"'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked."
John 1:46 (NIV)
Nathanael dismissed Jesus before he ever met Him. Nazareth carried no reputation worth mentioning in first century Galilee. One sentence was enough for Nathanael to write the whole town off. He was not entirely wrong about Nazareth, and entirely wrong about Jesus.
Most of us assume good things come from impressive places. We expect God to work through people who already look qualified and put together. Nathanael's assumption was not unusual, it was simply the common wisdom of his day. Jesus flips that assumption without ever raising His voice to defend Himself.
Some of us have written off a person or a place too quickly. Maybe it was someone's family, their neighborhood, or their past mistakes. We decided what could not come from there before we ever looked closely. Jesus was from the one town nobody expected anything good to come from.
God has always measured differently than we naturally do. He looks at the heart while we are still judging appearances (1 Samuel 16:7). Sound familiar? We have quietly decided someone was unlikely before we ever looked. We are quicker to judge appearances than God ever is.
Name the person or place you have already dismissed. Ask yourself honestly why you decided nothing good could come from there. Consider that your dismissal might be wrong the way Nathanael's was. Let Jesus prove you wrong the same way He proved Nathanael wrong.
Godseekers, you cannot unsee what Jesus just showed you. The place or person you dismissed may be exactly where God is working. Carry this new way of seeing into every conversation today. Do not let old assumptions decide who gets your invitation.
Prayer
Lord of all creation, before we bring our own needs we bring the people we have too quickly dismissed. Someone in our life has been written off because of where they come from or what they have done. Someone in this church may still feel like a Nazareth to other people. Change how we see them the way You changed Nathanael's sight. Help us extend invitation instead of assumption. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- Who have you assumed nothing good could come from?
- How can our church become a place that never writes off a person or a neighborhood too quickly?
Step of Faith
Today, call or message the person you have quietly dismissed or written off. Say something honest and kind, without an agenda attached. Let this be one small step toward seeing them the way Jesus does. Do not wait for a better time to reach out.
