“Nazareth!?” Nathanael said when he first heard about Jesus, “Can anything good come from that place?”

With Nathanael as my namesake I’ve gotta admit I feel a little sheepish about him bursting onto the scene like this, dishing out disrespect on Jesus and his hometown. Not the finest moment in the history of Nathanaels (though, believe me, I am in no position to judge). 

Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story when it comes to this particular Nathanael, who soon became an early disciple of Jesus. 

But it is important that the story does start this way. It’s important that when Nathanael first hears about Jesus of Nazareth, his response is a sneer.

We don’t know much about ancient Nazareth – it’s not very noteworthy at the time. All archeologists can tell us about it is that it was small, poor, and wasn’t tidy about their trash. 

Apparently, people from other places talked about Nazareth like it was trashy – some kind of armpit or cesspool, or any of the more vulgar terms that people like to throw around to insult thosekinds of places, and those kinds of people. 

That’s the kind of place where Jesus is from, Jesus of good-for-nothin’ Nazareth. 

And it’s remarkable that this encounter between Jesus and this apostle-to-be, starts with Nathanael insulting Jesus’ hometown. This becomes the first step in how he came to follow Jesus, to discover how God is at work through him, and to be transformed.

So, let’s walk through this story, step by step.

Philip comes to Nathanael and tells him about Jesus. Philip is excited. He believes this guy is the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s promise to anoint a savior.

Nathanael responds with disgust, disgust that seems to be just for its own sake. Say what you will about any place that people call trashy, that kind of sneering judgment is pure mean-spirited prejudice. Its only purpose is to puff up an inflated and thin-skinned ego – I’m better than you because of the neighborhood I’m from, or the region, or the family I was brought up in, or the schools I went to, or my language or religion or country of origin, or what have you. 

But Philip doesn’t get hooked into that mean-spirited response. He could have hit back or gotten defensive or outraged or apologetic. Instead, his response to Nathanael says something about what Jesus is about. Philip says simply, “Come and see.” See for yourself. You don’t know who this person is beyond your knee-jerk reaction. But you don’t have to take my word for it. 

Just come and meet him.

This response from Philip must have knocked Nathanael out of his judgmental mindset, and at least piqued his curiosity. Because he does agree to come with Philip and see Jesus for himself.

And when he does see Jesus for himself, immediately Nathanael is met by a Jesus who sees him for himself.  

“When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him,” the writer of the Gospel of John writes, “Jesus said, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!’

Jesus immediately sees through his defenses and into his fundamental honesty and purity of heart.

That’s not the first thing we saw about Nathanael. We saw his meanness, which is, let’s face it, very relatable, all-too-human. The first effect of Jesus is to draw that meanness to the surface, to bring sin out into the open. 

Jesus is about freeing us from sin, by God’s grace, right? We see this time and time again, Jesus draws people’s sin out into the open while looking deeply within their souls and seeing that-of-God within them, that which is holy and virtuous and free of the vicious addictions of sin, and telling people “You can be free! Let it go, be cleansed, receive God’s grace.” 

But also, in a way, Jesus is seeing the virtue hidden within Nathanael’s vice. Nathanael, after-all, was honest with Philip about how he felt about people from Nazareth. He didn’t play nice and hide his meanness and judgmentalism. So, it’s like Jesus is saying, “Hey, at least you’re honest. I can work with that. But, you know what, you’re better than this. I see that in you.” 

And this disciple-to-be clearly is surprised to be seen like this.

“Where do you know me from?” He asks Jesus.

Jesus says, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip invited you.”

Jesus saw him in a private moment, when he was unguarded, not fronting and performing for others. 

“Before Philip invited you.” That’s saying “I know how you responded when Philip invited you. But I’m not judging you for that. I’m seeing through that into how you are in the secret chambers of your heart.”

Now, sitting under the fig tree, has symbolic value here. 

The fig tree is a poignant symbol for the Hebrew people for the good fruits that come through living in a wise way. The fig tree is connected to being devoted to Torah, to Moses’s testament of God’s revelation, and for the kind of wellness and prosperity that comes when we live in harmony with God and with each other.

The ancient Prophet Micah said that when we all surrender to God’s justice, everyone will “beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree and they will not be afraid.” (4:3-4).

Sitting under a fig tree is part of the biblical vision of peace, prosperity, and justice.

So, Jesus is saying, “I see that in you. You are part of that vision. You know that is your deepest longing. You have your part to play. Let’s do it together.”

It is in being seen like this, so deeply, that Nathanael in turn sees Jesus for who he is. The scales fall from his eyes and he sees, “Here is the one Anointed by God to fulfill God’s vision for humanity, to lead us to holy fulfillment.”

At the end of this encounter Jesus says, basically,

“Well, if you’re impressed now, then you just come and see what else I’ve got in store.” The image here, with the heavens opening, evokes the way God was revealed to their ancestor Jacob: The “heavens open to show God’s messengers ascending and descending upon the Child of Humanity.” The division between heaven and earth dissolves, through Christ, and humanity is reunited with the Divine. 

 This story sure has taken us to a very different place than where it began. I want to return to the journey we just went on with this minor disciple, and ask, How can we relate to this?

 Are there ways that our judgmentalism and prejudice have prevented us from encountering Jesus for ourselves? Is there trash-talk we’ve taken to be true? And remember, Jesus makes very clear where it is we find him: we find Jesus not only in Jesus himself, but also in each other, especially in those whom Jesus calls “the least of these.” “That which you do to the least of these you do so unto me.” This is what Nathanael quickly learned. 

How have our judgmentalism and prejudice prevented us from encountering Jesus for ourselves? 

Or are there other postures or attitudes that have kept us from stepping out toward God, daring to see for ourselves and be seen for ourselves and to see others as God see them?

 And then, what are the ways that we have experienced seeing Jesus and being seen, being seen with the eyes of a Love Supreme, a Love that looks past, looks through, any pettiness we may have, any meanness, any delusion, and sees us deep down as pure of heart and worthy of love, as worthy of a deep purpose, as we are? 

How have we said Yes to that Love Supreme? How do we keep saying Yes? 

In all this, we’re not asked to just take someone’s word for it.

We are invited to come and see for ourselves, and to be seen. 

For all this, friends, I give thanks to God. 

Thanks be to God. 

(Delivered Sunday, January 29, 2023, by Rev. Nathaniel Mahlberg, at the United Church of Christ at Valley Forge)