Bringing Jesus’ World to Life in Nazareth

Zack Miller works at a living museum in Nazareth. He gets to bring Jesus’ world from 2,000 years ago to life for people from all over the world.

“I’ve learned that to really get a better look at the world and at people, you gotta go outside of your comfort zone,” he shares.

Video Transcript

Nazareth: Zack is a shepherd from biblical times. Or at least he plays one at a living history museum.

Zack Miller: Ahlan wa sahlan. What’s up, guys — welcome to Nazareth. I’ve been working here with a ministry in Nazareth for about four years now.

So Nazareth Village — tourists from all over the world come here. It’s a really cool experience where they get to kind of reenter life like it was like 2,000 years ago. Sometimes, I give tours. It’s really special because you get to share about some things that people had never known or thought about. Or, now they’ve read the Bible, and then they see it in their mind and it’s just like this aha moment. That’s one of the most special parts for me — understanding when Jesus was talking about some things, what he was meaning in those times. And he relates a lot to farming culture or the land, or some of the jobs like carpentry and weaving. So, for me personally, in my own faith, this was a great opportunity to serve, but then continue to learn as well.

(singing and speaking in Arabic)

One of my personal favorite things I learned here was about the three presses. I mentioned that the olives are pressed three times. Jesus actually prayed in the garden of Gethsemane the night before he died. Gethsemane, translated, is “gad smane,” which translates into “the oil press.” So he’s praying in garden of the oil press, and he actually prays three different times. So we make that connection: three times the olives are pressed, Jesus prays three times, and each prayer he’s going deeper into the garden with more of that weight and pressure on his shoulders the night before his crucifixion.

A verse that’s really hit me, and something I’ve learned here, is Proverbs 69, where it says, “A man plans his steps, but the Lord directs his way.” And so I had my plans for my life, but I was open to doors opening along my path. Why not go live somewhere else, learn a new culture, learn a new language, eat really good food, and challenge myself?

(Speaking Arabic with another person)

I’ve learned that to really get a better look at the world and at people, you’ve got to go outside of your comfort zone.