John 1:45-46

Nathanael"s question for Philip, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" is the eternal human question. "Can anything good come out of losing my job?" "Can anything good come out of someone who loved me turning their back on me?" "Can anything good come out of this life?"

The question is asked from a place of hopelessness. If Nathanael thought that good things could come from Nazareth, there'd be no need for him to ask the question. If we thought that good things could come from the terrible, intractable situations we find ourselves in, we wouldn't be wondering all the time: "What good could possibly come of this?" To all of these questions, all of these hopeless questions, Philip offered words of hope. He said, "Come and see."

Jesus has none of the qualities we traditionally associate with goodness and success. He's not rich, not a socialite, not beautiful. He wasn't attractive in any traditional sense (Isaiah 53:2). God chose to come to earth in Him and as Him. He chose to be a citizen of Nazareth and chose to remain a citizen of Nazareth. When Philip said, "Come and see," he wasn't thinking of Jesus' wealth of His intelligence or His beauty. He was talking about the gospel.

Can we believe that good things can come out of Nazareth? Yes, God always chooses to work in places like Nazareth. This is good news, because it means that God chooses to work in people like you and me. People who aren't successful. People who aren't rich. People who aren't powerful. People who aren't necessarily intelligent. People who aren't beautiful. God works in you, and he works in me! That is good news indeed.

Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,