Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael and told him,

"We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): 

Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael asked him.

John 1:44-46 CSB

Not sure if Nathanael was from Bethsaida as well, but he certainly wasn't from Nazareth!

His comment gives  insight into the person Nathanael was; arrogant, quick to judge, quick to pigeon hole someone because of where they come from.

Everyone from there is the same.

And none of it is good.

And as I've thought about Nathanael I've realised that I'm the same.

There's countries that I've called basket cases.

There's towns I'd never want to live in.

There's suburbs I'd at least in my mind call "Nazareth". Nothing good can come from there. 

That streak of arrogance runs in me.

Yet Jesus was one of "them", from "there".

By pigeon holing people, categorising, means I don't have to enter in, to see "them" as image bearers, as people Jesus loves, as people just like me, a distorted image bearer, but also a beloved child of God.

Jesus gently reminds me that there are no "them", just us. 

#itsaheartthing

#lovepeople