|
“Nathanael saith unto him [Philip], Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
“Nathanael answered and saith unto Him [the Lord Jesus], Rabbi, thou are the Son of God; thou are the King of Israel” (John 1:49).
Nazareth was evidently a rather poor place, and Nathanael did not think very highly of it. When Philip told him that they had found the Messiah, Nathanael was very skeptical, and questioned whether anything good could come from Nazareth. However, he was going to get a shock and a surprise.
When Nathanael went with Philip to see the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus immediately addressed him as if He knew him. Nathanael was surprised, and even more surprised when the Lord Jesus told him that he had seen him sitting under a fig tree some time before. The Lord Jesus had not been there to see Nathanael with his natural eyes, so Nathanael immediately knew that he was speaking to the Lord Himself. His immediate reply was to recognize Him as both the Son of God and the King of Israel.
This is a good lesson for us too. We should not make judgments about people just because of what their background might be. Let us accept people for what they are, and not make a judgment based on where they come from.
|
