Day 4: John 1:43-46
Scripture: John 1:43-46: 43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Philip said, “Come and see.”
When Nathanael was told by Philip that the Messiah had come forth to fulfill the prophesies, he replied to the news with skepticism. His doubt was not based on religious or political beliefs, but on the city from which Jesus had come, Nazareth. Nathanael’s reply to Philip was, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
As Christians, we are called to see past the prejudices of the world and look for the Holy Spirit in everyone. For many of us, this is a difficult task. Our cultural background, environment, experiences, and worldly influences seem to draw us into preconception and bias, if for no other reason than expediency. Modern life can be complicated, with many distractions and responsibilities. Life can also be frightening; news of crime and violence can make even the most stalwart fear for their own safety and that of their family. It can be so much easier and safer to identify, classify, and catalog people based on our preconceptions, rather than take the time and risk to evaluate every individual based on their own merit. In doing so, however, we also risk missing wonderful spiritual gifts which can reside in anyone.
Nathanael held his own preconceptions, even though he was described by Jesus as “an Israelite, in whom there is no guile!” It took Jesus only a few words to change Nathanael’s presumptions about Nazarenes; Nathanael soon recognized him as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel.”
Even Nathanael, a godly man without guile, came very close to dismissing the greatest gift of all, the salvation of mankind in Jesus Christ. How much easier would it be for us, then, to dismiss him in the same circumstances? Let us make Nathanael’s story an inspiration to look beyond our own pre-conceptions and to strive to see the light of Christ in everyone around us.
Contributed by Bill C
