John 1:43-51

January 22, 2008

This morning in my reading I found myself marveling at the patience and tenderness of Jesus.  In many ways the story here about Nathaniel is an early portrait of the fickleness of heart that Jesus had to deal with so often during His earthly ministry.  He would tell His apostles that He was about to be betrayed and killed, and the next minute they would be arguing about which of them was the greatest!

Here Nathaniel speaks with both pride and prejudice when he says, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Jesus tells him just one thing (’I saw you under the fig tree’), and in the next breath Nathaniel is declaring Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel!

So here, right at the beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus has a foreshadowing of the fickleness that awaits Him.  One moment the people are shouting, ‘Hosanna!’, and the next they are shouting, ‘Crucify!’  And sadly, they are a portrait of how fickle I can still be, consumed with worry and unbelief one minute, and then declaring His praises the next.

Mercifully, Jesus did not abandon Nathaniel, or me.  When confronted with such wavering trust, Jesus does not say, ‘You’ll never get it; why should I waste My time with these fools?’  Rather He says, ‘You will see greater things than these.’  Jesus will not quench a faintly burning wick, but will fan it into a flame of holy love.

Thankful for the unwavering love of Jesus,

Larry

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Gospel of John, Seeking Him 

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