“A Desire becomes a Hope when we discover a reason for its expectation, and there is no better reason to expect something than a promise given in the Word of God.”
Gospel text (Jn 1,45-51):Philip found Nathanael and told him,
"We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
But Nathanael said to him,
"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Bartholomew's (Nathanael's) first statement as recorded in the Bible is the bigoted comment: "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" (Jn 1:46) Jesus took this bigot, transformed him into an apostle, and wrote his name on a foundation stone of the new Jerusalem (Rv 21:14).
"You can depend on this as worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tm 1:15). Jesus takes extreme cases (1 Tm 1:16) to prove He can change even the hardest heart. He can change abortionists, death-row prisoners, terrorists, rapists, me, and you.
We shouldn't give up on anyone. Our stubbornness does not cancel out God's power; rather, His power overshadows all opposition. Jesus has changed the hearts of well over a billion people. His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9), His blood has paid the price, and the hardest heart is about to repent.
Do you believe this?
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