Lent 2014: Nathanael

John 1:45-51

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We don't expect the newest fashion designer company to display their designs in Iowa or the next best singer to tour through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In a similar way Nathanael expected the Messiah to come from quite another town in Israel. Jesus far exceeds his expectations right from their first meeting.
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What do you expect from an encounter with Jesus? Is He just another man from a backwoods (er-backdesert?) area of a conflicted country in the Middle East? Is He too busy with other matters to take notice of you? Has He forgotten His former promises and become detached from the world altogether? Nathanael discovered that this Man was unlike any other in Israel. He saw him and knew him before Nathanael even met Him for the first time. He was the fulfillment of the ancient prophesies and had come to bring hope beyond everything the Israelites had ever expected. You might not expect much from the Lord each time you come before Him in prayer but He is ready to exceed your expectations far beyond your wildest hopes. "Come and see" the Messiah, and allow Him to prove Himself to you, even in the shortest and most unlikely encounters.