Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

As indicated in John 1:44-46, when Philip told his friend Nathanael that he had found the Messiah, and that the Messiah's name was Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael had responded, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This comment (as harsh as it might have seemed) reflected Nazareth's commonly perceived status as an inconsequential Galilean town that could not possibly be connected with an event as momentous as the coming of the Messiah. It was also an honest expression of this sentiment on Nathanael's part, who did not disguise or "sugar-coat" his opinions.

Despite Nathanael's apparent doubt, he went with Philip to meet Jesus. And before Nathanael had even had a chance to speak, Jesus (despite knowing what Nathanael had said about Nazareth) did not criticize Nathanael for it, but instead made a favorable comment about the honesty (that is, the lack of guile or deceit) that Nathanael had displayed in voicing his opinion (even though Jesus had not been present when Nathanael did so). 

When Jesus further indicated His knowledge of what Nathanael had been doing before Philip had previously spoken to him (indicating to Nathanael that Jesus was omnisicent), Nathanael (despite his previous skepticism) acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God, and as the King of Israel.

September 11 2019 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report