What We Know About the Places Jesus Lived on Earth
A little about the towns where Jesus lived.
Jesus — the eternal Word (John 1:1–3) — came to earth and lived among us as one of us (John 1:14).
Just like you and I have a “hometown” and have places where we “grew up” — so did Jesus. There were three towns that Jesus lived in.
Here’s some of what we know about those places.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem means “House of Meat” in Arabic and “House of Bread” in Hebrew. Bethlehem had good pasture and farmland, so it lived up to its name. However, the “House of Bread” is an interesting connection to Jesus. The Lord referred to Himself as the “Bread from Heaven” in John 6:22–40. The “Bread from Heaven” was born in the “House of Bread.”
Bethlehem was a small town during the first century — there may have been only about 100 people in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem is mentioned several times throughout the Old Testament.
- Rachel died on the “way to” Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19).
- Bethlehem is the setting for most of the book of Ruth.
- Bethlehem was the home of David and the place where Samuel anointed him to be king (1 Samuel 16:1–13).
- King Rehoboam — David’s grandson — fortified Bethlehem after the kingdom split into the two separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah (2 Chronicles 11:5–6).
It was prophesied in Micah 5:2 that “the One to be Ruler in Israel” would come out of Bethlehem. This is certainly a reference to Jesus — “the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 9:6; Revelation 19:16).
And since Jesus is the resurrected “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), we must submit our lives to His will.
Listen here: What Was the Main Point of Peter’s Sermon in Acts 2?
Jesus was raised in Nazareth.
Nazareth was a relatively insignificant little village that many people who had heard of it looked down on. In John 1:46, Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” One writer described Nazareth as a “nondescript dot on the map with not much to offer.” Nazareth existed in the shadow of much more luxurious, faster-growing nearby cities.
Nazareth was a small town that clung to the traditions of Jewish culture rather than embracing Greek culture. Perhaps this was why some looked down on Nazareth — today, they would be accused of being “narrow-minded” and “behind the times.”
It was here in the “little-bitty” forgotten town of Nazareth — a town not many people in the first century had heard about, and even fewer thought much of — where the Son of God grew up (Luke 2:51–52).
Just as many people in the first century were quick to assume nothing good could come out of Nazareth, many were quick to mock the gospel of Christ as well (Acts 17:32). But Someone supremely good did come out of Nazareth — and the invitation to “Come and see” still stands.
Jesus lived as an adult in Capernaum.
Once Jesus’ ministry began, He moved from Nazareth to the town of Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:13). His living in Capernaum fulfilled what Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 9:1–2). Jesus traveled quite a bit during His ministry, so He wasn’t always in Capernaum.
Capernaum was “the big city” compared to Bethlehem and Nazareth.
In Biblical times Capernaum was one of the main trading villages in the Gennesaret area. It was a vibrant and prosperous part of Palestine, home to about 1,500 people many of whom were fishermen. Many travelers, caravans, and traders passed through Capernaum. — touristisrael.com
On the Sea of Galilee’s shore, Jesus called four fishermen to follow Him: Peter, Andrew, James, and John (Matthew 4:18–22).
Jesus grew up among “blue-collar,” working-class people. His neighbors were fishermen, farmers, and shepherds. He grew up in a small town and eventually moved to an area where more people lived and traveled through.
But of course, Jesus came to make His home here among us so that by His death for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), He could open the door for us to come live with Him in the heavenly Father’s house.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1–3)
Jesus is the only way to the Father and the Father’s house (John 14:6).
