually seen with a broom,
sweeping a crossing—then, of course, you cannot expect to be recognized by
anybody who is anybody! Listen to the world’s ridicule of true Christian churches
where there is real brotherly love and true fraternity! They cannot endure it!

Well, they may do without it, then, but this shall be my glory—that God has made
of one blood all nations of men that dwell upon the face of the earth, and that
where there is a touch of grace in any man—his dress and his rank are nothing to
me! Real believers in Jesus are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ, however
pooror however illiterate they may be. This is the very genius of Christianity! To
the poor, the gospelis preached! As soonas men enter into the Church of Christ,
all outward distinctions are forgotten, and they are one in the gracious family of
God their Father! This, however, is the subject of contempt even among those who
profess and call themselves Christians! Many of your finer ladies and gentlemen
would not acknowledge Jesus, Himself, if He were now upon earth! And as for His
disciples, I am sure they would get the cold shoulder on all sides! I, for one, never
expect to see saints fashionable, nor holiness popular—let us be content to be low
and vulgar in men’s esteem for the Lord’s sake! And then, if God’s servants will
preach the truth of God outright, or if not being preachers they will hold it and dare
to live it, I guarantee you they will soonmeet with some contemptuous title or
other. Pare down the gospel; cut away its angles; draw out the lion’s teeth, and
then, at once, you shall be friends with the world! But hold the doctrines of grace;
bring forth the atonement; speak out plainly; have your convictions and state
them—and soonthe hounds will be after you full cry! Say that the Bible and the
Bible, alone, is the religion of true Christians, and that we are not bound by prayer-
books, synods, conferences, oranything of the kind—but only by the Word of
God, and you shall see what you shall see, for here and there and everywhere all
sorts of people will be against you! Live a godly, gracious life and you will not
escapepersecution! You may be happily circumstanced so as to live among earnest
Christians, and so escapepersecution—but take the average Christian man in this
city, and he will have a hard time of it if he is faithful! He will be pointed at by
some opprobrious name or other, something like Paul was when they said he was a
ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. III. Now, listen to me as I close. THERE
IS, AFTER ALL, NOTHING DESPICABLE IN EITHER CHRIST OR HIS
PEOPLE. I feel half ashamed to say such a thing, or that it should ever be
necessary to be said that there is nothing to despise in Jesus! What is there to be
ashamed of in Him? He is the Sonof the Highest! He is “God over all, blessed
forever” and if He stooped—and stoopHe did—and became lower than the lowest
by His sufferings or death, even the death of the cross, He did it out of such
glorious disinterestedness of kindness to fallen men that He is thereby revealed as

the most grand of all characters! His is the most sublime of all lives! Angels have
never ceased to wonder and adore! Even the enemies of Christ have often been
struck dumb as they have seen the splendor of the love that moved Him to stoop so
low. And what if He has revealed a plain gospel? Would you have the illiterate
left out in the cold? What if He preached the gospelto sinners? Who needed the
gospelbut sinners? What if He did not flatter the pride of those who thought
themselves good?Is it not true that “the whole have no need of a physician, but
they that are sick”? For my part, I bless my Master that He has given us a
commonplace gospel. It is sublime beyond sublimity! But it is plain so that a little
child may understand it. A man with slender wit may find his way to heaven
guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, and this is one of the grandest proofs ofthe
profound wisdom of God!Glory be to Jesus Christ that He did not come here to
tantalize the multitude by a gospelonly suitable to the elite; that He did not come
here to proclaim doctrines that could only be learned in the universities, and could
never be understood except by such men as Isaac Newton or RobertBoyle! I bless
the name of Jesus that He came to give a gospel to the poorand needy, to the
simple and the childlike! And while I do it, I feel that I hear Him saying again, “I
thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, that You have hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes.” The practical
point is this—there is nothing to be ashamed of in being a Christian! I am afraid
that there are some Christians that we need to be ashamed of, and that we,
ourselves, do many unworthy things. Christians ought to be reflections of Christ,
but I fear they often cast reflections upon Christ. Oh you that despise Christ, when
you find out our faults and speak against us for them, you treat us justly and we
cannot complain! But why lay our crimes at our Savior’s door? If you find us false
to our profession;if we are not like our Master; if we are not true to Him, you may
well ridicule us and we cannot answer you. We must be beaten as with whips of
scorpions when we are untrue to our Leader—but why blame Him? The fact is that
the ungodly revile those who are true to the Lord Jesus. Well, when they do,
there is nothing in that to be ashamed of. What if I believe the truth of God? Shall I
be ashamed of it? What if I fear God?Shall I be ashamed of it? Let those be

ashamed who do not fear Him. What if I believe in prayer? What if I receive
answers to prayer? Shall I blush about that? Let those blush scarlet who never pray,
or have no God to hear their prayers! Shall I be ashamed because I try to do what is
right, and have a conscience before God—and cannot enjoy loose pleasures—or
listen to lascivious song? Shall I be ashamed of chastity and truth? Why, then, let
angels be ashamed of purity! Let the stars be ashamed of light! Let the sun be
ashamed of day! There is nothing to be ashamed of in things honorable and of
good repute. Why is it that some of you—you who are, I trust, Christians—never
come out and acknowledge your religion? What will your Master say to you in the
day of His appearing? What honor can you expect to share with Him if you will
not share His shame? If any man wants to spit on Christ, let him do me the honor
to spit on me! If any man will rail on Christ, let him do me the pleasure to rail on
me, for if I may stand between him and my Master, I shall be promoted by the
deed! Napoleon’s Mamaluke flung himself in the way of the bullet to save the
emperor’s life. Shall not Christ be served after that fashion? Shall we not be
willing to be Nazarenes for the Nazarene? Shall we not glory to be despised and
rejected of men for His sake, if by any means we may bring honor to Him? I trust it
shall be so, and yet some of you have not even been baptized into His name,
though you know that it is His command! You have never joined with His people
in church fellowship, and yet wish to share their joys! You let them fight the battle
alone! You think, I suppose, to slink into heaven by the back door, and not to be
found among the soldiers of Christ till the crowns are distributed? Ah, sirs, you
miss a great honor in not standing shoulder to shoulder with the rank and file of
Christ’s chosen! Angels would leave heaven, if they could, to come and fight for
Christ! They would be glad to leave their rest to bear the hardness which a follower
of Christ must endure for His dear Captain’s sake. Jesus is coming! He is on His
way! He may come tonight! He may come before another Sabbath’s bells shall
ring—and oh, if I have never confessed Him, if I have been ashamed of Him—how
shall I face Him? Hear this, you cowards!What will you say when He appears? Be
wise and confess Him tonight! Come you out from among the ungodly! Be you
separate! Confess your Lord and Master! “He that with His heart believes, and
with His mouth makes confession of Him, shall be saved.” “He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved. He that believes not shall be damned.” God save us from
being ashamed of the Nazarene! Amen.

