Home > Articles >

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

19 June 2009

What is often missed in the first chapter of John's gospel is the testimony of Nathanael's conversion. Here we are granted a glimpse of the power of the Living Word.

The Gospel of John opens with a eulogy about Jesus.
Jesus is the Word of God.
He is God and He created the World.
He is the light of mankind (John 1:1-3).

Jesus brings us into direct contact with God.
He shows us how to live and why we were created.

What is often missed in the first chapter of John's gospel is the testimony of Nathanael's conversion. Here we are granted a glimpse of the power of the Living Word.

Nathanael's story is only found in the gospel of John.
Philip was the person who introduced Nathanael to Jesus.
Are you still excited enough about Jesus to share the good news with others like Philip did with Nathanael? The first people who came to ´faith in Christ´ did so because of the personal testimony of others (John 1:35-51).

Thank God for big gospel meetings and mass evangelistic outreaches. Nevertheless, witnessing on a 'one to one' basis has been the main way the church has grown, especially in Africa.

Nathanael's first reaction to Philip's bidding was ´can anything good come out of Nazareth´? (John 1:45).

Nazareth was an insignificant place that does not appear in any of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. When Philip spoke of finding the ´one of whom Moses and the law spoke about´ in John 1:45 he was probably referring to Deuteronomy 18:18.

Philip asked Nathanael to come and see Jesus himself (John 1:46).
Jesus identified Nathanael the moment he saw him (John 1:47) and in response to Nathanael's wonder at how this was so Jesus replied ´Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you´ (John 1:48).

Theologians inform us that sitting under a fig tree was a favoured location for Jewish scholars to study the word. Jesus had a 'word of knowledge' to know where Nathanael had been before. This really impressed Nathanael, but Jesus had more to say. Notice first fifty-one to fifty-two.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these."

And He said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Here we witness something good coming out of Nazareth.
Jesus was probably making a reference to what Nathanael was reading under the fig tree. Read Genesis 28:10 - 12. Here we see angels of God ascending and descending just as Jesus refers to in John 1:52.

Can you imagine what would have stirred in Nathanael's heart as he heard Jesus expound the scriptures he had been reading earlier?
Nathanael who had come sceptically to Jesus, was being transformed in his thinking, thanks to the word he had been reading earlier.

The Word he had been reading allowed Jesus to be revealed to him. God's Word is life. It is our responsibility to listen to it (by reading, hearing and meditating) and Jesus, through his Holy Spirit will open up the meaning of it to us.

Dwelling daily on God's Word should be much more than an intellectual exercise. The Word keeps us open and alert to God's voice.

Have you ever felt like Nazareth? Something that nobody expects any good to come out of? Then take up the word of God daily, it will open your heart to the wisdom and revelation of God.

John chapter one started with an emphasis on the Word and ends with a demonstration of the Word bearing fruit - bringing people to Christ and revealing more of Christ.

And so begins the gospel of John.

Dele Oke

[more Articles]