Nathanael

Over the past few weeks I have been studying Nathanael. Now, although he may sound familiar, you may not know too much about him. That could be because there is so little about him in the scriptures. In fact, he is only mentioned in the Gospel of John, twice. However, many scholars believe him to be the same person as Bartholomew, as listed in Matthew, Mark, & Luke with the other disciples. But other than his appearance with fellow disciples, we really only encounter his character once. In John 1:43-51, we are at the beginning of Jesus' Galilean ministry. Philip has gone to find Nathanael to tell Him about Christ whom he (Philip) has recently found to be the true Messiah. When Philip tells Nate that Jesus from Nazareth is the One, Nathanael responds bluntly, asking what good can come from Nazareth. But Nate decides to take a look for himself anyway. We he approaches, he is recognized by Jesus with the description of "a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit." Wow! What a compliment. Nathanael hasn't even said anything to Him yet, and Jesus describes him as a TRUE Israelite, a TRUE believer in the body of Christ. He also indicates that Nathanael has an honest and seeking heart. There is more to this story that I may discuss later, but can you imagine being in Nate's shoes and having JESUS, IN THE FLESH look at you and say that you are a TRUE BELIEVER in the body of Christ and that in you is no deceit, but an honest and seeking heart. Nate, not really expecting much, sought out Jesus, encountered Him in a real way, and had no other response, but the amazement of finding the true Son of God. May we resemble Nathanael so that when Jesus thinks on us today he thinks, you are a true believer in whom there is no deceit, but an honest and seeking heart.