Today’s gospel reading was from John 1 (45-51). It’s an account of Jesus meeting Nathaniel for the first time. When Phillip first calls to Nathaniel to come and meet Jesus of Nazareth he replies “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”. I think this pretty much sums ups Nathaniel’s lack of belief that Jesus could be anything special.
Jesus knew that Nathaniel was skeptical of him. Probably because He is all knowing. However, He might have been able to tell, like you or I can, by watching Nathaniel’s body language. Either way Jesus knew the right way to approach someone like Nathaniel. Once Nathaniel was in earshot Jesus calls out to him with a genuine complement and says “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.”.
What a great example of how to meet someone for the first time… Find something that you genuinely think is pleasing about the person and tell them. Jesus did it publicly so those around the two of them could hear. This makes it even better for that person because they get recognized in front of the group. Making these statements tells the person you are meeting that you are interested in them and you care enough to mention their good qualities.
Nathaniel goes on to be astounded by Jesus and an active member in His teaching and ministry. It all started with a few kind words.
I think often when reading God’s Word that it is the best leadership training book I have ever read and Jesus is the ultimate example of servant leadership.
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