Dem Go Call Am Nazarene

Di family don almost reach home. Dem don dey see di hills of Judea. And then Joseph hear one name for road wey make im heart drop. Archelaus. Herod don die, but Herod son dey for di throne.

When King Herod die, im kingdom no go to one person. With Rome permission, dem share am between three of im sons. Archelaus collect Judea, with Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Herod Antipas collect Galilee for di north. Philip collect lands for di north-east. So when Joseph come back from Egypt, maybe e dey expect to go back to Bethlehem, e find say na di son of di same king wey hunt im pikin dey rule di south. And Archelaus don already show say e fit wicked like im papa.

Matthew talk say when Joseph hear say Archelaus dey reign for Judea for im papa Herod place, e fear to go there. Dat na one honest small line. Joseph don obey angels and cross desert, but e still be man wey fit feel fear. And God no scold am for am. Instead, God talk again. As God warn am for dream, Matthew talk, Joseph turn go di area of Galilee. No be fear make di decision. Na God.

So di family travel go north, up through di land, to one village for di hills of lower Galilee. Im name na Nazareth. Luke Gospel tell us say na there Mary and Joseph don dey live before, where di angel Gabriel first come meet Mary. Now dem dey go back. E be small place, one farming village with farms wey dem cut like steps for di hillside, olive trees and vines, and houses wey dem cut part of am inside di soft limestone. No important person ever come from Nazareth. Years after, when one man first hear about Jesus, e ask, any good tin fit comot from Nazareth?

Matthew see God hand even for dis one. E talk say e happen so dat wetin di prophets talk go come true: Dem go call am Nazarene. Di interesting tin be say Matthew talk prophets, many of dem, and no single verse for di Old Testament talk dat exact words. Plenty readers think say Matthew dey play with words. Di name Nazareth sound like di Hebrew word netzer, wey mean branch or young shoot. Isaiah don promise say one branch go grow from di stump of Jesse, King David papa. Di Messiah go come from small place wey nobody dey notice, like green shoot wey grow from tree wey dem don cut down. And see am, e dey grow for village wey nobody think say matter.

Joseph fear get correct reason. Di historian Josephus tell us say Archelaus rule Judea with heavy hand reach di point say, about ten years after, di leaders of di Jews and di Samaritans send complaint go meet di emperor Augustus. Augustus remove am from power and send am go exile for Vienne, for Gaul, wey be France today. After dat, na Roman officials dey rule Judea directly, and one of dem, many years after, na Pontius Pilate.

Dem Go Call Am Nazarene. You go find am for Matthew chapter two, verse twenty-two and twenty-three. God Son no grow for palace, but for one small hill village wey most people never hear about. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. For your own small, ordinary place, where God fit dey grow something good?