Are We Better Than Nathanael?

The Old Testament and Gospel lessons Sunday were both about being called. When Nathanael was told that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-expected messiah, he scoffed: “Can any good thing come from Nazareth?”  A bigoted, racist remark if ever there was one.  I think it fair to say, Nathanael did not imagine Jesus was called to anything special and certainly, he, Nathanael, would be rejecting any call that came from Jesus.  Didn’t turn out that way, though.  With a mere sentence and without even trying to, Jesus convinced Nathanael that he was worthy to be followed.


I think it fair to say that, with one exception, all Jesus’ disciples were eager followers.  They were with him daily, most of the time all day.  They would bed down in an olive grove or share a home at night.  They ate with him and walked and talked with him. They saw his mighty acts, they heard his radical teaching, they experienced his compassion and love.  Yet, this same bunch tried to run off the little children who were drawn to Jesus.  They tried to “protect” him from sick women who longed for healing, and they argued among themselves about who would be greatest in the coming Kingdom.  For all their proximity to Jesus, somehow it seemed the magnitude, the scope and quality of their call was lost on them.


I suppose, then, it shouldn’t surprise us when we modern day Christians are less than stellar examples of disciples.  If our behavior rather than our verbal profession is the measure of how devoted we are to Jesus and his gospel, as a group, we Christians aren’t showing very well.  In an election year in which candidates’ religion is a hot topic, it’s hard not to notice those making it a topic are not conducting themselves in a very Christian manner on other topics.  Those same people who are quick to talk about this being a Christian nation, seem to think that doesn’t have anything to do with how we treat each other. Just a couple of illustrations. The rhetoric of the campaign is often mean spirited and focused on the character and personality of the opposition rather than on positions and potential solutions.  Our local government leaders are having shouting matches and threatening bodily harm in parking lots and in government meetings.  For the past year, locally we’ve read almost every week about elected and appointed officials who have misused their positions for their own gain.


I’m perplexed by all this. Very likely, many, if not all these same people are “church-goin’” folk.  Even so, perhaps they, and we, don’t quite get what it means to be Christian.  From my vantage point, it isn’t about believing the right things--as important as “right” belief might somehow be.  Rather, what Jesus seemed to stress was doing the right things.  How we treat others is the paramount measure of our faithfulness, not what creed we espouse.  As one theory puts it, “The scope and quality of our relationships is the measure of our orthodoxy.”


Jesus would go on to tell Nathanael that if he had been amazed at this little event, stay tuned, he would see great things, unimaginable things.  And elsewhere Jesus says to his followers, “The things I do, you will do; even greater things than these you will do.”  What did he do? He healed, encouraged, raised from the dead, gave up his life. He taught that loving our neighbor was entwined with loving our God. As for me, I’m ready to start seeing a lot more of these kinds of actions and a lot less of all kinds of shades of selfishness and evil. I wonder what has to happen so we all see Jesus as clearly as Nathanael did and redeem Jesus' promise?  Something to ponder.


Peace,
Jerry