You of Nazareth

Friday, April 30, 2021

In ancient times, people were often called by the name of the town or place that they came from e.g. Joseph of Arimathea, Saul of Tarsus, Miriam of Magdala/Mary Magdalene, and above all is Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth or Yeshua Ha Nazarene, Jesus the Nazarene. But those who followed Yeshua were also called Nazarenes. It's one of the first names given to people of faith. Even today in Israel, the name for Christian is Nazarene. To be called a Nazarene means that you in some way come from Nazareth. But we don't come from Nazareth, we come from New Jersey, Iowa, California or wherever. Yet, now we are all called Nazarenes. Why is that? It's because when you were born again, you were given a new past. Your life becomes His life; His life becomes your life; His past becomes your past. All that failure and rejection is not you - you're of Nazareth. You can now live a new life that's pure, innocent, and righteous. You're not what you were, you're now a Nazarene just like your Messiah - that means you're of Nazareth!

From Message #975 - Sailing Away