By Greg
Laurie
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent
by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth. —Luke 1:26
It's
interesting how cities are known for certain things. Rome is known as the
Eternal City. Paris is called the City of Lights. New York is the City that
Never Sleeps. And Las Vegas has been nicknamed Sin City.
Nazareth, too, could have been called Sin City in the first century.
Overrun by Roman soldiers, it was one of those places you went through on the
way to another place. Nazareth also was known for its sin. One commentator
described it as a hotbed of corruption. This is why, when Nathanael heard that
Jesus was from Nazareth, he asked, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" (John 1:46).
Imagine if Jesus were born today. We might expect Him to be born in
Jerusalem, or maybe in Rome, London, or Paris. But what if He were born in Las
Vegas? The Savior has
arrived: Jesus of Las Vegas. That's what it would have
been like to use the term Jesus
of Nazareth.
In that
wicked city, however, lived a young woman of royal blood. Living in an impure
world, Mary was pure. She showed it is possible to live a holy life in an
unholy place. We often blame our wicked culture for the way we are, but the
fact is that it's our job as followers of Jesus to permeate and affect our
culture.
Here's a
question to ask yourself: Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? A thermometer
is affected by its surroundings. Depending on the temperature, it goes up or
down. In contrast, a thermostat affects its surroundings. Unlike the
thermometer, it controls the environment around it.
Do you
merely react to what is happening around you, or do you have some kind of
impact on it? Are you changing the culture, or is the culture changing you?
