Nazareth and Galilee
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given me so many wonderful gifts. You have called me as Your child and claimed me in my baptism. You sent Jesus to pay for my sins so that I could forever be a part of Your kingdom. You have given me Your Word so that I can know You and love You more completely. Your gifts to me are amazing and I thank You for every one of them. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Read: Luke 2:4-7
Think about It: We know from the story of Jesus' birth that He was born in Bethlehem and then fled with Mary and Joseph into Egypt for the first 3 years of His life. We also know that while Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census, for that was the site of his birth, he actually lived in Nazareth, an area 50 or so miles north of Jerusalem. We are used to Jesus' name being associated with Nazareth because in Nazareth is the area known as Galilee, north of the See of Galilee where Jesus spent the vast majority of His ministry with the disciples. There are a few instances of Christ going up to Jerusalem, but for the most part, He stayed away from Jerusalem until it was time for the crucifixion.
Jesus lived in the area of Galilee, learning the work of carpenter (or perhaps even stonemason) from his step-father, Joseph until His ministry began at the age of 30. We know very little from the Scriptures of His life in Nazareth / Galilee, so we must assume that this information is unnecessary for us to have. Jesus' life before He was 30 was probably unremarkable. He had an extended family, (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins. . . ) and friends. He most likely attended the same schooling as all of the other children, although we do know that even at the age of 12 He was far more mature than others His age in His understanding of God and His Word. (See Luke 2:41-52) The Gospel writers place Jesus right into the landscape so that we can relate to Him and so that we can see that He was as He claimed - True Man.
Today, Nazareth is largely Muslim (69%) and Christian (31%). As of 2011, there were roughly 80,000 people living in the area. At the time of Christ the population was probably never greater than 2,000. This simple area, filled with shepherds, fisherman, and farmers was where Jesus gathered His 12 disciples and began the task of training them for their future work of spreading the story of His death for our sins and resurrection in victory.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, it is remarkable that You chose people from very simple, basic lives to be the ones to carry Your message of salvation to the entire world. The work of these simple men still impacts our lives even today and I marvel at that miracle. Thank You for using everyday people like me to spread Your love to the world. Please make me worthy of such work. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Read: Luke 2:4-7
Think about It: We know from the story of Jesus' birth that He was born in Bethlehem and then fled with Mary and Joseph into Egypt for the first 3 years of His life. We also know that while Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census, for that was the site of his birth, he actually lived in Nazareth, an area 50 or so miles north of Jerusalem. We are used to Jesus' name being associated with Nazareth because in Nazareth is the area known as Galilee, north of the See of Galilee where Jesus spent the vast majority of His ministry with the disciples. There are a few instances of Christ going up to Jerusalem, but for the most part, He stayed away from Jerusalem until it was time for the crucifixion.
Jesus lived in the area of Galilee, learning the work of carpenter (or perhaps even stonemason) from his step-father, Joseph until His ministry began at the age of 30. We know very little from the Scriptures of His life in Nazareth / Galilee, so we must assume that this information is unnecessary for us to have. Jesus' life before He was 30 was probably unremarkable. He had an extended family, (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins. . . ) and friends. He most likely attended the same schooling as all of the other children, although we do know that even at the age of 12 He was far more mature than others His age in His understanding of God and His Word. (See Luke 2:41-52) The Gospel writers place Jesus right into the landscape so that we can relate to Him and so that we can see that He was as He claimed - True Man.
Today, Nazareth is largely Muslim (69%) and Christian (31%). As of 2011, there were roughly 80,000 people living in the area. At the time of Christ the population was probably never greater than 2,000. This simple area, filled with shepherds, fisherman, and farmers was where Jesus gathered His 12 disciples and began the task of training them for their future work of spreading the story of His death for our sins and resurrection in victory.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, it is remarkable that You chose people from very simple, basic lives to be the ones to carry Your message of salvation to the entire world. The work of these simple men still impacts our lives even today and I marvel at that miracle. Thank You for using everyday people like me to spread Your love to the world. Please make me worthy of such work. In Your name I pray. Amen.
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