“And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” – John 1:46
This verse teaches us how to evangelize effectively. When Philip told Nathanael that they had found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael’s skeptical response was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
To understand the weight of that question, we must look at Nazareth itself. Nazareth held a poor reputation as a city. There was a certain contempt toward Nazareth even among other cities in Galilee because it was an insignificant and rugged town, not known for scholarship, wealth, or religious prominence. Perhaps Nathanael thought Jesus should have come from a major city such as Jerusalem, the city of David, with its royal heritage.
Nathanael’s question was not a careless remark about something irrelevant; it was a genuine difficulty and an honest doubt about the origin of the Messiah. As a devout Jew who had been taught about the coming of the Messiah, Nathanael would naturally be cautious. Whenever someone claimed to have found the Messiah, the Jews would search the Scriptures to verify the truth of that claim.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” The surprising answer is yes. God chose to have His Son, the Savior of the world, live in Nazareth.
Matthew 2:23 says about Jesus,
“And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.””
This raises an important question: Where is this prophecy in the Old Testament?
Matthew is not quoting a specific verse directly, since no Old Testament passage uses the exact wording he cites. There are three main ways to understand what Matthew meant.
First, Matthew may be connecting the word Nazarene with the Hebrew word neser, meaning “branch” or “sprout.” The “Branch” was a well-known title for the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures, as seen in Isaiah 11:1,
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Hebrew was written using only consonants, so neser would have appeared as NZR, the same consonants found in Nazareth. In Aramaic, the everyday language of Jesus’ time, the words for Nazareth and branch sounded almost identical. Matthew’s point may therefore be that Jesus, the promised “Branch,” grew up in a town whose name echoed that very prophecy. In other words, Jesus “sprouted up” from an obscure and unlikely place in Galilee, just as the prophets foretold.
Second, Matthew could have been referring to a prophecy not recorded in the Old Testament but known through oral tradition. This would mean he cited a prophecy familiar to his original audience, though lost to us today. However, this interpretation is less likely, as it relies on evidence we do not possess.
Third, and perhaps most compelling, is that Matthew used the word Nazarene to describe someone who is despised and rejected. In the first century as we discussed that Nazareth was a small and insignificant town about fifty-five miles north of Jerusalem. It had a poor reputation among the Jews. Galileans were often looked down upon by those in Judea, and Nazareth was viewed with particular disdain why Nathanael asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
If this was Matthew’s intent, he may have been referring to prophetic passages that describe the Messiah as one who would be scorned and rejected. For instance, Psalm 22:6–7 says,
“But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,”
Just as Nazarenes were “scorned by everyone,” so too was the Messiah, who bore the contempt of humanity to bring salvation to all.
Philip’s response teaches us how to respond to critics. When Nathanael questioned whether anything good could come out of Nazareth, Philip did not argue or try to reason with him. Instead, he invited Nathanael to come and see for himself, to meet the Lord Jesus personally, to listen to His words, to lay aside his prejudice, and to judge through an honest and firsthand encounter. His simple invitation, “Come and see,” revealed gentle yet confident faith.
When we face criticism or skepticism about our faith, we do not need to debate endlessly or try to prove God’s truth through our own understanding. Like Philip, we can invite others to experience Jesus for themselves. The most effective witness is not found in winning an argument, but in allowing others to encounter the living Christ through our actions, our words, and our love.
Many people today are like Nathanael. They think they know who Jesus is based on the opinions of others or on how some have misrepresented Him. That is why it is so important for every Christian to allow the Lord Jesus to be manifested in their life. Their lives should not be an offense to others, but a living testimony that reflects the character of the LORD Jesus Christ.
And for those who are searching, I challenge you as Philip did, Come and see! Come directly to Jesus and discover who He truly is. Because when Nathanael met Him face to face, his doubt turned to faith. His tone changed completely, and he proclaimed,
“Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”” – John 1:49
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