I Came to Nazareth

When I stepped off the plane in Israel, the Promised Land, I fully expected the world to pause, enveloped in a chorus of angels singing. This was the place I had read about my whole life. Jet lag and swollen ankles from the long flight—none of it mattered. I was finally here! I longed to encounter Jesus in a way I never had before. My journal was riddled with prayers like, “Lord, let me feel You like I never have before. Reveal Yourself to me. Change me.”

Wow, was I in for a surprise.

As our bus entered Nazareth, the first Bible verse I ever taught my son, Eric, when he was five years old came to mind immediately: “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and as the custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read” (Luke 4:16). I was in Nazareth! The little green road signs like the one outside my town that says Beulah, literally said Nazareth! I was waiting—waiting to feel Jesus, waiting to experience what He felt growing up here. I was full of expectation.

Then, suddenly, all the emotions hit at once. I felt an overwhelming sadness and couldn’t stop my tears. Rejection, pain, and loneliness washed over me in waves. What in the world was happening to me?

When Jesus stood up to read that day in Nazareth, declaring the good news from the book of Isaiah, He was filled with love, excitement, and hope: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). 

Everyone in the synagogue that day believed this would happen someday. They were scholars of the Word, ready and waiting. But then Jesus closed the book, looked them in the eyes, and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Boom! Mic drop.

Jesus made Himself vulnerable, putting everything on the line. Imagine the emotions He must have felt, being fully man, when He declared this. He was saying, “I’m here! I’m the Redeemer you have been waiting for!” Jesus presented His entire purpose for coming to earth to the people He loved. How would they respond? He had done nothing but love them, yet they scorned, rejected, and doubted Him. They chased Him out of the city and intended to throw Him over the brow of the hill.

As I climbed that same hill to overlook the beautiful city of Nazareth, God began to work in my heart. He allowed me to feel the emotion He felt in that place, just as I had asked. He started systematically tearing down walls of protection I had been building.

“Do you feel rejected by a friend? Let me remove those boards from your heart so I can be your true friend. Never stop loving My people with abandon.

Have you lost loved ones, and your heart feels like it will never recover? Come, My daughter, I’m here to heal your broken heart.

Are broken families and people you love rejecting Me? I know. Cast your cares on Me, but don’t bottle your emotions in an attempt to maintain control. Don’t you know that My specialty is liberating the bruised hearts?

Yes, I see you working to plant seeds in your city without seeing the breakthrough you envision and dream of. Deliverance to the captives is My specialty. Don’t grow weary in well-doing.”

Jesus revealed Himself to me that day, and I had a choice to make. Would I believe Him capable of fulfilling all His promises in my life? Or would I, too, reject Him and continue on my well-structured, well-built path of self-sufficiency? He tore down my walls. Would I leave the ruins as they were for the reward of truly knowing my Savior? Or would I frantically pick up the pieces and begin to rebuild?

My friend, tear down the walls. It’s messy, unstructured, and painful. But nothing compares to the unbridled joy and unmatched peace of full surrender to Jesus.