LETTER FROM MR. SPURGEON. Mentone, November 24, 1881. DEAR
FRIENDS, since the issue of last week’s sermon I have been attacked according to
the fashion of former years, but through the goodness of God, in answer to the
prayers of many, I hope to escapea protracted illness. A gentle voice by these light
afflictions whispers to us gratitude, and reminds us that, “we are but dust.” Even in
this winterless land the leaves must wither, and in every condition trial and
sickness may come. Our joy is that over against the peril we can place a security—
we may be sorrowful, but we must be safe. All things may work together for grief,
but all things must work together for good!Let the Father’s will be the children’s
delight! Hoping soonto return to my beloved work and daily ministry, I am, yours
heartily, C. H. Spurgeon.
Adapted from The C. H. Spurgeon Collection, Version 1.0, Ages Software.
PLEASE PRAY THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL USE THIS SERMON TO BRING
MANY TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST!
By the grace of God, for all 63 volumes of C. H. Spurgeon sermons in Modern
English, and 574 Spanish translations, visit: www.spurgeongems.org
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Nazarene

Matthew 2:23
W.F. Adeney
We need not be troubled if we cannot find exactverbal precedents for the
words here recorded. The idea that is suggestedby the title "Nazarene" is
apparent in more than one ancient prophecy; e.g. Isaiah53.
I. CHRIST SHOWED HIS CONDESCENSIONIN APPEARING AMONG
HUMBLE AND EVEN CONTEMPTIBLE SCENES. Nazarethwas an
obscure provincial town. Nathanaelseems to have consideredit to be a place
with a bad reputation (John 1:46). Yet here our Lord spent the greaterpart of
his life - more than nine-tenths of it. Here he was brought up as a Boy, no
doubt attending the elementary synagogue school,and later working at
Joseph's bench. Over the neighbouring hills he had roamed, and there he had
learnt to love the flowers which abound in this highland retreat; there, too, he
had been able to love his brother-men as he saw them in their daily work and
in the homely societyofthe little town. He was not kept, like Sakya Muni,
from all sights of misery until his adult age forcedthem on his notice. Sorrow,
suffering, sin, and death must often have come before his eyes. He never
shrank into selfishisolation, but took his place with his suffering brethren,
quite naturally, with lowliness and perfect simplicity, not a spark of
pretentiousness everleading them to expect that he would subsequently put
forth the highestclaims.
II. CHRIST WAS NOT THE CREATURE OF HIS CIRCUMSTANCES.His
genealogyshowedthat he was not a mere product of his ancestry;now his
localsurroundings make it apparent that he was not formed by the world
about him. Had he been brought up at Jerusalem, orAthens, or Alexandria,
or Rome, some might have tried to explain him as an expressionof some great
movement in the city of his early days. But no one can say that Nazarethcould
produce Christianity.
III. CHRIST WAS SEEN IN EXTERNALLOWLINESS BEFORE HIS
DIVINE GREATNESSCOULD BE PERCEIVED.He was known as the
Nazarene before he was recognizedas the Sonof God. Many heard his local
name who never saw his true greatness. This localname was evena hindrance

to some; they could not believe in the Nazarene. Thus it was no great
advantage to have known Christ after the flesh. His own people were slow to
believe in him. Nazareth treatedhim badly, tried even to murder him by
throwing him from a precipice of the rock-built town. It is possible now to
blind ourselves to the true greatness andgrace of Christ by looking too
exclusively at his external life. We need to know Christ spiritually to enjoy the
real blessednessoffellowship with him.
IV. CHRIST REDEEMEDTHE LOWEST THINGS THAT HE TOUCHED.
He has made the title "Nazarene"one of honour, as he has converted the
shameful cross into a token regardedwith adoring gratitude. Now we take
pilgrimages to the once obscure Nazarethas to one of the most sacredspots on
earth. If Christ enters a lonely life he uplifts it and sheds over it a new and
unexpected beauty. To him nothing is common or unclean. As the Friend of
publicans and sinners, he does not only condescendto associatewith degraded
and neglectedpeople;he lifts these people up to a new life. - W.F.A.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
That it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophets - It is difficult to
ascertainby what prophets this was spoken. The margin usually refers to
Judges 13:5, where the angel, foretelling the birth of Samson, says, No razor
shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite (‫ריזנ‬ nezir ) unto
God from the womb. The secondpassageusually referred to is Isaiah 11:1; :
There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse,and a Branch (‫רצנ‬ netser
) shall grow out of his roots. That this refers to Christ, there is no doubt.
Jeremiah, Jeremiah23:5, is supposedto speak in the same language - I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch: but here the word is ‫חמצ‬ tsemach, not
alplellarap eht niemas eht si ti dna ;resten ‫נצר‬ce, Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah
6:12; therefore, these two prophets cannot be referred to; but the passagesin

Judges and Isaiah may have been in the eye of the evangelist, as wellas the
whole institution relative to the Nazarite (‫ריזנ‬ nezir ) delivered at large, Num.
6:, where see the notes. As the Nazarite was the most pure and perfect
institution under the law, it is possible that God intended to point out by it,
not only the perfection of our Lord, but also the purity of his followers. And it
is likely that, before St. Matthew wrote this Gospel, those afterwards called
Christians bore the appellation of Nazarites, or Nazoreans,for so the Greek
word, Ναζωραιος,should be written. Leaving the spiritual reference out of the
question, the Nazarene or Nazorean here may mean simply an inhabitant or
person of Nazareth;as Galileandoes a personor inhabitant of Galilee. The
evangelistevidently designedto state, that neither the sojourning at Nazareth,
nor our Lord being calleda Nazarene, were fortuitous events, but were wisely
determined and provided for in the providence of God; and therefore foretold
by inspired men, or fore-representedby significant institutions.
But how shall we accountfor the manner in which St. Matthew and others
apply this, and various other circumstances, to the fulfillment of ancient
traditions? This question has greatlyagitateddivines and critics for more
than a century. Surenhusius, Hebrew professorat Amsterdam, and editor of a
very splendid and useful edition of the Mishna, in six vols. fol. published an
express treatise on this subject, in 1713, full of deep researchand sound
criticism. He remarks great difference in the mode of quoting used in the
SacredWritings: as, It hath been said - it is written - that it might be fulfilled
which was spokenby the prophets - the Scripture says - see whatis said - the
Scripture foreseeing - he saith - is it not written? - the saying that is written,
etc., etc. With greatpains and industry, he has collectedten rules out of the
Talmud and the rabbins, to explain and justify all the quotations made from
the Old Testamentin the New.
RULE I. Reading the words, not according to the regular vowelpoints, but to
others substituted for them. He thinks this is done by Peter, Acts 3:22, Acts
3:23; by Stephen, Acts 7:42, etc.;and by Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:54;2
Corinthians 8:15.
RULE II. Changing the letters, as done by St. Paul, Romans 9:33; 1
Corinthians 9:9, etc.; Hebrews 8:9., etc.;Hebrews 10:5.

RULE III. Changing both letters and vowel points, as he supposes is done by
St. Paul, Acts 13:40, Acts 13:41; 2 Corinthians 8:15.
RULE IV. Adding some letters, and retrenching others.
RULE V. Transposing words and letters.
RULE VI. Dividing one word into two.
RULE VII. Adding other words to make the sense more clear.
RULE VIII. Changing the original order of the words.
RULE IX. Changing the original order, and adding other words.
RULE X. Changing the original order, and adding and retrenching words,
which he maintains is a method often used by St. Paul.
Let it be observed, that although all these rules are used by the rabbins, yet, as
far as they are employed by the sacredwriters of the New Testament, they
never, in any case, contradictwhatthey quote from the Old, which cannotbe
said of the rabbins: they only explain what they quote, or accommodate the
passageto the facts then in question. And who will venture to say that the
Holy Spirit has not a right, in any subsequent period, to explain and illustrate
his ownmeaning, by showing that it had a greaterextensionin the Divine
mind than could have been then perceived by men? And has He not a right to
add to what he has formerly said, if it seemright in his own sight? Is not the
whole of the New Testament, an addition to the Old, as the apostolic epistles
are to the narrative of our Lord's life and acts, as givenby the evangelists?
Gusset, Wolf, Rosenmuller, and others, give four rules, according to which,
the phrase, that it might be fulfilled, may be applied in the New Testament.
RULE I. When the thing predicted is literally accomplished.
RULE II. When that is done, of which the Scripture has spoken, not in a
literal sense, but in a spiritual sense.
RULE III. When a thing is done neither in a literal nor spiritual sense,
according to the fact referred to in the Scripture; but is similar to that fact.

RULE IV. When that which has been mentioned in the Old Testamentas
formerly done, is accomplishedin a largerand more extensive sense in the
New Testament.
St. Matthew seems to quote according to all these rules; and it will be useful to
the readerto keepthem constantly in view. I may add here, that the writers of
the New Testamentseemoftento differ from those of the Old, because they
appear uniformly to quote from some copy of the Septuagint version; and
most of their quotations agree verbally, and often even literally, with one or
other of the copies of that version which subsistto the present day. Want of
attention to the difference of copies, in the Septuagintversion, has led some
divines and critics into strange and even ridiculous mistakes, as they have
takenthat for The Septuagint which existedin the printed copy before them;
which sometimes happened not to be the most correct.
On the birth-place of our Lord, a pious and sensible man has made the
following observations: -
"At the first sight, it seems of little consequenceto know the place of Christ's
nativity; for we should considerhim as our Redeemer, whateverthe
circumstances might be which attended his mortal life. But, seeing it has
pleasedGod to announce, beforehand, the place where the Savior of the world
should be born, it became necessarythat it should happen precisely in that
place;and that this should be one of the characteristicswherebyJesus Christ
should be known to be the true Messiah.
"It is also a matter of small importance to us where we may live, provided we
find genuine happiness. There is no place on earth, howeverpoor and
despicable, but may have better and more happy inhabitants than many of
those are who dwell in the largestand most celebratedcities. Do we know a
single place on the whole globe where the works of God do not appearunder a
thousand different forms, and where a personmay not feel that blessed
satisfactionwhicharises from a holy and Christian life? Foran individual,
that place is preferable to all others where he canget and do most good. Fora
number of people, that place is bestwhere they canfind the greatestnumber
of wise and pious men. Every nation declines, in proportion as virtue and

religion lose their influence on the minds of the inhabitants. The place where a
young man first beheld the dawn and the beauty of renewednature, and with
most lively sensations ofjoy and gratitude adoredhis God, with all the
veneration and love his heart was capable of; the place where a virtuous
couple first met, and gotacquainted; or where two friends gave eachother the
noblest proofs of their most tender affection;the village where one may have
given, or seen, the most remarkable example of goodness, uprightness, and
patience;such places, I say, must be dear to their hearts.
"Bethlehemwas, according to this rule, notwithstanding its smallness, a most
venerable place; seeing that there so many pious people had their abode, and
that acts of peculiar piety had often been performed in it. First, the patriarch
Jacobstoppedsome time in it, to erecta monument to his well-beloved
Rachel. It was at Bethlehem that honest Naomi, and her modest daughter-in-
law, Ruth, gave such proofs of their faith and holiness;and in it Boaz, the
generous benefactor, hadhis abode and his possessions.
At Bethlehem the humble Jessesojourned, the happy father of so many sons;
the youngestof whom rose from the pastorallife to the throne of Israel. It was
in this country that David formed the resolution of building a house for the
Lord, and in which he showedhimself the true shepherd and father of his
subjects, when, at the sight of the destroying angel, whose swordspread
consternationand death on all hands, he made intercessionfor his people. It
was in Bethlehem that Zerubbabel the prince was born, this descendantof
David, who was the type of that Ruler and Shepherd under whose empire
Israelis one day to assemble, in order to enjoy uninterrupted happiness.
Lastly, in this city the Son of God appeared; who, by his birth, laid the
foundation of that salvation, which, as Redeemer, he was to purchase by his
death for the whole world. Thus, in places which from their smallness are
entitled to little notice, men sometimes spring, who become the benefactors of
the human race. Often, an inconsiderable village has given birth to a man,
who, by his wisdom, uprightness, and heroism, has been a blessing to whole
kingdoms."
Sturm's Reflections, translatedby A. C. vol. iv.

Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
And he came and dwelt - That is, he made it his permanent residence. The
Lord Jesus, in fact, residedthere until he entered on the work of his ministry
until he was about 30 years of age.
In a city calledNazareth - This was a small town, situated in Galilee, westof
Capernaum, and not far from Cana. It was built partly in a valley and partly
on the declivity of a hill, Luke 4:29. A hill is yet pointed out, to the south of
Nazareth, as the one from which the people of the place attempted to
precipitate the Saviour. It was a place, at that time, proverbial for wickedness,
John 4:46. It is now (circa 1880‘s)a large village, with a convent and two
churches. One of the churches, calledthe Church of the Annunciation, is the
finest in the Holy Land, exceptthat of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
A modern traveler describes Nazarethas situated upon the declivity of a hill,
the vale which spreads out before it resembling a circular basin encompassed
by mountains. Fifteenmountains appear to meet to form an inclosure for this
beautiful spot, around which they rise like the edge of a shell, to guard it
againstintrusion. It is a rich and beautiful field, in the midst of barren
mountains.
Another traveler (circa 1880‘s)speaksofthe streets as narrow and steep. The
houses, which are flat-roofed, are about 250 in number, and the inhabitants he
estimates at 2,000.The population of the place is variously stated. though the
average estimate is 3,000, ofwhom about 500 are Turks, and the rest are
nominal Christians.
As all testimony to the truth and fidelity of the sacrednarrative is important, I
will here introduce a passagefrom the journal of Mr. Jowett, an intelligent
modern traveler, especiallyas it is so full an illustration of the passage ofLuke
already cited.

“Nazarethis situated on the side, and extends nearly to the foot, of a hill,
which, though not very high, is rather steepand overhanging. The eye
naturally wanders over its summit in quest of some point from which it might
probably be that the people of this place endeavoredto castour Saviour down
Luke 4:29, but in vain; no rock adapted to such an objectappears here. At the
foot of the hill is a modest, simple plain, surrounded by low hills, reaching in
length nearly a mile; in breadth, near the city, 150 yards; but farther south,
about 400 yards. On this plain there are a few olive and fig trees, sufficient, or
rather scarcelysufficient, to make the spot picturesque. Then follows a ravine,
which gradually grows deeperand narrowertoward the south; until, after
walking about another mile, you find yourself in an immense chasm, with
steeprocks on either side, from whence you behold, as it were beneath your
feet and before you, the noble plain of Esdraelon. Nothing can be finer than
the apparently immeasurable prospectof this plain, bounded on the south by
the mountains of Samaria. The elevationof the hills on which the spectator
stands in this ravine is very great;and the whole scene, whenwe saw it. was
clothed in the most rich mountain-blue colorthat can be conceived.
At this spot, on the right hand of the ravine, is shownthe rock to which the
men of Nazarethare supposedto have conductedour Lord for the purpose of
throwing him down. With the New Testamentin our hands we endeavoredto
examine the probabilities of the spot; and I confess there is nothing in it which
excites a scruple of incredulity in my mind. The rock here is perpendicular for
about 50 feet, down which space it would be easyto hurl a person who should
be unawares brought to the summit, and his perishing would be a very certain
consequence.Thatthe spotmight be at a considerable distance from the city is
an idea not inconsistentwith Luke‘s account;for the expression. thrusting
Jesus out of the city, and leading him to the brow of the hill on which their
city was built, gives fair scope for imagining that in their rage and debate the
Nazarenes might, without originally intending his murder, press upon him for
a considerable distance afterthey had left the synagogue. The distance, as
already noticed, from modern Nazareth to the spot is scarcelytwo miles; a
space which, in the fury of persecution, might soonbe passedover. Or, should
this appeartoo considerable, it is by no means certain but that Nazarethmay
at that time have extended through the principal part of the plain, which I

