Matthew 2:23I have always been curious about this verse. I can think of no prophecy in the Old Testament which calls Jesus a Nazarene. Commentators give widely different explanations as to what Matthew meant. As I look at this verse, I am reminded of C. S. Lewis's admonition of the need to understand literature in its historical context.
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. (ESV)
C. S. Lewis:A verse like Matthew 2:23 challenges our thinking about how the first century New Testaments writers did hermenuetics. One view of the verse is given by George Bray in his book on Historical Theology:
A man who read the literature of the past with no allowance at all for the fact that manners, thought, and sentiment have changed since it was written, would make the maddest work of it.
(Studies in Medieval Literature, 'DE AUDIENDIS POETS', p. 1)
George BrayHere is the relevant passage on Samson in Judges:
The Nazirites were members of a stict Jewish sect, and the word has nothing to do with Nazareth. But "Nazirite" sounds like "Nazarene," and that was enough to permit this kind of word play, which was very common among the rabbis. Furthermore, there are other, more substantial similarities between the two stories. Like Manoah and his wife, Mary was visited by an angel who told her that she would bear a son, who would also save Israel from its enemies. Samson, the son of Manoah, was certainly not the promise Messiah, but as a judge of Israel he was a prototype of the Saviour who was to come and he is mentioned in the list of the great heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. The fact that Jesus succeeded where Samson failed was further proof that the two men were connected because the Old Testament was interpreted as a record of Israel's failure to achieve what only the Messiah could do. Christ therefore fulfilled the promise made concerning Samson just as much as he fulfilled those made to Abraham and Moses. A verse that appears to be mistaken in linking "Nazarene" to "Nazirite" turns out to have a profound theological meaning provides a good example of how the early Christians found Christ in all the Scriptures, as he taught them to do.
(God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology, pp. 46-47)
Judges 13:2–5The parallel events between Samson's story Jesus's story are remarkable. Both are destined to their role in history before they were born. Both were to be "deliverers of Israel". Both accomplished their task in their death. Samson killed the Philistine leadership by bringing down the building where he and his captors were standing. Christ conquered Satan and death through His death on the Cross. Notice that both men had their arms outstretched in death. In Bray's explanation, Matthew intended his audience to draw these parallels and gained insights into Jesus's life and death and perhaps, Matthew intended his readers to glory in how every page in the Old Testament points to Jesus. (Luke 24:27).
There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” (ESV)
A different approach to interpreting Matthew 2:23 is by Bible scholar, Stanley D. Toussaint in his commentary on Matthew. His explanation is as follows:
Stanley D. ToussaintIf we accept this explanation, we gain more understanding of the passage by seeing how Matthew and his audience in the first century understood the word, "Nazarene".
A third view is more plausible. It looks at the Old Testament prophecies of reproach such as Psalm 22:6-9 and Isaiah 53 as being summed up in the title Nazarene. "To be called a Nazarene was to be spoken of as despicable.". Matthew is pointing to those prophecies in the Old Testament which portray the Messiah as rejected and despised and claiming their fullment in the fact that Jesus is reared at Nazareth. Israel's feeling of contempt for their King is indicated by this verse and is proven by the chapter which Matthew has just written. (Behold the King: A Study of Matthew, p. 57)
There are more explanations for this strange verse, but these two theories are my favorite and they are not mutually exclusive. Both views may be wrong, but the effort in considering the verse within its historical and theological context is not wasted. I consider this kind of research a form of meditation. Samson, is a type of Christ, in his way and the parallels are worth our meditation. The term "nazarene" is an insult and how Christ suffered such abuse in his life is worth remembering. Just by double-checking these explanations and cross-referencing the ideas with other passages, we are spending time meditating on the life of Christ.
