Second Sunday after Christmas, 2004

The fortieth anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination passed recently. Where were you when the president was shot? is a common question. Actually, C.S. Lewis died the same day. I was only six years old, but I remember the neighbors coming out of their homes and standing in the middle of the street. I'd never seen that before: adults talking in the middle of the road. My best friend's father was weeping. Then for the next two days all of the television channels broadcast nothing but the train carrying the body of the president from Texas to Massachusetts. That was irritating. All my favorite cartoons were cancelled.

Our Gospel passage for today opens with the announcement of King Herod's death. Where was Joseph and his little family when Herod died? They were hidden in Egypt. That is where they fled after the slaughter of the baby boys of Bethlehem. The gold, myrrh and frankincense given to King Jesus by the Magi were a big help. Those treasures allowed the holy family to pay their expenses. What did Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus do in Egypt? Where in Egypt did they dwell? How long did they stay? Nobody knows. Surely, Mary tended her newborn with utmost care. Possibly, the three attended weekly Sabbath instruction at the synagogue. But they had to be careful. Herod might find out their whereabouts. Like fugitives they tried to keep a low profile.

Herod's expiration was the moment that Joseph had been waiting for. The same angel that had told Joseph to flee to Egypt, reappeared to him. The heavenly being notified Joseph that Herod and his henchmen had passed. Apparently, more than one man was after Jesus. They were swept from the stage and Joseph could now return to the land of Israel. Death removes the despots of this world. Herod, the murderer of helpless infants must himself die. This is one reason Christians do not become petrified by persecution. Our enemies may be strong, and we may be weak, but still we ought not overreact. The victories of evildoers are fleeting. Job 20:5 declares, "the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment." Proverbs 11:21 states, "Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished."

Do you remember the story of Gideon? He lived at a time when the Midianites cruelly persecuted the people of God. Three hundred men of Gideon blew their trumpets, broke their clay pots, and flashed their torches in the night. That was enough. The entire Midianite house of cards came tumbling down. Judges 7:22 describes the pandemonium: "When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp, and the army fled"

Gideon's victory over the Midianites, and King Herod's death illustrate how fast the forces of evil can fall, and also how poorly they are capable of cooperating among themselves. What has become of the Pharaohs and Neros? How about the Stalins and Pol Pots? These men fiercely persecuted the people of God. They did their best to destroy the Church. But the Church is indestructible. They are rotting in their graves while the Church Militant marches on. Scripture assures the ultimate conquest of the Church in history. This fact steels the confidence of the soldiers, inspires hope, and motivates them to endure great difficulties for the cause. We may lose battles here and there, but in the end, the Church wins the war. Death is a great leveler, and God brings low the Herods of this world.

As soon as Joseph got the news that Herod had died, he saddled the donkeys, packed up their belongings, and set out for Israel. What part of the land of Israel did Joseph go? Matthew 2:22 gives us a hint: "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee." Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth, a city located far north of Jerusalem in the region of Galilee (Luke 2:4). We would think it natural for them to return there first. But they obviously didn't. That was their second choice. Apparently Joseph tried to settle in Bethlehem or Jerusalem. What stopped him? Joseph heard that Herod's son, Archelaus was reigning in Judea, and this Archelaus, had inherited the demons of his father.

Again Josephus provides more details. King Herod had ruled the entire land of Israel, but in his will he divided up his kingdom among his three sons. He bequeathed Judea in the south to his favorite son Archelaus. This is where Jerusalem was located. To his son Antipas he gave the northern region of Galilee, and to his son Philip, he gave some of the desert regions east of the Jordan. One of the last things Herod did before he died was to mount a golden eagle over the gate of the temple entrance at Jerusalem. Two men named Judas and Matthias climbed up and threw it down. They believed the eagle idolatrous. Herod executed them. Soon thereafter Herod himself died. A year later, some of the Jews attending the Passover began to mourn the pair who had destroyed Herod's golden eagle. This time, the son Archelaus had to deal with this subtle resistance. His response was quick and severe. He sent in the cavalry. Mounted soldiers surrounded the temple and proceeded to slay three thousand. Everybody else fled home out of dread. The Passover Feast for that year was ruined. News of this sort is what came to the ears of Joseph and convinced him to give up on his idea of settling near Jerusalem. Archelaus was too much like his father. Joseph therefore went back to Nazareth where Herod Antipas was ruling, a more favorable governor.

Why did Joseph try at the start to settle in Bethlehem? Why did he want to be close to Jerusalem? Joseph understood that his hometown Nazareth of Galilee was held in low esteem. The people of Judea saw the Galileans as unsophisticated yokels. In reality, it was an unfair label. The northern region of Israel was an exciting place: the Mediterranean Sea was nearby, plenty of construction projects were going on near the coast, and the biggest trade route in the world passed right through it. The Galileans were an industrious people. This kind of thing however meant little to the southern Jews. Galilee, including the city of Nazareth, was regarded as half-pagan, polluted, and illiterate. Joseph wanted Jesus to be reared in the best environment, to receive the finest training, and be free of the Nazarene stigma. Only Jerusalem could provide that. It was considered the real world of Judaism; the center of religious life and learning. However, God's hand of Providence had other plans. The angel overcame Joseph's reluctance to settle in Nazareth. Coming to Joseph in a dream, the angel warned him of the problems with Archelaus, and basically told him that it was God's will to go north.

