Encouragement

---

Can Any Good Thing Come from Nazareth? - by Lynn Burrow

He was born in Bethlehem. However, because of the politics of that day, His father, Joseph moved the family from Bethlehem to Egypt and finally into a peaceful area called Galillee, in the town called Nazareth. Nazareth was located between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. Jesus grew from childhood to manhood there.

In Nazareth there was a Roman garrison (military post) and that garrison was pretty much all that Nazareth was known for. No special schools, seminaries or people had come from Nazareth.

The Jewish people of that day despised the Romans and their distrust of the Romans was so extreme that most Jews avoided any association with the town of Nazareth. In fact, the Jewish people who lived in Nazareth were viewed by their fellow people as spies or traitors.

In John 1:43 the disciple Philip was trying to recruit Nathanael to become a prophet. Philip mentioned that Jesus had come from Nazareth and Nathanael asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Can anything good come from Nazareth. That was the unfortunate reputation of the town.

The rest of that story is history. Jesus is a GOOD THING. HE came from Nazareth. HE put the town on the map! Jesus grew up in a poor family but He never missed a meal. He was a Jew in the one-horse town of Nazareth, yet at the age of twelve, He was found teaching the teachers in a temple! Without a medical degree He healed multitudes. Without a law degree, He defended multitudes! YES something good came from Nazareth. Likewise, regardless of where YOU live or where you are from---regardless of your family background or of any negative thing that may have come upon you in your lifetime, you can succeed, just as Jesus succeeded!

Can any good thing come from Nazareth? Of course. Jesus came from there. Can any good thing come from your town? Of course. YOU came from there. Ignore the nay-sayers. You can become anything and anyone whom you so desire!

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE