"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

This is a quote from John 1:46. It was said by Nathanael. What do you think it means? And why?

God Bless,
P12

 

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

Anyone want to share thoughts?

God Bless,
P12

 

[BBAS 64]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

This is a quote from John 1:46. It was said by Nathanael. What do you think it means? And why?

God Bless,
P12

Good Day Preacher12

I must say the only thing I can recall of this verse is that Narareth was not highly reguared in the time of Christ. To be from Narareth was the "bad side of the tracks" so to speak.


BBAS

 

[Arikereba]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

This is a quote from John 1:46. It was said by Nathanael. What do you think it means? And why?

God Bless,
P12

I think it's in some sense related to the part at the beginning of Mark 6 where everyone, knowing his mother and his brothers, just can't believe that he could be anyone special. We don't expect to see a Messiah from our own town; we don't expect to see one from the little podunk town down the road. But God can be present in the most unexpected of places.

 

[pmarquette]

a Jibe ,,,, surely no Prophet has ever come from there .... yet
Jonah came from Nazareth ,
as Johnah spent 3 days in the belly of the whale ,
so shall the son of man ...

Jews missed Jesus , looking at the country club , when he was
in a 1 horse hick town ...

 

[theseed]

It was a smack against the town.

 

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

From the surrounding sentences, what can we tell about Nathanael? There are some hints in those sentences: the fig tree, his being called an Israelite, the comparison to Jacob.... What do these things tell us about Nathanael?

God Bless,
P12

 

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

The fig tree. These were common in the area and were used very often as places for the very religious to go and quietly pray to God. They have big leafs to shade from the sun and from sight. From this we can see that Nathanael was a religious man (Jewish, of course) who complied with area religious customs and a man of prayer.

God Bless,
P12

 

[jbarcher]

Hm.....from my readings, the place where the people come from, who their father is, that kind of cultural stuff is quite important. Nazareth was a "town by the wayside", nothing important.

If I recall correctly, Nathaniel held the typical view, "Who is your father and what city did you come from?" Paul also mentions his high credentials; also mentioning his tribe and place of birth. A Pharisee, from the tribe of Benjamin. We can see that these kind of cultural aspects were really important at the time.

Ravi Zacharias had an experience with this.....he went back to his mother country, and I should tell you now that his father was a very highly placed government official. He was going to speak... Upon introduction, the orator rattled off a very long list of Ravi's father's accomplishments, medals, etc, etc, and then added at the end, "...and this is his son, who is to speak to us."

So, sum it up. Let's say we're living in a time and place where the city of birth matters, the tribe you came from matters, and who your father was and what he did really mattered.

The Son of a carpenter? Someone from Nazareth? Indeed, can any good come from Nazareth?

 

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

The referring to Nathanael as an Israelite and the comparison with Jacob indicate that he was a true Jew. One faithful to the Spirit of the Law, unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees whom Jesus was so critical of later in Scripture. Jacob inherited his position through deceit, fooling his father into giving him the blessing in place of his brother, the rightful heir. Nathanael was without the "guile" of Jacob. A true person.

From these things, we can infer that Nathanael was a learned, faithful, prayerful and practicing Jew. That he was unlike the pharisees and sadducees.

When Nathanael questioned if anything good could come from Nazareth, what did he say this in response to? What had Philip just told him?

God Bless,
P12

 

[Preachers12]

When Nathanael questioned if anything good could come from Nazareth, what did he say this in response to? What had Philip just told him?

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

Philip had just told him that they had found the Messiah!

I have to wonder then, wasn't Nathanael just showing his doubt that this could be the Messiah since not only was the Messiah prophesied to come from Bethlehem, but that there was no other indication in Scripture of "the" prophet or any other figures associated with the Messiah coming from Nazareth?

Jesus certainly knew Nathanael's doubt. He also knew Nathanael's heart and He sure let Nathanael know it! Look at the response from Nathanael just a few verses after expressing his doubt that this person from Nazareth could be the Messiah!!!! Talk about doing a 180!!! I would love to know the inside of that story!

Are there any historical or Scriptural writings indicating that Nazareth was "the wrong side of the tracks?" Or does that belief find it's genesis in this passage of Scripture? I'm asking this sincerely, as I don't know.

God Bless,
P12