Verse 23 tells us, "And [Joseph] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'" Here we come to an enigma. Matthew claims that the prophets had prophesied that the Messiah "shall be called a Nazarene." Which prophet said this? Give chapter and verse. Nobody did. The phrase is nonexistent in the Old Testament. So how do we understand Matthew's statement? He seems pretty confident that the prophets said that. People indeed designated Jesus the Nazarene, but which of the prophets foretold it? Three explanations are normally given.

First, people say that Jesus took the Nazarite vow. That made Him a Nazarene. Samuel, Samson, and John the Baptist were lifelong Nazarites. Apparently, there was a temporary Nazarite vow as well; soldiers would take an oath before going into battle (Judges 4-5). The Nazarites abstained from alcoholic beverages, raisons and contact with dead bodies. Moreover, the men were prohibited from ever putting a razor to their hair. Was Jesus a Nazarite? No. Jesus was no ascetic. At the wedding of Cana, Christ turned the water into wine. And Matthew 11:19 says, "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber.' "

Second, people see a resemblance between the Greek word "Nazareth" and the Hebrew word "netzer." Netzer is a botanical term. It can mean "branch," "sapling," "flower" or even "root." Thus, the prophet Isaiah foresaw Christ as the "Root of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:1, 10). And the Song of Solomon called Jesus "the lily of the valleys" (Song of Solomon 2:10). Both of those terms are "netzer." Does that explain why Matthew states that the prophets foresaw that Jesus would be called a Nazarene? No, this explanation, too, fails to satisfy. "Nazareth" and "netzer" sound similar. So what? The French "oui" and the English "we" are pronounced similarly, and yet they have nothing to do with each other.

Is there a better solution to this Nazarene question? Yes, it has to do with the reputation of Nazareth itself. We have already discussed the low status of the town. To be called a Nazarene was to be spoken of as despicable. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" was a common sentiment (John 1:46). People who hated the Apostle Paul accused him of being a "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5). Are there other parallels in history? Perhaps the way the northerners treated the southerners before the Civil War. They were regarded a bunch of country bumpkins, and the South in general was seen as backwards. Similarly, to hail from Nazareth was a mark of disgrace.

If Jesus had been reared in Jerusalem, He would not have been vilified as the Nazarene. But thirty of his thirty-three years were spent in Nazareth. Isaiah 53:3 says, "He is despised and rejected by men; He was despised and we did not esteem Him." In this light Matthew's remark makes more sense. When St. Matthew says that the prophets foretold, "He shall be called a Nazarene," he was referring to the prophesies concerning the humiliation and scorn that men would heap on the Lord. The Old Testament is full of this concept of the Messiah being a suffering Servant. Psalm 22:6 for example speaks the words of Christ, "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me" Many other passages speak in the same vein.

On this Second Sunday after Christmas the Church calls attention to the reality that Jesus was raised in Nazareth and was called a Nazarene. What can we learn from that fact? It reminds us that God often uses the despised things of the world to accomplish His purposes (1 Cor. 1:27). The world branded Jesus a Nazarene. They put into it all the hatred possible. The Talmud calls Jesus the Nazarene, and one of the ancient synagogue prayers cursed the Christians as Nazarenes. The same reproach extends to all the followers of Jesus. The term Nazarene may no longer have disgrace attached to it today, but Christians are still scorned. We still suffer persecution from the world. Why? Jesus gives a great explanation in John 3:19: "the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." Unbelievers are lovers of darkness. "And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

That is why it is nearly impossible for the world to regard Christians as cool. Trying to be always hip is a bad idea. You have to compromise the truth and your righteousness. You are forced to realign your worldview with that of the godless. You end up trying to please people more than you attempt to please God.

If you are going to behave like a Christian, think like a Christian, and speak like a Christian you will not make the cool crowd. The world derided Jesus as a Nazarene and they will likewise disparage you and me. This doesn't mean you go out of your way to be obnoxious. The Bible teaches you to season your speech with salt, try your best to live in peace with everyone, and love them. You strive moreover for excellence in your vocation, you pursue beauty, and walk happily with the Lord. But having done all that, you will probably not be invited to the inner circle. You will be branded the Nazarene. Don't be surprised when it happens.

How do I deal with rejection and persecution? Strive daily to copy your Savior's humility. Examine your behavior to see if you are giving offence unnecessarily. Accept the fact that you will not always be accepted. Christ was persecuted, and God calls you to share in His suffering. On this Second Sunday after Christmas commit yourself to stand up for the truth, live the truth, and speak the truth, even if that means you will be labeled a Nazarene.