“Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.” – Acts 4:10
I was born and raised in the town of Coaldale, Alberta. At the time I was born, Coaldale couldn’t have been larger than a couple thousand people. 56 years later, it has hit the 8,000 mark, I am told. It has a reputation for being an agricultural town, meaning that even though a lot of people living in the town have jobs that are not agricultural, the town itself has a heritage of providing the people of agriculture a lot of services and amenities.
It is plausible that people from elsewhere might refer to me as “Scott Cyre of Coaldale,” perhaps as a way of distinguishing me from any other Scott Cyres, and perhaps as a way of allowing the reputation of Coaldale to follow me in some way. “You all need to know that this is the Scott Cyre who comes from that agricultural town.”
Well, turns out Jesus had that as well. He came from a town called Nazareth. Nazareth also had a reputation. In John 1:46, Nathanael says to Philip, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Jesus went back to Nazareth to preach and do ministry in Nazareth, only to be met with scorn, ridicule, and skepticism. It prompted him to say, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”
Beyond this, we know little of Nazareth. It was a small town, perhaps no more than a thousand large. It’s not mentioned either in the Old Testament or in rabbinic literature. Some extrabiblical records suggests that it had a fairly mixed population of Jews and Hellenistic Gentiles, which may have tarnished its reputation in the eyes of Jerusalem’s elite.
The point is, Jesus came from an itty-bitty, nitty-gritty, one-horse town with a questionable reputation.
So, imagine now you’re standing amongst those listening to Peter, as he explains by whose authority they just healed a lame man in the temple. And he says to all listening, “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.” The name of a disgraced rabbi who was recently executed just outside Jerusalem, who apparently came from that shabby town in the north. Really?
Don’t miss the importance of Peter’s words now. He has chosen them with great care.
Jesus is NOT from an elite town.
Jesus is NOT from a rich family with noble reputation.
By the world's measure, Jesus is just a Joe Blow.
Jesus—the one who was raised from the dead and is the Saviour of the world—came from a town like anybody else. He didn’t just come for the so-called special people. He came for those who are from lowly origins with dark stories to tell. He came for sinners. He came for broken people. He came for impossible people. The unloved people.
You know? The Jesus from two-bit Nazareth? The son of a carpenter? It is by His name that your life can be forever changed!
So, if you find yourself from time to time feeling like you are unimportant, or that you’ve got a history of bad behaviour, or you deal with some stronghold that's been holding you back, I want you to know that Jesus of Nazareth knows where you've been and where you are today. He wants to elevate you from a person of no regard to a child and heir of the Most High.