December 15, 2025

When the wise men departed from visiting Jesus, they didn’t report back to Herod as he had asked, but went home another way; God had warned them in a dream not to go back. Then an angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to leave for Egypt because Herod planned to destroy Jesus. Herod’s actions were purely from selfish ambition. Back in the Old Testament days, children were crowned king, and he was probably worried about Jesus taking over his throne. I wonder how he feels about that now that he is living with the consequences of his sins? When the wise men didn’t follow Herod’s instructions, he sent his men to Bethlehem to do away with all the babies aged two and under. After Herod’s death an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to return to Israel. However, when he heard that Herod’s son now reigned, he took his family to Galilee to the city of Nazareth. 

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2:23

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

Nêtser is a Hebrew word meaning branch. It is thought that Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would come from Nazareth. It is pronounced nay'-tser, which is similar to Nazareth.