From Prejudice to Possibilities

John 1: 43-46 Marianne Niesen January 15, 2012

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Nathanael clearly was not impressed. He, after all, was from Cana. And the person speaking to him, Phillip, was from Bethsaida – the home of Peter and Andrew. Of course, we’ve heard those names from our Sunday school lessons. We know Peter was important. Andrew too. They were early disciples of Jesus. But in the setting today, at the beginning of John’s gospel, they were just fishermen following a strange – but interesting – country preacher from Nazareth. The son of Joseph of Nazareth. A guy named Jesus. Now I could preach about the calling of the disciples – an interesting topic, to be sure. But I was caught up short today with Nathanael’s response to Phillip. Phillip, according to the text, had himself just gotten caught up in Jesus’ invitation to ‘follow.’ He had followed. There must be more to that story but we don’t have it. And then he turned to his friend – or acquaintance – and said something like I think we’ve found the guy we’ve been looking for. And Nathanael’s response was not ... Tell me more … or tell my why. His response was the surprising but incredibly human he’s from Nazareth? Give me a break. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Phillip responded come and see. And we know – because Nathanael became one of the disciples – that he did indeed go and see. But what if he hadn’t? What if he’d allowed his prejudice to have its way with him? What if he had closed the door before he ever knew what the possibilities were? And . . . here is the real question . . . how often do we do exactly that? Nathanael, you see, wasn’t unusual. We all have prejudices. We are all blind in some way. We all make judgments that limit our possibilities for growth. Following Jesus is about coming and seeing another way. Daring to see other people – even the people of Nazareth – with God’s eyes.

Today Nazareth is a bustling, busy town in the hill country of Galilee. Over 60,000 people make their home there, most of them Arab Muslims and Christians. In fact, most of the Christians in Israel/Palestine are Arabs. (That is one of those things people don’t always realize – not all Arabs are Muslims.) Back to Nazareth . . . though today it is a rather big city, with an economy fueled especially by Christian tourists . . . at the time of Jesus, Nazareth was quite small. In fact its name comes from the Hebrew word ‘netzer’ which means ‘small branch.’ I’m not sure what it was a branch of – but it was tiny. Some think it was made up of just a few families. Others think there may have been close to 500 people there. Still, scholars mostly agree that Nazareth was indeed an insignificant, obscure village. Bethsaida was different. It was apparently a fishing village, located on the Sea of Galilee – at a time with fishing was a very big deal. It wouldn’t really have been a large town either but it would have been more a place of commerce than Nazareth. More cosmopolitan – although I use the term loosely. Today, however, Bethsaida is no more. There is an archeological site that some believe could be the actual place. We take groups there – but it is a long way from the lake today with very little evidence that the lake ever reached that far. Is it really the Biblical Bethsaida? We don’t know. And Cana? We know almost nothing about the historical Cana – not even where it was! Nathanael may have been proud of it but apparently nothing much recommended it for posterity! Of course there is a place where pilgrims can go to remember the famous wedding at Cana and Jesus’ first miracle as recorded by John. But that site is considered ‘traditional’ without claim to historical accuracy.

So, while Nazareth didn’t get much respect in Nathanael’s mind years ago, it certainly has proved itself over time. Nazareth was one of the towns the Romans destroyed when they marched toward Jerusalem, putting an end to the Jewish rebellion in the first century. That was probably what happened to Bethsaida – wherever it was – and Cana – wherever it was. But Nazareth, known as the hometown of Jesus, was rebuilt and has been a place of veneration for Christians ever since. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Phillip may have said ‘come and see’ but history clearly responded with just you wait and see!

For many people who visit the Holy Land, Nazareth is a highlight. My favorite place in Nazareth is actually one of the lesser known and smaller shrines. It is called the ‘Church of Mary’s Well’ and is an orthodox church built over an actual well – a well from which people have drawn water for over 2000 years. Since one of the traditions is that Mary was visited by the angel at a well when she went to draw water, many pilgrims honor this as the site of her annunciation - when the angel asked her to be the mother of Jesus. When I have been there, I’ve liked imagining that this may have been a place where Mary and her child spent time and where she may have taught him to love the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Another lovely place in Nazareth is the very large and quite modern Church of the Annunciation. When that church was rebuilt, artists from all over the world were invited to send their depictions of Mary or Mary holding the child Jesus. All around that sanctuary are beautiful but very different portrayals of Mary and Jesus. (show pictures) When you stand in that church, you are surrounded by a rich variety of race and culture. You might call it the ‘artist’s response’ to the prejudice and narrowness implied in Nathanael’s question. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Come and see, they seem to say.

So . . . can anything good come out of Nazareth? Let’s be honest. It’s a question with which we struggle still. It’s the question that exposes the prejudiced attitudes we all carry. We tend to fear the stranger. We tend to be suspicious of the ‘other.’ The fact is - there was absolutely nothing ‘wrong’ with Nazareth. Even Nathanael probably knew that. It was just different. Not home. Not familiar. And his challenge was to go and see. To give the ‘other’ a chance.

