John 1:43-51
Curbing our Cynicism

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

New Revised Standard Version

What we observe is more strongly influenced by our perspective and attitude than by what actually exists. This has been demonstrated in science over the centuries, in cases as blatant as the belief that the earth was flat to modern day astronomy studies of black holes. Medical journals have often written about the value of having a healthy and positive perspective on one's condition in recovering from an illness or procedure. Attitude and perspective influences daily life as well, including how we perceive others and how we react to those around us.

When John's gospel first introduces Nathanael, it presents a first impression steeped in negative attitude and cynical perspective. Nathanael's friend, Philip, comes to him, excited by his news, but Nathanael attacks the credibility of what Philip shared. Nazareth had a bad reputation at the time, but Nathanael's decision to negatively dismiss Philip's news almost ended his opportunity to meet the Master.

However, Philip persisted and persuaded Nathanael to look closer -- and there was more to Nathanael than merely a bad attitude. He did go with Philip to meet Jesus of Nazareth, and the dialog revealed this other side of Nathanael. We can paraphrase Jesus's greeting as "Here is a true-blue Israelite!" Nathanael, still defensive and unbelieving, asked "How do you know me?" Jesus' answer to that question changed everything for Nathanael, for his next response excitedly proclaimed Jesus "Rabbi, the Son of God, and the King of Israel!" What was it about that answer?

Jesus said, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Today, we rarely have fig bushes that are more than a couple of feet high, but most homes in Jesus' day had fig trees outside that stood as high as the structure. Click this link to see a picture of one such fig tree at my parents' house. The large leaves provided great shelter from the sun and from passers-by, so the area under a fig tree was an ideal place to get away by yourself. Nathanael had clearly been doing just that, and Jesus knew why he had gotten away. I'm speculating, but from Nathanael's reaction, it seems to me Nathanael was praying, unburdening himself of the despair that fed his cynicism and asking God for deliverance for the people of Israel. Maybe Nathanael was praying Psalm 79, "How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? ... Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake." Whatever the prayer, Nathanael's prayers under the fig tree were answered in this Nazarene he met.

I'm sure Nathanael had his reasons for being skeptical and cynical, but with prayer, Nathanael also had found the cure to keep his cynicism from taking over his life. Like other "true-blue Israelites" over the centuries, he had once placed his trust in fallible leaders who lost sight of truth and pursued ambition and power instead, and now Nathanael was sick of the result. His frustration with those failures had so skewed his perspective that pessimism seemed to almost engulf him -- but not totally. He still had enough trust in God that he could still pray honestly, seek God's way and wait for God's answers. Even when he saw nothing good anywhere around him, he still was willing for God to change his perspective.

We are an age of cynicism today. Our comedians earn fortunes with parodies that reveal incongruities in what our leaders say and do. Only a minority of the citizenry participate in elections, with the majority "voting" their cynicism, displeasure, or despair by their absence. We can't trust our employers, nor can we trust the union leaders that represent us to our employers. Our denominations and churches have scandals, our families are breaking apart in divorce, and we can't even trust ourselves to do what is right. It seems the most logical response is to give up, or as Job's wife advised in Job 2:9, to "curse God and die." Indeed, to succumb to cynicism is to deny God's power and live life waiting for death.

We can choose a different way. That way takes prayer: speaking with God, being honest with God in our frustrations and problems, and letting God work in us. God provides the cure for cynicism in the hope that God gives that exceeds every hope we might find in our world. But the cure starts with our choice.