Offset by a Giggle

John is the only Gospel that gives anything about Nathaneal besides the fact that he was a disciple.  He came from Cana, where Jesus did his first miracle.  Here’s what we can infer about him from what was mentioned:

• He loved Scripture.  Philip introduced Nathanael to Jesus by saying He was the one who Moses wrote about in the law.  This means Nathanael must have known Old Testament prophesies.
• He had some issues with prejudice.  His response to Philip saying he had found the Messiah?  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Nathanael came from an even smaller and less remarkable town than Nazareth, but he knew others looked down on Nazareth so he took that view too.  He couldn’t fathom that the Messiah would come from such an uncultured, evil place like Nazareth… forgetting that he himself came from a town similar to it.  Fortunately, this did not keep him from Jesus.  When Philip told him to come look he did.
• He had a sincere heart.  Jesus said of Nathanael, “Behold, and Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”  He may have had some degree of prejudice, but he was not a hypocrite.  He loved God and genuinely wanted to see the Messiah.  He was still sinful, but had a true and living faith.
• He had an eager faith.  Nathanael questioned how Jesus knew him, and Jesus answered that he had seen him under the fig tree before Philip went to get him.  It is not probable that Jesus physically saw Nathanael under the tree and Nathanael knew that.  He replied, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!”  Nathanael realized Jesus was omniscient, equating Him with God.  Nathanael understood this truth long before the rest of the disciples.

That’s all we know from Scripture.  Early church records suggest he ministered in Persia and India.  None of the records are consistent with how he died, but they all suggest he was martyred.  “Nathanael is proof that God can take the most common people, from the most insignificant places, and use them to His glory.”

We learn from Nathanael that prejudice can be ugly.  It keeps people from seeing the truth.  It kept the religious leaders from seeing it for sure.  We’re still like that.  We draw conclusion about people based on class, where they come from, or what they look like.  This keeps us from being spiritually-minded, and it keeps us from spreading the Gospel to them.  I know I have been guilty of this mindset at times.  The Gospel is for everyone.  Where would I be if someone had not reached out to me?