In 1967, Rod Serling, the acclaimed playwright best remembered as the creator and host of The Twilight Zone, told the Los Angeles Times: “The singular evil of our time is prejudice. In almost everything I’ve written there is a thread of this: a man’s seemingly palpable need to dislike someone other than himself.” [1] Contemporary educator and writer Parker Palmer wrote “Through the stranger our view of self, of world, of God is deepened and expanded. Through the stranger we are given a chance to find ourselves. And through the stranger, God finds us and offers us the gift of wholeness in the midst of our estranged lives.” [2] But we struggle mightily with this. We aren’t so worried about Nazareth itself but we have certainly asked questions like can anything good be found in Islam? We are in the midst of a political season captured by questions like . . . Can anything good from Democrats? From Republicans? We hear ‘socialism,’ ‘radicalism,’ ‘liberalism,’ ‘conservatism’ – all demonized. This is precisely where the gospel gets real personal and real practical. Come and see. At least get to know the other. We will still disagree with one another at times but when will we stop the demonization of the other simply because they are not ‘us,’ or not perceived as being ‘like us?’ When will we stop the labels, the disparaging discounting of human beings, other countries, cultures, faiths? Can anything good come from Nazareth? Perhaps – at least come and see.

From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus brought people together. There were tax collectors and prostitutes. Rich and poor. Known sinners and righteous believers. Men and women. Adults and children. Gay and straight. The hungry and the well-fed. The sick and the well. The under-paid and the under-taxed. I am absolutely sure that more than one person responded as did Nathanael. You want me to listen to that guy? Hang out with that group? Accept that newly healed leper? And more than one time, Jesus answered, I do – at least come and see. Some people walked away – going back to Bethsaida or Cana or countless other unnamed places. But some stayed. Some came and saw and believed. Some broke the barriers and became part of that ‘reign of God on earth as it is in heaven.’ And we are here because of them! Because of the ones who came and saw – and stayed. Following Jesus will always require us to challenge our prejudices and seek to build a better world. A world where the vision of peace is possible. Where the stranger is accepted as one of God’s children. Where the people of Nazareth are not scorned and rejected but are visited and embraced as neighbors.

Tomorrow we as a nation remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One can hardly ponder the Christian hope that we can be better than our prejudices without thinking of Rev. King. He gave his life working toward that vision. Almost 45 years ago, he preached a Christmas Eve sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where he served as co-pastor. I want to share a bit of that sermon today. It’s one I had not heard before. As he contemplates the Christmas hope for peace, King’s words are amazingly timeless . . . he said:

Now let me suggest first that if we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone, and as long as we try, the more we are going to have war in this world. Now the judgment of God is upon us and we must either learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or we are all going to perish together as fools. . . .

It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly . . . Did you ever stop to think that you can’t leave for your job in the morning without being dependent on most of the world? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and reach over for the sponge, and that’s handed to you by a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that’s given to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then you go into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning, and that’s poured into your cup by a South American. And maybe you want tea: that’s poured into your cup by a Chinese. Or maybe you’re desirous of having cocoa for breakfast, and that’s poured into your cup by a West African. And then you reach for your toast, and that’s given to you at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to mention the baker. And before you’re finished eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured, that is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on earth until we recognize this basic fact . . .

Every (person) is someone because he (or she) is a child of God . . . made in God’s image, and therefore must be respected as such. . . One day somebody should remind us that, even though there may be political and ideological differences between us, the Vietnamese are our brothers (and sisters); the Russians are our brothers (and sisters); the Chinese are our brothers (and sisters); and one day we’ve got to sit down together at the (family) table. (Remember these words were written during the time of the Vietnam war, the Iron Curtin and China’s isolation.)

His sermon continued, addressing issues of war and nonviolence, segregation and racism – all things with which we struggle still – and then he ended as he often did, with his dream . . .

I still have a dream that with this faith, we will be able to adjourn the councils of despair and bring new light into the dark chambers of pessimism. With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when there will be peace on earth and good will toward (all). It will be a glorious day, the morning stars will sing together, and the (children) of God will shout for joy. [3]

We live in a world still fragmented with questions like can anything good come from Nazareth? As followers of Jesus, let us dare to respond . . . let’s go see. Let us dare follow Nathanael’s lead. After all, when he dared give up his narrow vision, he received his sight. When he gave up his judgment, he found Jesus, the one who gave him life. When he gave up his prejudice, he found a family. There is work that needs to be done in this world of ours. Much of it is overwhelming. So, perhaps the best news today is that all the big stuff really begins with the small stuff. With you and me, admitting our limitations and daring to visit the stranger, to cross the boundary, to stop the demonizing. We will not all think alike or act alike but we can treat one another with the respect due the children of God. It is indeed a dream worth working for and it is the only dream that will bring us all closer to God’s dream for peace on earth, goodwill toward all.

[1] quoted in Kimberly French, “Twilight Zone’s Writer Challenged Prejudice,” UU World, Winter 2007; http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/50619.shtml

[2] Parker J. Palmer, The Company of Strangers, New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1981, p. 7

[3] James M. Washington, ed., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., Harper San Francisco, ©1986, excerpts taken from A Christmas Sermon on Peace, pp. 253-258.