Can Anything From Nazareth Be Good?

John 1:43-51
Common English Bible
43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.”
46 Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?”
Philip said, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these! 51 I assure you that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One.”[a]

What on earth is wrong with Nathanael’s attitude when he says, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” What does he hate about this community of people so much? Why does he question who Jesus is? Does he know the stories of some of the people in Jesus’s family tree? Is Nathanael thinking no way could this be the Savior? We too must ask ourselves, do we ever judge someone based on their nationality, income level, town of birth, etc. Are we missing out on being blessed or being used by God when we act like Nathanael? On this MLK weekend, let us ask God to give us clean hearts to love all of God’s people.