have describedas lying before the modern town. In this case,the distance
passedover might not exceeda mile. I cansee, therefore, no reasonfor
thinking otherwise than that this may be the real scene where our divine
prophet Jesus receivedso greata dishonor from the people of his own country
and of his ownkindred.”
Mr. Fisk, an American missionary, was at Nazareth in the autumn of 1823.
His description corresponds generallywith that of Mr. Jowett. He estimates
the population to be from 3,000 to 5,000, namely, Greeks,300 to 400 families;
Turks, 200 families; Catholics, 100 families;Greek Catholics, 40 to 50 familis;
Maronites, 20 to 30 families; say, in all, 700 families.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken… - The words here are not found
in any of the books ofthe Old Testament, and there has been much difficulty
in ascertaining the meaning of this passage. Some have supposedthat
Matthew meant to refer to Judges 13:5, to Samsonas a type of Christ; others
that he refers to Isaiah 11:1, where the descendantof Jesseis called “a
Branch;” in the Hebrew ‫נצר‬ NêtzerSome have supposedthat he refers to some
prophecy which was not recorded, but handed down by tradition. But these
suppositions are not satisfactory. It is much more probable that Matthew
refers not to any particular place, but to the leading characteristics ofthe
prophecies respecting him. The following remarks may make this clear:
1. He does not say“by the prophet,” as in Matthew 1:22; Matthew 2:5,
Matthew 2:15, but “by the prophets,” meaning no one particularly, but the
generalcharacterofthe prophecies.
2. The leading and most prominent prophecies respecting him were, that he
was to be of humble life; to be despisedand rejected. See Isaiah53:2-3, Isaiah
53:7-9, Isaiah 53:12;John 1:46; John 7:52. To come from Nazareth, therefore,
or to be a Nazarene, was the same as to be despised, or to be esteemedoflow
birth; to be a root out of dry ground, having no form or comeliness. This was
what had been predicted by all the prophets. When Matthew says, therefore,
that the prophecies were “fulfilled,” his meaning is, that the predictions of the
prophets that he would be of a low and despisedcondition, and would be

rejected, were fully accomplishedin his being an inhabitant of Nazareth, and
despisedas such.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
And came and dwelt in a city calledNazareth; that it might be fulfilled which
was spokenthrough the prophets, that he should be calleda Nazarene.
The connectionbetweenthe term "Nazarene" andthe Old Testament
prophecies mentioned here by Matthew seems to be as follows:The Nazarites
were, in a manner, typical of Christ. The town of Nazarethwas named after
this order of persons which countedamong their number such illustrious
Jewishnames as those of Samuel, Samson, and John the Baptist. Nazarites
were of two classes, Nazaritesofdays, meaning Nazarites for a short period,
and Nazarites for life, of whom were the three mentioned above. The Nazarite
did not allow a razor to come upon him and drank no wine or strong drink.
The town of Nazarethwas named after the Nazarites;and thus, Jesus'
residence there resulted in his being called a "Nazarene."The marvel of the
fulfillment is seenin that Christ was "called" a Nazarene, although he did not
manifest the type of life ascribedto Nazarites suchas John the Baptist. Christ
placed a greatdeal of emphasis on the fact that he dwelt in Nazareth. From
heaven itself, he said, "I am Jesus of Nazareth":(Acts 22:8). It appears that
this wretchedand despisedvillage was made by the Lord to appear as a type
of all humanity. Certainly his residence there suggestedhis rejection.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth,.... Whichwas a city of
Galilee, and where Josephand Mary had both dwelt before, Luke 1:26 here
they came and fixed their habitation,
that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophet. This affair of going
into Galilee, and settling at Nazareth, was brought about with this view, to

accomplishwhat had been foretold by the prophets, or prophet, the plural
number being used for the singular, as in John 6:45. And indeed it is so
rendered here in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions;and designs the
prophet Isaiah, and respects that prophecy of his in Isaiah11:1 "and there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and‫,רצנ‬ "a branch shall grow
out of his roots";a prophecy owned by the JewsF5themselves to belong to the
Messiah, andwhich was now fulfilled in Jesus;who as he was descendedfrom
Jesse's family, so by dwelling at Nazareth, he would appearto be, and would
be "calleda Nazarene, orNetzer, the branch"; being an inhabitant of
Natzareth, or Netzer, so calledfrom the multitude of plants and trees that
grew there.
A Nazarene, as David de Pomis saysF6,
"is one that is born in the city Netzer, which is said to be in the land of Galilee,
three days journey distant from Jerusalem.'
Now though Christ was not born, yet because he dwelt at Nazareth, and was
educatedthere; hence the Jews frequently call him ‫עושי‬ ‫,ירצונה‬ "Jesus, the
NazareneF7";and sometimes only ‫,ירצונה‬ "the Nazarene"F8. Theyalso design
him by ‫ןב‬ ‫,רצנ‬ "BenNetzer"F9, ofwhom they say a greatmany evil things:
and that Christ is often called Jesus ofNazareth, or the Nazarene, and his
followers Nazarenes, from the place of his habitation, is knownto everyone.
One of Christ's disciples is called Netzerin the TalmudF11, and made to plead
for his life, because his name signified a branch, according to Isaiah 11:1.
Surenhusius observesF12, thatthe form ‫םויקל‬ ‫המ‬ ‫רמאנש‬ "to fulfil what is said",
used by the Talmudists, and which he takes to be the same with this here, is
used by them, when they allege not the very words of Moses, orthe prophets,
but their sense, whichis deduced as a certain axiom from them; and thinks it
is applicable to the presentcase.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth — a small town in Lower
Galilee, lying in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun, and about equally

distant from the MediterraneanSea on the westand the Sea of Galilee on the
east. Note - If, from Luke 2:39, one would conclude that the parents of Jesus
brought Him straight back to Nazarethafter His presentationin the temple -
as if there had been no visit of the Magi, no flight to Egypt, no stay there, and
no purpose on returning to settle againat Bethlehem - one might, from our
Evangelist‘s wayof speaking here, equally conclude that the parents of our
Lord had never been at Nazareth until now. Did we know exactlythe sources
from which the matter of eachof the Gospels was drawnup, or the mode in
which these were used, this apparent discrepancywould probably disappear
at once. In neither case is there any inaccuracy. At the same time it is difficult,
with these facts before us, to conceive that either of these two Evangelists
wrote his Gospelwith that of the other before him - though many think this a
precarious inference.
that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophets, He shall be called
a Nazarene — better, perhaps, “Nazarene.”The best explanation of the origin
of this name appears to be that which traces it to the word {netzer} in Isaiah
11:1 - the small twig, sprout, or sucker, whichthe prophet there says, “shall
come forth from the stem (or rather, ‹stump‘) of Jesse, the branch which
should fructify from his roots.” The little town of Nazareth, mentioned neither
in the Old Testamentnor in Josephus, was probably so calledfrom its
insignificance:a weak twig in contrastto a stately tree; and a specialcontempt
seemedto rest upon it - “Canany goodthing come out of Nazareth?” (John
1:46) - over and above the generalcontempt in which all Galilee was held,
from the number of Gentiles that settledin the upper territories of it, and, in
the estimationof the Jews, debasedit. Thus, in the providential arrangement
by which our Lord was brought up at the insignificant and opprobrious town
calledNazareth, there was involved, first, a localhumiliation; next, an allusion
to Isaiah‘s prediction of His lowly, twig-like upspringing from the branchless,
dried-up stump of Jesse;and yet further, a standing memorial of that
humiliation which “the prophets,” in a number of the most striking
predictions, had attachedto the Messiah.
John Lightfoot's Commentary on the Gospels

23. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:that it might be fulfilled
which was spokenby the prophets, He shall be calleda Nazarene.
[He shall be calleda Nazarene.]Those things which are brought from Isaiah
11:1 concerning Netzer, the Branch; and those things also produced
concerning Samsonthe Nazarite, a most noble type of Christ, have their
weight, by no means to be despised. We add, that Matthew may be understood
concerning the outward, humble, and mean condition of our Saviour. And
that by the word, Nazarene, he hints his separationand estrangementfrom
other men, as a despicable person, and unworthy of the societyof men.
I. Let it be observed, that the evangelistdoes not cite some one of the
prophets, but all: "spokenby the prophets." But now all the prophets, in a
manner, do preach the vile and abjectcondition of Christ; none, that his
original should be out of Nazareth.
II. David, in his person, speaks thus; I was a stranger to my brethren, Psalm
69:9.
III. If you derive the word Nazarene, which not a few do, from Nazir, a
Nazirean, that word denotes not only a separation, dedicatedto God, such as
that of the Nazarenes was;but it signifies also the separationof a man from
others, as being unworthy of their society;Genesis 49:26, "Theyshall be on
the head of Joseph, and on the crownof the head of him that was separate
from his brethren."
Therefore, let us digestthe sense ofthe evangelistby this paraphrase: Joseph
was to depart with Christ to Beth-lehem, the city of David, or to Jerusalem,
the royal city, had not the fear of Archelaus hindered him. Therefore, by the
significationof an angel, he is sent awayinto Galilee, a very contemptible
country, and into the city Nazareth, a place of no account:whence, from this
very place, and the name of it, you may observe that fulfilled to a tittle which
is so often declaredby the prophets, that the Messiasshouldbe Nazor, a
stranger, or separate from men, as if he were a very vile person, and not
worthy of their company.

People's New Testament
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth. Matthew makes no mention
of the previous residence at Nazareth, and he now names it first when it
becomes the home of Christ. It was an obscure village, nestledin the hills
about five hundred feet above the plain of Esdraelon, on the side of Galilee. It
is not named in the Old Testament, was probably a small town in the time of
Christ, but now has about 6,000 inhabitants.
That it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophets. Notby one
prophet, but the summing up of a number of prophecies. No prophet had
declaredin express terms that he should be calleda Nazarene. They, however,
did apply to Christ the term {Nezer,} from which Nazareth is derived; the
Nazarites, ofwhom Samsonwas one, were typical of Christ; the meanness and
contempt in which Nazareth was held was itself a prophecy of one who "was
despisedand rejected." See Isaiah11:1;Jeremiah23:5; Jeremiah33:15;
Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
Should be calleda Nazarene (Ναζωραιος κλητησεται — Nazōraios
klēthēsetai). Matthew says “thatit might be fulfilled which was spokenby the
prophets” (δια των προπητων— dia tōn prophētōn). It is the plural and no
single prophecy exists which says that the Messiahwas to be calleda
Nazarene. It may be that this term of contempt (John 1:46; John 7:52) is what
is meant, and that severalprophecies are to be combined like Psalm22:6,
Psalm22:8; Psalm69:11, Psalm69:19; Isaiah53:2, Isaiah53:3, Isaiah53:4.
The name Nazarethmeans a shootor branch, but it is by no means certain
that Matthew has this in mind. It is best to confess thatwe do not know. See
Broadus on Matthew for the various theories. But, despisedas Nazarethwas
at that time, Jesus has exaltedits fame. The lowly Nazarene he was at first,
but it is our glory to be the followers ofthe Nazarene. Bruce says that “in this

case, therefore, we certainlyknow that the historic factsuggestedthe
prophetic reference, insteadof the prophecy creating the history.” The
parallels drawn by Matthew betweenthe history of Israeland the birth and
infancy of Jesus are not mere fancy. History repeats itself and writers of
history find frequent parallels. Surely Matthew is not beyond the bounds of
reasonor of fact in illustrating in his own waythe birth and infancy of Jesus
by the Providence of God in the history of Israel.
Vincent's Word Studies
The prophets
Note the plural, as indicating not any one prediction in particular, but a
summary of the import of severalprophetic statements, such as Psalm22:6,
Psalm22:8; Psalm69:11, Psalm69:19; Isaiah53:2, Isaiah53:3, Isaiah53:4.
A Nazarene
A term of contempt (compare John 1:46, and John 7:52). The very name of
Nazarethsuggestedinsignificance.In Hebrew it meant sprout or shoot. The
name is prophetically given to the Messiah(Isaiah11:1). In Isaiah10:33,
Isaiah10:34, the fate of Assyria is describedunder the figure of the felling of a
cedarforest. The figure of the tree is continued at the opening of ch. 11
concerning the Jewishstate. The cedarthrows out no fresh suckers,but the
oak is a tree “in which, after the felling, a stock remaineth” (Isaiah 6:13;
compare Job 14:9). There is a future then for Israel, representedby the oak.
“There shall come forth a shootfrom the stock ofJesse,and a twig from his
roots shall bear fruit.” As David sprang from the humble family of Jesse, so
the Messiah, the secondDavid, shall arise out of great humiliation. The fact
that Jesus grew up at Nazarethwas sufficient reasonfor his being despised.
He was not a lofty branch on the summit of a statelytree; not a recognized
and honored son of the royal house of David, now fallen, but an insignificant
sprout from the roots of Jesse;a Nazarene, ofan upstart sprout-town.

Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:that it might be fulfilled
He came and dwelt in Nazareth — (where he had dwelt before he went to
Bethlehem) a place contemptible to a proverb. So that hereby was fulfilled
what has been spokenin effectby severalof the prophets, (though by none of
them in express words,)He shall be called a Nazarene - that is, he shall be
despisedand rejected, shall be a mark of public contempt and reproach.
The Fourfold Gospel
and came and dwelt in a city calledNazareth1;that it might be fulfilled which
was spokenthrough the prophets2, that he should be called a Nazarene3.
Nazareth. See .
The prophets. Matthew uses the plural "prophets" because this prophecy is
not the actual words of any prophet, but is the generalsense ofmany of them.
We have noted three kinds of prophecy; this is the fourth kind, viz.: one
where the very trend or generalscope of Scripture is itself a prophecy. See .
That he should be called a Nazarene. The Hebrew word "netzer" means
"branch" or "sprout". It is used figuratively for that which is lowly or
despised(Isaiah 17:9; Ezekiel15:1-6;Malachi4:1). See also John15:6
Romans 11:21. Now, Nazareth, if derived from "netzer", answeredto its
name, and was a despised place (John 1:45,46), and Jesus, though in truth a
Bethlehemite, bore the name Nazarene becauseit fitly expressedthe contempt
of those who despisedand rejectedhim.
Abbott's Illustrated New Testament

