If you were writing the story of the Messiah, where would you have him grow up?
Jerusalem seems like the obvious choice. The holy city. The place where the temple stood. The center of Israel’s religious life. Or maybe Bethlehem, the city of David, where the prophecies said he would be born. There would have been overtones of royal heritage and messianic majesty.
But that’s not what happened.
Matthew tells us that Joseph “went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.”
Nazareth. A tiny agricultural community of maybe 500 people. A place so insignificant it’s not even mentioned in the Old Testament. Not in the Talmud. Not in any ancient Jewish writings outside of Scripture.
You might remember what Nathanael said when Philip told him about Jesus. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” That wasn’t just snobbery. That was just a common assumption. Nazareth was like the punchline of a joke. It was not a place of honor.
If Jesus had been known as “Jesus of Bethlehem,” he would have had an aura of one who came from a royal city. But “Jesus the Nazarene” carried with it the overtones of contempt.
And that’s exactly the point.
The greater Moses comes from the most unlikely place. Because that’s how God works. God’s deliverance comes from unexpected places.
I’ve seen this pattern over and over again in ministry. The provision comes from where you’d never expect it. The breakthrough happens in ways you never anticipated. The help arrives from the most unlikely sources.
I’ve often thought about all the crazy ways God has provided for our church. Various ministries and mission opportunities. And guys, I’m going to be honest with you. There have been times when people have brought money to support things, and in my flesh I felt bad taking the check. Because when I looked at them, I thought, “You can’t possibly afford to give this up. You need this more than we do.”
It has constantly amazed me. The people who on the outside we might look at and think they have nothing to spare. They’re driving a beat-up, broke-down truck. But they’re writing a check to support a missionary or a church plant. And I’m thinking, “You might need to save that to fix your truck.”
But that’s how God works.
And the people you would expect to write the check? Sometimes they don’t. Because God works in ways that we don’t understand. His support and his help comes from unexpected places.
Just like a Messiah coming from Nazareth. The King of the universe growing up in a carpenter’s house. Who would have even thought to look there for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? You mean that kid out back swinging the hammer, building the table?
This is the pattern of God’s kingdom. It doesn’t come with power and prestige. It comes in weakness. It comes clothed in humility. It comes from places that nobody expects.
Think about the Savior of the world wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
So when you pray this morning, and I challenge you to pray, don’t pray for God to take the fear away. Pray for God to take you through the fear. And I guarantee you that answer is going to come in the most unexpected way you can imagine.
Don’t look for God’s deliverance from the places you expect. That’s not how He works. And don’t assume because something looks insignificant that God can’t use it.
Questions for Reflection
In your current situation, are you looking for God to work in expected ways?
What might it look like to open your eyes to the unexpected places where God might already be moving?
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