“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” John 1 v.46 – a surprising answer

By Baldmichael Theresoluteprotector’sson

Apr 30, 2024

*Nazareth, in 1839, published in The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazareth

So asked Nathaniel of Philip, expecting the answer ‘No’. Nazareth had a bad reputation it seems, or at least was a small non-descript sort of place. Nowhere special in the world’s eyes, not wealthy or prestigious.

Anyway, Philip had just said to Nathanael “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold— Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Of course Nazareth is in the north of Israel.

*By Ynhockey – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4916415*

So we could say he was a northerner which in the UK means someone with an accent, a dialect. This can be looked down upon by those in the south, but this is common where people’s speech sounds different to the general populace.

So one can see how a backwater like Nazareth might be looked down upon.

This link gives some useful background.

Why Was Jesus Being from Nazareth Derogatory? Oct 25, 2022

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/why-was-jesus-being-from-nazareth-derogatory.html

As the article says

Nathanael made a common mistake. He tied the value of something or someone in the present to where they came from. He simply believed there was no way the Messiah could come from such a place.

When you think about it this is exactly how God has always worked. Though he could have had Jesus born in a palace he was born in a manger. He could have come from the best town in Galilee instead he came from Nazareth. I believe Paul words this idea of what God does in his letter to the Corinthians.

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” – 1 Corinthians 1 v.26-27

All of that seems reasonable.

Philip says Jesus is the son of Joseph. What I have noted is that Joseph can be written Ioseph, with an ‘I’ rather than a ‘J’. I have pointed out the links between I and J elsewhere.

If you anagram ‘Ioseph’ the one word is Sophie which means ‘wisdom’. It may seem contrived but Jesus can be said to be the son of wisdom.

And indeed, it is recorded that in Nazareth

“…Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke 2 v.52

I also note that ‘is hope’ is another anagram which ties in with what Philip said as he is implying that Jesus is the hope, the saviour, they have been looking for as foretold by Moses and the other prophets.

But this is not the surprising thing I found about Nazareth. I had a look at the anagrams of course.

Anagrams of Nazareth

– A hen tzar

Perhaps as in old mother hen’. This might be akin to Jesus’s words

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!”

– Ah Ezra NT

Ezra means ‘help’ or ‘helper of God’. Thus Jesus is the helper of God, or God’s help to us, of the New Testament (NT) for example.

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father— Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”

‘Advocate’ can be translated ‘helper’.

– Ah art Zen

Zen with a lowercase ‘z’ means

…a wordview or attitude that is “peaceful and calm”.

It can also mean ‘contemplation’.

From

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen

This reminds me of Jesus’s words

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

But this is the best one in my books.

– He Tarzan

Tarzan was the king of the jungle and Jesus is considered a king. Whether he swings through the trees is another matter!

But I hope you will agree that Tarzan was the good guy who fought against evil in the jungle just as Jesus does.

So Tarzan and Jesus both come out of Nazareth!

Here is a trip down memory lane for those of you old enough like me to remember.

Tarzan 1966 – 1968 Opening and Closing Theme (With Intro & Snippet)