Verse 23
A Nazarene;a proverbial term for one despised;because Nazarethan obscure
and insignificant village. Thus Jesus, being of royal lineage, was a child of
very high birth, but yet of very humble circumstances. In this twofold aspect
of the Savior's worldly condition there may be a design to teachus, on the one
hand, not to settoo high a value upon the worldly advantages of wealth, rank,
and station, and, on the other, not wholly to despise them.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
23.He shall be called a Nazarene Matthew does not derive Nazarene from
Nazareth, as if this were its strict and proper etymology, but only makes an
allusion. The word ‫,ריזנ‬ or Nazarite, signifies holy and devoted to God, and is
derived from ‫,רזנ‬ to separate. The noun ‫,רזנ‬ indeed, signifies a flower:(221)
but Matthew refers, beyond all doubt, to the former meaning. For we nowhere
read that Nazarites meant blooming or flourishing, but persons who were
consecratedto God, according to the directions given by the Law, (Numbers
6:1) The meaning is: though it was by fear that Josephwas driven into a
corner of Galilee, yet God had a higher design, and appointed the city of
Nazarethas the place of Christ’s residence, thathe might justly be calleda
Nazarite But it is asked, who are the prophets that gave this name to Christ?
for there is no passageto be found that answers to the quotation. Some think
it a sufficient answer, that Scripture frequently calls him Holy: but that is a
very poor explanation. ForMatthew, as we perceive, makes an express
reference to the very word, and to the ancient Nazarites, whose holiness was of
a peculiar character. He tells us, that what was then shadowedout in the
Nazarites, who were, in some sense, selectedas the first-fruits to God, must
have been fulfilled in the personof Christ.
But it remains to be seen, in what part of Scripture the prophets have stated
that this name would be given to Christ. Chrysostom, finding himself unable
to loose the knot, cuts it by saying, that many books of the prophets have

perished. But this answerhas no probability: for, though the Lord, in order to
punish the indifference of his ancient people, deprived them of some part of
Scripture, or left out what was less necessary, yet, since the coming of Christ,
no part of it has been lost. In support of that view, a strange blunder has been
made, by quoting a passageofJosephus, in which he states that Ezekielleft
two books:for Ezekiel’s prophecyof a new temple and kingdom is manifestly
distinct from his other predictions, and may be said to form a new work. But
if all the books of Scripture which were extant in the time of Matthew, remain
entire to the present day, we must find somewhere the passagequoted from
the prophets.
Bucer(222) has explained it, I think, more correctly than any other writer. He
thinks that the reference is to a passage in the Book of Judges:The child shall
be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, (Jude 13:5.) These words, no doubt,
were spokenwith regardto Samson. But Samsonis calledthe “Redeemer”or
“Deliverer” (223)ofthe people, only because he was a figure of Christ, and
because the salvation, which was accomplishedby his instrumentality, was a
sort of prelude of the full salvation, which was at length exhibited to the world
by the Son of God. (224)All that Scripture predicts, in a favorable manner,
about Samson, may justly be applied to Christ. To express it more clearly,
Christ is the original model: Samsonis the inferior antitype. (225)When he
assumedthe characterofa Redeemer, (226)we ought to understand, that
none of the titles bestowedon that illustrious and truly divine office apply so
strictly to himself as to Christ: for the fathers did but taste the grace of
redemption, which we have been permitted to receive fully in Christ.
Matthew uses the word prophets in the plural number. This may easilybe
excused:for the Book of Judges was composedby many prophets. But I think
that what is here said about the prophets has a still wider reference. For
Joseph, who was a temporal Savior of the Church, and was, in many respects,
a figure, or rather a lively image of Christ, is calleda Nazarite of his brethren,
(227)(Genesis 49:26;Deuteronomy33:16.)God determined that the
distinguished honor, of which he had given a specimenin Joseph, should shine
againin Samson, and gave him the name of Nazarite, that believers, having
receivedthose early instructions, might look more earnestly at the Redeemer
who was to come, who was to be separatedfrom all,

“Thathe might be the first-born among many brethren,”
(Romans 8:29.)
John Trapp Complete Commentary
23 And he came and dwelt in a city calledNazareth: that it might be fulfilled
Ver. 23. And he came and dwelt in a city calledNazareth] Hence an opinion
among the people that he was born there, {John 7:42} and so could not be the
Messiah, as the Phariseesonthat ground persuaded: "Forcan any goodcome
out of Nazareth?" John1:46. The devils also, though they confessedhim "the
Holy One of God," {Mark 1:24-25}yet they cunningly call him "Jesus of
Nazareth," to nourish the error of the multitude that thought he was born
there, and so not the Christ. When one commended the Pope’s legate at the
Council of Basil, Sigismund the Emperor answered, TamenRomanus est,
Nevertheless he is a Roman. So, let the devil speak true or false, fair or foul,
yet he is a devil still, beware of him. Satanaliquando verax, saepius mendax,
semper fallax.
That it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophets] For the Book of
Judges was written by various prophets, in severalages. And there be very
grave authors of the opinion that Ezra (that skilful scribe) either himself
alone, or with the help of his colleagues, godlyand learnedmen like himself,
inspired by the Holy Ghost, compiled and composedthose books of Joshua,
Judges, Samuel, and Kings, out of divers annals preserved by the Churches of
those ages whereinthose things were acted.

He shall be calleda Nazarene]That greatvotary whereofSamsonand the rest
of his order were but types and shadows. The very name signifieth one
separate and setapart from others, as Josephwas "separatefrom his
brethren," Genesis 49:26. And it is ascribedto three, sorts of men, usually set
above others (as divines have well observed): 1. To such as are setapart to
singular sanctimony, as the high priest, whose crownis calledNezer, Exodus
29:6; Exodus 2:1-25. To such as in dignity and authority are setabove others,
as kings, whose diadem is calledNezer, 2 Samuel 1:10; 2 Samuel 3:1-39. To
such as were separatedby some religious vow, as to the order of the Nazarites,
whose hair increasing on their heads, as an external sign of their vow, was
calledNezer, Numbers 6:5. As for our Saviour, it is not likely that he
nourished his hair; because the apostle saith(in that age)it was uncomely for
men to have long hair, 1 Corinthians 11:14. It was enoughfor him that he was
a Nazarite in the truth and substance of that law; and a singular comfort it is
to us, that although we have broken our vows and so deeply gashedour
consciences, as Jacobdid; {Genesis 28:20;Genesis 31:13}yet so long as it is of
infirmity and forgetfulness, not of obstinace and maliciousness, this famous
Nazarite, this arch-votary, hath expiated our defaults in this kind; and
through him we are in God’s sight, as Jerusalem’s Nazarites, {Lamentations
4:7} "Purer than the snow, and whiter than the milk." And therefore, since
God thinks not the worse ofus, let us not think the worse of ourselves for the
involuntary violation of our vows.
The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann
v. 22. b. Notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside
into the parts of Galilee:
v. 23. and he came and dwelt in a city calledNazareth; that it might be
fulfilled which was spokenby the prophets, He shall be calleda Nazarene.
So Josephreturned to his former city, which had also been Mary's home,
Luk_1:26; Luk_2:4. Nazareth was a small city southwestof the Sea of Galilee,

