Jesus ~ Nazarene

Nazarene:

“…and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; 

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: 
‘He will be called a Nazarene.’”

~Matthew 2:23

“Wouldn’t it be fun to drive Route 66?”

Hearty cheers of approval resounded from the back seat

as we pulled off the interstate.

We cruised along with genuine excitement

eagerly anticipating the appearance

of a quaint rural village

with old fashioned gas pumps,

a tiny schoolhouse,
a little whitewashed church with a bell,

and the quintessential coffee shop

declaring red checkered table cloths and free coffee refills.

After driving for nearly an hour

through desolate nothingness,

a faded “Reduce Speed” sign riddled with bullet holes

cast a glimmer of hope

that our dream town was just around the bend.

And there it was…

Three or four old boarded up buildings shivered in the breeze

as a weathered sign too faded to read

dangled by one old rusted chain.

A gust of wind powdered the already colorless scene with dust

and tossed a dozen tumbleweeds across our path.

We wondered aloud

romancing our imaginations

with a sheriff, bad guys, a tinny saloon piano

and other stories of what might have been

so long ago.

Suddenly, a barefoot child dressed in rags

dashed out from between two buildings.

A mangy mixed breed dog tagged along

sniffing here and there.

The fragments of a screen door slammed abruptly,

jolting us even further from our reverie.

There were no cafes, no churches or schools, no gas stations,

no quaint little curiosity shoppes.

As we turned to head back the way we came,

my heart yearned for the future of that child

living in desolation and hopelessness…

But what defines hopelessness?

Must an abiding place be marked with significance on a map,

and have a WalMart within a reasonable distance?

Can God dwell in such a place?

What good could come out of Nazareth?

~John 1:46

Protocol for a King’s proper arrival,

a worthy heritage,

an apportioned declaration of glory,

an established destiny,

or a padded lifetime retirement plan

was not to be…

  “…He had no form or majesty

that we should look at Him,

and no beauty that we should desire Him. 

“He was despised and rejected by men;

a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,

and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised,

and we esteemed Him not.” 

~Isaiah 53:2,3