Isaiah 11.1, Acts 22.8, Matthew 2.23
Matthew 2.23 says that the Messiah will ‘be called a Nazarene.’
Jesus lived in Nazareth as a boy.
On His family’s return from Egypt, so he was brought up there.
The word Nazarene is translated as ‘holy’, indicating that the Lord would be holy.
Nazareth also means ‘the flower of virtue’, Jesus is certainly virtuous.
Galilee was generally looked down upon by Judeans and Nazarenes were also especially despised and rejected (John 1.46), with Nathaniel saying, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’
As Jesus was brought up there as his hometown, this also stems from Isaiah 53.3 and Psalm 22.6-7, that the Messiah would be despised and rejected by men.
Jesus identified himself to Paul, (then Saul), as ‘Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ in answer to Paul’s question, “Who are you Lord?’ The term Nasara, meaning Nazarene is still used by Muslims today to identify Christians.
Tzelem Elohim – The Image of God
2 Corinthians 4.4, Hebrews 1.3, John 14.9, Colossians 1.5
Jesus is the fullest and most complete image of a human in God’s image.
Colossians 1.15 says “He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn over all creation.’
In John 14.7, Jesus says, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.’
In Jesus we have the Master Shepherd, Yeshua, Yahweh, Messiah.
In the Old Testament He walked with His people as Messiah Pre-Incarnate – before He was clothed in human flesh!
Then, He came to earth to walk with us in person, guiding and leading us Himself, walking with us personally!
We see Him in every page, involved fully in every way with His children, not only as a good teacher or prophet, but God Almighty walking with His people in a deeply personal relationship with Him.
Jesus has all of God’s characteristics and power and displays them as a stamp or seal of His image, saying, “Look to me!”
“I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me!
Look to our Author and Finisher, the Captain of our salvation!
Paul said that, “In Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily and is pleased to dwell.”
Jesus is the express image of God. He is identical and equal to God, a perfect match.
There are no differences in their character, essence, authority and power, because they are one and the same.
As Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
We may never have physically ‘seen’ Jesus and yet we believe.
How privileged we are that the invisible God was willing to come down to earth and make himself visible to us in Jesus and show us by His example.
Jesus is the physical representation communicating God’s attributes.
Whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.
Jesus reflected the holiness of God.
If we have seen Jesus, or believed in Him, we have seen and believed in God the Father.
Jesus has all of God’s characteristics He is omniscient, all seeing, omnipotent, all knowing, omnipresent – everywhere at once, immutable – never changing.
We see evidence of Jesus knowing and seeing all when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He knew how many husbands she had had.
John 2 says that Jesus did not trust in man because He knew all about people, He didn’t need anyone to tell Him about human nature, because He knew what was in each person’s heart, He is all knowing. Jesus was God and with God.
John 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
He was an integral of bringing about the creation of the world, He was the One who spoke it into life, unequivocally God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
1 John 1 says, ‘That which from the beginning, which we have heard and seen with our eyes, looked upon and our hands have touched concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father’.
Jesus refers to Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life, He makes it quite clear who He is.
Jesus said, ‘Before Abraham was, I am, indicating that He is eternal, there was never a time when Jesus did not exist, even at creation, even before creation, Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13.8.)
Always good to be reminded of all of these truths.
😊 Thanks.
You’re welcome, hope you’re enjoying them!Much more to come!