not far from Cana, on the one side, and from Mount Tabor, on the west. It
was situated on the slope of a hill, and was surrounded by beautiful and grand
scenery. It was here that Jesus lived until He entered upon His ministry,
Luk_2:51; Luk_4:16;Mat_3:13.
This reference ofthe evangelistto a fulfillment of Old Testamentprophecy
has ever causeddifficulties, since there is no individual passage, withthe exact
contents as given, in the writings referred to. It is significant, however, that
Matthew writes: "Which was spokenby the prophets," thus indicating a
generaltype rather than an explicit text. The most plausible explanation:
"Nazarene"or"man of Nazareth" contains the reference. Forthe name
Nazarethis derived from a Hebrew root meaning a branch or tender offshoot.
Thus the Messiahis calledin Isa_11:1. And this passageis analogous to the
expressions usedin Isa_53:2;Isa_4:2;Jer_23:5;Jer_33:15;Zec_3:8;
Zec_6:12, and to other descriptions of the humble appearance ofthe Messiah.
See Joh_1:46. Others have suggestedthat the reference is to Jdg_13:7. "Itis
with the prophetic references in the gospels as with songs without words. The
composerhas a certain scene orstate of mind in his view, and writes under its
inspiration. But you are not in his secret, and cannottell when you hear the
music what it means. But let the key be given, and immediately you find new
meaning in the music. The prophecies are the music; the key is the history."
Summary.The Magihaving been directed to Bethlehem by a specialstarand
by prophetic direction, give to the Christ-child divine adoration, while the life
of the Savioris preserved from the cruelty of Herod by divine interposition,
which directs Josephfirst to Egypt, then to Galilee.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Matthew 2:23. A city calledNazareth— Which was a small town of the lower
Galilee, nearthe frontiers of the tribes of Zebulon and Issachar. In the
description of the Nazarite given Numbers 6 we learn that he was first to
abstain from wine and all vinous liquors; secondly, to let his hair grow;
thirdly, not to defile himself with the dead. Now in eachof these particulars,
as we have observedon the 21stverse of that chapter, the Nazarite was a

lively type of Christ; whose extraordinary endowments, as man, were not
from any natural causes, but from above, even from the Spirit of God: who
was invested with all power and authority, of which hair was an emblem; (see
Judges 20:22. Compare 1 Corinthians 11:7 in the Greek;) and who was
intirely separate from dead works, from sin and sinners. It would be needless,
and far exceedmy present bounds, to quote the prophesies wherein the
Messiahis described as endowedwith these high qualifications. Many of the
predictions concerning Christ may be reducedto one or other of these heads;
and, in order to turn the attention of men to him as the true Nazarite, in
which the type was completelyfulfilled, it is remarkably observed here by St.
Matthew, that he came and dwelt at Nazareth; that what was spokenby the
prophets might be fulfilled, he shall be called, that is to say, shall be truly and
justly Ναζωραιος, a Nazarite;so the Vulgate, Nazaraeus. Thus, while the Jews
and Romans were calling him in contempt the Nazarene, the providence of
God was at the same time pointing him out to mankind as thetrue Nazarite,
from the circumstance ofhis dwelling in that city which had been
prophetically, with a view, no doubt, to this important event, calledNazareth,
or the City of the Nazarites. Parkhurston the word ‫רענ‬ nezer. It may be
proper just to observe, that there are other and different expositions given of
this prophesy. The editors of the PrussianTestamentagree with the margin of
our English Bible, and think that the passagereferredto is either Judges 13:5
where Samson, a type of the Messiah, is spokenof; or Isaiah11:1 where the
Messiahis styled the Netzer or Branch; while Wetstein, Doddridge,
Macknight, and many others, suppose that the expressionrefers to the mean
and despicable circumstances ofthe Messiah, andthe reproachful
mannerwherein he was treated, agreeableto severalprophetical passagesof
Scripture. But Houbigant is of opinion, that the evangelistrefers to the
blessings ofJacoband Moses, in eachof which Joseph, as a type of the
Messiah, is calledNezir, or Nazarite. See Genesis 49:26. Deuteronomy33:16
and Houbigant's note on the last place.
Inferences.—Thelove of our Redeemerfor a mean and private life appears
from the first moment of his birth, in the choice which he makes of
Bethlehem.

Those who are nearestto Christ very often know him not, when those who are
farther off seek and adore him. How greatwas the faith of these wise men,
and how illustrious a testimony did they bear to the dignity of our Lord's
person! Surely the readiness that they shewed, and the fatiguing journey
which they so willingly undertook to pay their adoration to their infant
Saviour, should awakenin our souls an anxious concern, not to be excelledby
them in duty and devotion to this divine Lord, now that we enjoy the better
and more abiding light of his Gospel, that glorious day-spring from on high.
With what cheerfulness should we presentourselves and all we have to him!
opening the treasuries ofour hearts, and offering before him the valuable
presents of humble faith and adoring love!
It is not to be supposed that God would have guided these wise men in this
extraordinary manner, merely to pay a transient compliment to Jesus;their
prostrations, no doubt, expressedreligious adorationas well as civil respect;
and it is not unlikely that their report might in due time make way for the
receptionof the Gospel, in the country whence they came. Gentiles as they
were, we cannot help looking upon them as the first-fruits of the nations to
Christ. This circumstance of the sacredhistory affords a beautiful emblem of
that glorious state of the Christian church, foretold by the prophets, when the
Gentiles should come down to its light, and sages andkings to the brightness
of its rising; when the abundance of the sea should be converted to it, and the
wealth of the Gentiles consecratedto its honour.
We may observe here how Jews and Gentiles conferred togetherabout Jesus
Christ. The Gentiles know the time of his birth by a star; the Jews know the
time of it by the Scripture; and so they are capable of informing one another.
It would contribute much to the increase of knowledge,if we were thus
mutually to communicate what we know. Mengrow rich by bartering and
exchange;so, if we have knowledge to communicate to others, they will be
ready to communicate to us. Thus many shall discourse, shallrun to and fro,
and knowledge shallbe increased. Evena Herod, you may remark, consults
the priests and teachers ofthe law in matters of religious concernment: and to
inspire us with reverence for the oracles ofGod, these priests presume not to
answerthe question, but by a reference to the Scriptures of truth.

How very conspicuous did the wisdom and powerof divine Providence appear
in the preservationof the infant Jesus!and in thwarting the vile hypocrisy and
execrable cruelty of the tyrant Herod! There is no understanding, or wisdom,
or counselagainstthe Lord; no scheme so artfully disguisedthat he cannot
penetrate it; or so politically formed, that he cannot with infinite ease
confound it.
To what perplexity and grief might these sages have been brought, had they
been made even the innocent instruments of an assaulton this holy child! But
God delivered them from such an alarm, and happily guided their return
(Matthew 2:12.); so that through his care and favour they carried home, in the
tidings of the new-born Messiah, farricher treasures than they had left
behind. Thus shall they, who in all their ways acknowledge God, by one
method or another find that he will graciouslydirect their paths!
We may remark how God in his providence makes the cruelty of a Herod
subservient to the publication of his Son's birth, and to the accomplishmentof
his designs with respectto him. He reduces, within the order of his goodness,
the greatestdisorders ofhuman wickedness. He makes that Egypt, which was
once the seatof persecutionand oppressionto his chosenpeople, a refuge to
his Son; and thus all places will be to us what the providence of God shall be
pleasedto make them.
How many instructive lessons may we derive from this inhuman massacreof
the innocents at Bethlehem! We are hence taught that, afflictions are not
arguments of guilt, since innocent children were made a sacrifice to the
ambition of a cruel tyrant: that we ought to be ready to part with what is dear
to us as our ownchildren, whenever they may become instruments of God's
glory: that what oppressionsoeverinnocence meets with from the hands of
wickedmen, it is for the goodof those who suffer it: that the conduct of those
parents who neglectthe educationand instruction of their children in
Christian and virtuous principles, exceeds the cruelty of a Herod—(he only
deprived little innocents of this life; they expose their own bowels to eternal
death): and that to be true disciples of Christ, we must become as little
children in the frame and temper of our minds; without which we cannot
enter into the kingdom of heaven. "Mortify, therefore, and kill in us all vices,

