“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” was Nathaniel’s rhetorical question to Philip; Who doesn’t know what Nazareth is known for? What is expected of that small, insignificant and uncivilized village where everything but good is its hall mark?
Nazareth is a small city surrounded by hills, so we can liken the village to being in the valley and isolated from recognition and civilization. It lacked in every good thing imaginable.
History has it that during the time of Jesus, the population was about 200 to 500 people. So Nazareth was starkly poor in all kinds of resources, including human resources.
The obscurity of the land had conferred a measure of insignificance on its inhabitants; That means neither good things nor good people can emerge from Nazareth. It was that bad.
To be born a Nazarene would most likely be a curse because one’s fate has been determined from birth— No good thing can come out from such a person. The obscurity of the land had conferred a measure of insignificance on its inhabitants; That means neither good things nor good people can emerge from Nazareth. It was that bad.
Nathaniel was very blunt and asked a very sincere question. How will Philip tell him there is a Jesus of Nazareth because it doesn’t add up?. Sepphoris and Capernaum are better places compared to Nazareth. There had to be a mix up somewhere because Jesus Christ, considering all the good things spoken concerning him, cannot possibly hail from the least, poorest, and worst of all villages.
Not only did he see, he believed instantly
“ Come and see,” was Philip’s response to convince Nathaniel to follow him. So he followed him to see if there is perhaps another Jesus asides the one who was prophesied in the scriptures.
Jesus was happy to see how Nathaniel’s curiosity had made him follow Philip to come see him. Nathaniel came and saw there was indeed a Jesus of Nazareth.
Not only did he see, he believed instantly after a few moment of interaction he had with Jesus that left him in awe. That experience changed his life course completely. After his encounter with Jesus, he believed that truly, good things can come out of Nazareth.
Friends, this message is directed to every condition that resembles the previous state of Nazareth in your life. Imagine if there was no Jesus of Nazareth, then total oblivion becomes the lot of that village. Nothing good would have ever come out of it unless God decided to glorify himself in the humble state of Nazareth.
Have you given up on yourself and felt nothing good can come out of you because of your unpalatable background or abysmal conditions of life that have caused a disarray in the great plans you have made for the future?
God can still cure your deficiencies with his sufficiency.
Perhaps several people have taunted you, directly or indirectly, on how wacky your life has been, and this has subtly drained your enthusiasm to live and strive for the best: Now you leave whatever happens to chance. If the story of Nazareth could change for good, yours can change too because Jesus who did that of Nazareth is still the same, and he will bring good things out of your life, only if you allow him. Do not despair and give up when God has barely started with you.There is still hope for you, my friend, and Jesus can restore vigor and precision to your life. God can still cure your deficiencies with his sufficiency.
This is a balm of hope to soothe the wounds of the hopeless
Do you know your weaknesses and struggles are not meant to break you? Rather, they serve as attractants to the power of God that will empower you to break through. Nazareth’s obscurity paved the way for prosperity when Jesus showed up. Thesame can happen when you place Jesus as 1 in front of your many zeroes of life; You can see how the table turn for your good when Jesus steps in. This is a balm of hope to soothe the wounds of the hopeless.
Good things will definitely and continually come out of your life if you place Jesus at the center of everything in your life. You will see it, others will come and see it too and call several others to come and see the miracle of transformation in your life. So, cheer up!