Nathanael was the brother of Philip - one of Jesus first followers. When Philip told Nathanael that they had met the one that Moses wrote about - Jesus of Nazareth - Nathanael responded rhetorically - “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” People from Jerusalem looked down on people from Nazareth and Nathanael was essentially closing the door to Jesus saying that no one from Nazareth has the solution to anything.
Nathanael is skeptical and viewed Nazareth the same way many people view Christianity … with skepticism - it doesn’t have the answers. In Jesus conversation with Nathanael we hear one of - if not the - foundational question of life - "Where should we look for answers to life’s big questions and where shouldn’t we look?" We'll also hear Jesus encourage the skeptical to bring their questions, their thinking and investigate Him.
Most every religion or philosophy says "Here is what you need to do to connect to God, here are the answers to the big questions" but Jesus didn’t say "Here’s what you have to do to find God" - He said - "I’m God come to earth and give my life to find you."