greatGod of our salvation;and so strengthenus through thy grace, that by
the innocencyof our lives, and the constancyof our faith, even unto death, we
may glorify thy holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
REFLECTIONS.—1st, Thoughthe birth of Jesus, the King of kings, was
ushered into the world with none of those rejoicings that usually attend the
nativity of the princes of the earth, we have some instances ofvery
distinguished notice paid to the infant Saviour.
1. Wise men came from the east, led by the observance ofan extraordinary
star which appeared in the heavens. Who they were, and whence they came,
we are not clearlytold; the most approved opinion seems to be, that they were
of the PersianMagi, among whom some tradition seems to have obtained of a
greatprince at that time about to come into the world, which possibly might
arise from Baalam's prophesy, or from their acquaintance with the Jewish
scriptures; which, during the captivity, were probably brought among them:
and this expectation, Tacitus observes, was spreadthrough the east. (But see
the criticalnotes.)As these Magiwere very conversantin astronomy, the
uncommon luminous phaenomenon, a meteor, or star, which they observed
over Judaea, might have led them thither, concluding that this was the signal
of his appearing, as they might be assuredalso by a divine impulse on their
minds. They were Gentiles, it is certain, and this was a happy presage oftheir
future conversion;and their wisdom most eminently appearedin coming to
him, the knowledge ofwhom alone could make them wise unto salvation. The
highest attainments in science, withoutthis wisdom, are no better than
splendid ignorance.
2. They directed their journey to Jerusalemthe capital, naturally concluding
there to meet with all needful information. Herod at that time reigned in
Judaea, an Edomite, setup by the Romans, under whose powerthe Jews were,
the sceptre being now departed from Shiloh; and to him it should seemthey
applied themselves, inquiring after the child who was born King of the Jews,
concerning whom they speak with the greatestconfidence;and having seenhis
star in the east, the intimation of his birth, were come to worship him; either
to pay him their civil homage, or rather to offer divine adoration. Note;(1.)
They who know the value of Christ's favour, will stop at no pains in following

him whithersoeverhe calls them. (2.) Jesus is truly the objectworthy of our
adoration, even in his lowesthumiliation; the babe in the manger is still the
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
3. This inquiry of the wise men exceedinglyaffectedHerod. He could be no
strangerto the prophesies concerning the Messiah;and the time of the
accomplishmentof them was confessedlynow at hand. He was troubled
therefore lest his own throne should be shaken;and the people in generalwho
heard the accountseemalike disturbed, fearing possibly the tumults which
they might perhaps suppose would be the consequenceofa struggle for the
crown, as they had, in general, no notion of the Messiahas a spiritual Saviour,
but as a mighty prince and conqueror. (But see the notes.)Note; Worldly
hearts are ever afraid, lest the spreading of the kingdom of Jesus should clash
with their interests.
4. To give them a resolution of the question, and perhaps to gain particular
information himself, for purposes that his mind already harboured, he called
a council of the chief priests, those most distinguished for station and abilities,
and the scribes learned in the law, and most conversantwith the prophesies,
that he might have their concurring sentiments concerning the place where
the Christ, the Messiahshould be born. And thus, by divine providence, this
wickedking, who consulted them with the vilest design, is made the
instrument of obtaining a distinguished suffrage, even from the wisestof the
Jewishnation, to the place of the Messiah'sbirth, and where the babe Jesus
actually was born.
5. They are unanimous in their opinion; for the prophet Micahhas expressly
determined the place to be Bethlehem of Judaea, chap. Matthew 5:2 and they
cite the prophesy, in sense the same with the original, though with some
variation in the expression. Thence the ruler and governorof his Israelshould
arise, and who is and ever will be the Lord of his faithful saints, reigning in
their hearts, and bringing them into subjection to his blessedself.
6. Herod hereupon dismisses the wise men in searchofthis child, after
examining them in private with the greatestaccuracyconcerning the time
when the star appeared, and having concertedin his own mind the bloody

project of cutting off him whom he eyed alreadywith jealousyas the rival of
his throne: and therefore he strictly charges them, after having made diligent
searchat Bethlehem, to return, and acquaint him with the place of his abode,
hypocritically pretending a desire to pay his worship to the young child born
and destined of God to such distinguished honour. So often has the mask of
religion concealedthe foulestdesigns.
None of his courtiers were sent with these strangers: perhaps he was afraid to
awakenthe suspicion of the parents of Jesus, his ambition and cruelty being
fully known; or so God, in his over-ruling providence, ordered it; who taketh
the wise in their own craftiness, and candivert the enemies of his people from
using the most obvious means which they seemto have in their power to
distress or destroy them.
2nd, With attention and respectthe wise men receivedtheir directions, and
departed in searchof the king of the Jews. And,
1. We find them happily conducted to the spotwhere he is. The star which
they had seenat Christ's birth, afterwards disappeared;at least, if, as some
suggest, it led them to the borders of Judaea, it then left them, but now
returned, hanging low in the sky, and moving on before them till it stoodover
the house where Jesus was:for before this, it seems, his parents had changed
the place of his birth in a stable, for a more commodious abode. The return of
the star, as it promised them a happy issue of their journey, rejoicedthem
exceedingly;and under its guidance being led to the house, they entered
without farther inquiry: and finding the child with his virgin-mother, they
immediately prostrated themselves before him, worshipping him as their God,
or honouring him as their king. And according to the easterncustom, of
making presents to their monarchs when they make their addresses to them,
they opened their treasures, andpresented him gold, frankincense, and
myrrh, Isaiah 60:6 and thus also providentially supplied Josephand Mary
with a sufficiency for the long journey they were quickly after called to
undertake. Note; (1.) When we are found in the way of duty, using the means
that God hath given us, we shall not be left without a guide. (2.) The word of
God, and the ministry of it, is now this star to lead us to Jesus;and blessed
and happy are they who follow its direction. (3.) When for a while we have

been in the darkness ofaffliction, temptation, or desertion, with double joy we
behold the re-appearing of the day-star to our benighted souls, and rejoice
with exceeding greatjoy. (4.) Jesus is the objectof our adorations;to him
every knee must bow. (5.) The Lord by strange and unexpected ways often
supplies the wants of his people:they who trust him, will assuredly own that
he has never failed them in time of need.
2. To prevent their return to Jerusalemaccording to Herod's desire, God, by a
dream, which carriedits own evidence that it came from him, probably the
very day or night after their arrival at Bethlehem, warned them not to go
back to Herod; and accordinglythey immediately departed into their own
country another way. So easilycan God blast the malicious designs of the
ungodly.
3rdly, No soonerwere the wise men departed, than God, who knew the cruel
intentions of Herod, takes care ofthe safetyof the child Jesus.
1. The Lord in a dream apprizes Josephofthe danger to which the young
child was exposed;and bids him, without delay, secure the babe with his
mother in Egypt, from the fury of this bloody king, and expectfarther
directions there. Immediately that very night he arose, and fled with his
family to this appointed place of refuge, and there continued till the death of
Herod, which soonfollowedthe massacre ofthe infants. Note;(1.) The place
where God's people suffered the bitterest persecutionaffords an asylum for
his Son: so easilycan he who has in his hands the hearts of all men, make our
once inveterate enemies our firmest friends. (2.) The faithful heart obeys
God's commands without hesitation or delay: having committed our all to
him, we must be safe under his guidance.
2. Particularnotice is takenof the fulfilling of the scripture herein; out of
Egypt have I called my son, Hosea 11:1 which, whateverreference it has to
Israelas a people, had now its most direct accomplishment in the flight of
Jesus thither, and his return thence.
4thly, We are told, as we might have expectedfrom the characterof this
wickedprince,

Jesus was a nazarene

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