Pastor Tom Johnson, January 17, 2021
It’s the beginning of his earthly ministry. Jesus decides to go to Galilee—that is, to go back to the region where he grew up. But instead of going to his home town, he goes by the Sea of Galilee. And there he calls Philip to be his disciple. Philip, who is known for his evangelistic gifts, goes and tells his friend Nathanael, “We have found the Messiah—the one Moses and the prophets predicted would come. He is Jesus son of Joseph from the town of Nazareth.” Philip says, “We have found him.” And yet, it clearly says in the previous verse that Jesus found Philip! Isn’t that a delightful mistake—that just when we think we have discovered the divine, it is God who has finally broke through to us?
Philip will not keep his joy to himself. Philip will not let anyone steal his joy. When Nathanael tries to crush Philip’s hope, Philip does not allow him. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asks. “Come and see,” he says. Nathanael and Jesus were from the same Galilean region. They likely had the same accent. That means that Nathanael is projecting. Jesus and Nathanael grew up about 10 or so miles from one another—about a 3-4 hour walk. This is not unlike the crosstown rivalry between the White Sox and Cubs—both Chicago teams.
Jesus is a Galilean. Nathanael and all the disciples are also Galileans. We know from the end of Matthew (26:73) that Peter tried to hide his appearance but could not hide his accent when he denied his Lord three times. In book of Acts (2:6,7) we know Jesus’ disciples were easily identified by their regional accent alone. Have you ever thought of Jesus that way? ...that he was from the margins? ...he grew up in an economically depressed area of the world? ...that he had an earthy, colloquial accent? He did not speak the queen’s English. He was not born into privilege or significance. He was from a lackluster town in a lackluster region. Nazareth is a border town. It’s on the margins of the nation of Israel between the Israelites and the Gentiles. It was flyover country. It would be easy for Nathanael to dismiss whoever grew up there and doubt that anything good could come. Jesus was born into the margins of humanity, a stable, a feeding trough. He grew up in nowhere, no man’s land. The eternal Son of God took on skin, bones, grew a beard, spoke a regional accent, and had Semite heritage and ethnicity. How can anything special or divine come out of a place so extraordinarily unsensational? But just as Nathanael projected his own sense of unworthiness on to Jesus, so we can project ours on to him and others.
We too can ignore, neglect, and even despise people from places we consider marginal. But if you dig a little deeper into our pride, it’s often our own sense of unworthiness that holds us back from growing in faith and character. If we believe that only those born into privilege, significance, and the right pedigree get God’s attention, then we are all in big trouble. When we treat others with contempt because we consider them marginalized, we are participating in a lie. We have been deceived and are held captive by our own ignorance. Can anything good come out of East Germany—like the town of Eisleben? Many consider that great good came from this birthplace of the Reformer Martin Luther. How about Hodgenville, KY—the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln? How about the 4th Ward of Atlanta—the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. How about the rural and urban margins of the United States and all around the world? What about your hometown? When we neglect or contempt the margins of our humanity, we cheat ourselves of each other’s genius and God’s blessings through one another.
You don’t have to take my word or Philip’s word for it. He says, “Come and see.” Philip winsomely invites Nathanael to cultivate his own personal experience with Jesus. Philip brings hope to Nathanael’s jaded and despairing heart. What a great example of how we should all share our faith in Jesus—to be so confident in the power and love of Jesus, that we can challenge others to just give Jesus a chance. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Nathanael comes toward Jesus. Jesus seals the deal with humor. He playfully identifies his pride: “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael says, “Where did you get to know me?” Nathanael hears Jesus’ intimate knowledge of him in his words and voice. And when Jesus says he saw him first—under the fig tree, Nathanael realizes that he is more than just a human being and teacher. He is the Son of God. He is the true Messiah, King of Israel.
“You will see greater things than these,” Jesus says. Philip said, “Come and see for yourself if anything good can come out of Nazareth.” Jesus says, “Continue to come to me. Follow me. And you will see more good and greater things.” He gives Nathanael the original vision of Israel when he saw the eternal Son of God in his glory with the heavenly host—Jacob’s ladder into heaven—with the risen Christ standing in triumph over doubt, sin, evil, and death. Jesus did not just know him before under the fig tree. He has known us all—and loved us all since before the creation of the universe.
Jesus will continue to go to the margins of society and even into Samaria. He will take his place in the margins of Jerusalem outside the city walls on the cross of Calvary. He will leave the empty tomb just down the hill from there—in the margins of urban and rural Israel. Can anything good come out of our humble beginnings? Can anything good come out of the chaos, confusion, and trauma of our times? Can anything good come words spoken two thousand years ago...a font of water...a table with bread and wine? Come and see. You may find he is drawing you near to him.
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