John 1:46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
This week in the book of John, I have been mediating of the above scripture….a matter of your perspective…A quick search on the internet reveals that perspective is a particular attitude toward something; a point of view.
Have you ever thought about something one way and then one day, you change your mind after you really see the truth of that thing? I am reminded of a time when I was teaching a Fifth Grade class. There was a student I had written off because of what his previous Fourth Grade teacher told me about him as a student. So with my preconceived thoughts about this student, I half-heartedly welcomed him into my class but I thought, “Can any good thing come out of this child?” I had an attitude about him; I didn’t trust him. I was concerned that he would cause trouble. The school year was a bumpy one, with more downs than ups. But I managed to celebrate every small victory! This Fifth Grade class was reading far below level and many Kindergarten/First grade skills were lacking…however, this one student was doing well. He was reading better. He caused a few problems at first but the more I got to know him and his family, the more I began to see this student as a hard worker who really just wanted to be loved and understood. I found out a lot about him. He was processing a lot as a 12 year old child. (This was right after Hurricane Katrina, so a lot of people were displaced, and they were starting to rebuild their lives in new areas outside of New Orleans but they had suffered huge losses). So my attitude changed toward him! He still had a bad day every once in a while but he just needed a chance to grow….which brings me to the scripture above….Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
Let’s take a deeper look at the scriptures in John 1:43-51.
The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
So we see here how Phillip explained how they have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets, wrote about-JESUS of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph. It looked like Phillip studied JESUS’ His Divine purpose but he embraced His Humanity as a man from a small town.
To be continued....Be sure to join us next week for Part 2-A Matter of Your Perspective...Can Any Good Thing Come From Nazareth?
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