In Matthew 2 we read the account of Joseph returning back from Egypt to Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling in Judea, he was afraid and went to Galilee to the town of Nazareth. Matthew reminds us that all this happened as part of the fulfillment that Jesus was to be called a Nazarene. Not only was the name Nazarene significant in the ministry of Jesus but it also became the designation of Christians in the Middle East to this day. In the past few months, Christians were persecuted in Iraq and the Arabic alphabet “N” was spray painted on their front doors. What a stark reminder that the word Nazarene is hated 2000 years later!