Jesus Grew Up in Nazareth

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel, the Promised Land.

Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Anna, a prophet, was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests.

At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. John the Baptist went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

When the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.” “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.” “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?” John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region.

Some declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” So the crowd was divided about him. Some even wanted him arrested.

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. He was known as the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli. Jesus’ genealogy is traced back to Seth, who was the son of Adam... and Adam, the son of God.

The first 12 apostles were:

• Simon, whom he named Peter
• Andrew, Peter’s brother
• John, son of Zebedee
• James, son of Zebedee
• Philip
• Bartholomew (Nathanel)
• Matthew, son of Alphaeus
• James, son of Alphaeus
• Thomas, nicknamed “twin”
• Simon, who was called the zealot
• Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed him
• Thaddeus, also known as Jude

Nazareth was a city in Galilee about halfway between the south end of the Sea of Galilee and Mount Carmel, the home of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

Mary bore Jesus in Bethlehem, and later the family fled to Egypt, their home was in Nazareth. Jesus is called a Nazarene.

Present-day Nazareth is a city in the Northern District of Israel.

Nazareth was part of the Holy Land conflicts during the Crusader and Mamluk periods. The town changed hands multiple times during these centuries.

Nazareth was also part of the region inhabited by the Canaanites around 3000 BC. Canaan and Egypt were neighbors in ancient times.

Canaan, the patriarch of the Canaanites, was the youngest of Ham's sons… Ham was the second son of Noah and the patriarch of the Hamites.

The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

The Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.

Canaan’s sons were Sidon, the eldest and patriarch of the Sidonians, Heth (Hittites), Jebus (Jebusites), Emor (Amorites), and Girgash (Girgashites), Hiv (Hivites), Ark (Arkites), Sin (Sinites), Arvad (Arvadites), Zemar (Zemarites), and Hamath (Hamathites).
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About the Author: Lawrence Jean-Louis is the founder of eBrand Me, a digital marketing agency offering marketing & consultative services to CPAs and tax professionals. She aspires to start a money management firm by 2030.