JOHN 1:46-47 NKJV

And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

JOHN 1:46-47 NKJV

John 1:46 Nazareth: Nathanael knew that the OT prophets had predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Furthermore, Nazareth was an obscure village. Nathanael simply could not fathom that such a significant person as the Messiah could come from such an insignificant place as Nazareth. Come and see: Notice that Philip did not arrive with Nathanael. Truth is not best imparted by argument but by gentle invitation to “come and see.”

John 1:47 an Israelite indeed: In his younger life Jacob, the first Israelite, was a cunning, scheming fellow full of deceit. Nathanael was an Israelite, a descendant of Jacob, but he was genuine and sincere. Jesus read Nathanael’s character like an open book (2:24).