Commentary
Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23
Nazareth in Galilee
Nazareth was a town of little
significance. It is not even mentioned
in the Old Testament. The comment made
by Nathanael in John 1:46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” is another
indicator of how people at the time of Jesus viewed Nazareth. [1]
The region of Galilee had a long
history of foreign occupation, dated back to over 700 years before the birth of
Jesus. Consequently, “pure Jews” of Judea looked
down upon those who lived in Galilee. (Jerusalem is in the region of Judea). [2]
Yet, in God’s plan, the Holy
Family went to live there, in the insignificant town of Galilee, in the impure
region of Judea. Moreover, God’s only
Son became known as a Nazorean, and “Jesus of Nazareth.”
It is among the lowly people of
the world that we continue to find the Emmanuel – God with us.
It is in our human reality, in
our families, imperfect, and messy at times, that God has chosen to live.
--------------------------------------------------
[1] Daniel Harrington, The
Gospel of Matthew, Sacra Pagina Series, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN,
1991; p. 45.
[2] Raymond Brown, Joseph Fitzmyer, Roland Murphy, eds. The New
Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1990; p.
1195
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