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We're looking at John chapter 1, verses 43 to 51, and then Mark chapter 6, verses 1 to 6. This message is simple but meant to encourage someone—a young person or anyone facing discouragement. Life is full of challenges, but when we look at the life of Jesus Christ, we see that he overcame everything. There is no suffering greater than what he endured. He took the worst of the worst, and because he conquered, you and I can conquer too.
John 1:43-51 shows us the calling of the disciples. Jesus found Philip and said, "Follow me." Philip then found Nathaniel and told him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets spoke—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathaniel's first reaction was skepticism: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This question captures something profound. Nazareth was not a place of importance. It was small, ordinary, overlooked. Yet from there came Jesus Christ.
Philip's response was beautiful: "Come and see." Sometimes you don't have to explain things to people; you simply present the evidence.
When Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him, he said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit." Nathaniel was amazed and answered, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus told him, "You believe because I said I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than this." He promised that Nathaniel would see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
Now let's look at Mark 6:1-6. Jesus left Nazareth and went to his hometown with his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, "Where did this man get these things? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What about these miracles?"
But then they began to question his identity: "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son? We know his family—James, Joseph, Judas, Simon. We know his sisters. We know where he comes from."
Notice what happened: they took offense at him. Why? Because he had done well. He was someone they knew, someone from their village, someone they had grown up with—yet here he was performing miracles and teaching with amazing wisdom. Instead of celebrating him, they were offended.
This is a tragedy because people are easily offended by the success of those they know. All you have to do is do well, and certain people will look at you and say, "I know this person. I know where they come from. How can they be doing these things?"
Jesus responded with powerful words: "A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown, among his own relatives, and in his own house." In other words, sometimes the people who know you are the ones who refuse to honor you. It is often strangers, people who have just met you, who actually recognize your worth.
Then Mark 6:5 reveals something tragic: "He could not do any miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them." Everywhere else Jesus went, people brought the sick to him and he healed them all. But here, in his own hometown, his power was limited by their unbelief.
The Bible says, "He was amazed at their lack of faith." In other places, Jesus marveled at the faith of the centurion, at the faith of a sacrificial woman. But here he was amazed at their lack of faith. And at the end of the day, who suffered? Not Jesus. The people who were offended at him were left miserable.
When you study the life of Jesus Christ, you discover something important: there are generally three categories of people in everyone's life—his life and yours.
First, there is the crowd. The crowd are people who are neither here nor there. They go wherever the wind blows. When you're doing well, they want to be your friend. When things go wrong, they run away. Jesus experienced this perfectly. One day the crowd was saying, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The next day, that same crowd was shouting, "Crucify him!"
I want to help somebody understand social media and friendships. The day you become successful, your phone will ring constantly. People will text you at midnight just to "see how you're doing." But the day things go wrong—whether in reality or in perception—suddenly your phone goes silent. You'll check it, and it's fully charged, but nobody calls you for three days. The same people who ate from your hand will disappear.
Many of you have hundreds or thousands of contacts on your phone and social media. But how many of those people are really your friends? How many would actually be there for you in a crisis? If you want to navigate life well, you must learn to differentiate between different people in your life. Never confuse the crowd and think they are your friends.
To our young people: you may have five thousand friends on Facebook, but they are not your friends. Some of you are getting depressed because nobody liked your post. Please, get a life. These people do not care about you. You post a selfie or a picture of your dinner, and you're checking all day to see who liked it. This is not friendship.
On social media, some people will like everything you post, put smiley faces everywhere, and be your best friend online. But you meet them face to face, and they don't even know you. The same people who seemed so supportive will devour you on platforms like Kenyans on Twitter if there's a scandal. They are not your friends; they are just part of the crowd.
Here's the truth: human beings were not created to have thousands of people in their business. We have a limited capacity. Maintain some privacy. You don't have to tell everyone everything. Don't let everybody into your life because they are not your friends.
Second, there are haters. These are people who don't like you even if you gave them your heart. Among haters, there are two types. Some hate you openly—they'll tell you to your face, "I don't like you." At least with those people, you know where you stand. But the worst kind are those who pretend to be your friends while hating you.
John 2:23-24 says, "While he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man."
Jesus knew that there were people around him who would betray him. Judas was with Jesus for three and a half years. The same person who ate with him, walked with him, learned from him—this person was going to betray him. There are people in your life who are like Judas. They are planted there to study you, analyze you, and then use that information against you.
Let me tell you something: great minds do not spend their time talking about others. If you want to know the greatness of a person, listen to what they talk about most. If someone is constantly analyzing and critiquing everyone around them, I can tell you that person is not going anywhere. Busy, successful people talk about concepts and ideas and big things. They are not preoccupied with what others are wearing or doing.
Mind your own business. If someone wants to wear a pink weave or a yellow one, that is their head. What business is it of yours? What someone chooses to drive is their business. But these people who are offended at your success, who take offense at Jesus Christ—they are the haters. And unfortunately, many of them are in the church.
Third, there are friends. True friends are not necessarily people who are close to you or spend a lot of time with you. They may not even know much about you. But these are people who pray for you, who intercede for you. When they hear you're in need, they're the first ones at your doorstep. They love you for who you are. When others talk behind your back, they cannot stand it.
Matthew 27:55-61 shows us Jesus's friends. Many women followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. They watched from a distance as he was arrested, tortured, and crucified. Their hearts were breaking, but they stayed. They looked for an opportunity to minister to him. Then there was Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man who became a disciple. When Jesus died, Joseph asked Pilate for his body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb. He gave up his own tomb for Jesus.
Friends are people who love you for who you are, not for what you can give them. As a pastor, one of the greatest blessings I receive is when someone walks up to me and says, "Pastor, I pray for you." They don't want anything from me. They don't want to spend time with me. They simply believe in me and thank God for me. Those are friends.
Here's my question for all of us: In other people's lives, what role do you play? Are you part of the crowd, waiting to see which way the wind blows? Are you a hater? Or are you a friend?
I pray we can be a church of friends. When you come here and look around, may you be able to say, "That's my friend. That's my friend." Not because you know their name or have spent a lot of time together, but because you recognize the spirit of Christ in them.
Now, despite all these categories of people, Jesus navigated his life and ministry with clarity. Nathaniel asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" But Jesus knew where he came from and where he was going. People's opinions did not pull him down.
Jesus knew that people would judge him. He knew that some would believe and some would reject him. But he did not entrust himself to people because he knew what was in their hearts. He was secure in who he was and what God had called him to do.
The answer to "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" is a resounding yes. And that answer applies to you as well. Every one of us who sits here can produce something good in our lives. It doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn't matter who your parents are. It doesn't matter whether you grew up rich or poor.
God does not bless us according to where we came from. God blesses us according to his eternal riches in glory by Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul said, "Not many of you were born in nobility," but God has a way of picking people up from the loneliest state and making something good out of their lives.
Let me share with you my own story. I did not grow up in money. I grew up in a struggling home. I know what it means to go to bed hungry—not because I was fasting, but because there was no food. I know what it means to eat the same thing for a whole month because that's all my parents could afford. I know what it means to have the landlord lock the door because rent hadn't been paid for three months. I know what it means to be kicked out of school because I didn't have school fees.
I grew up in a great Christian family with wonderful, born-again parents in church. But I always felt like I was the least in that family. I felt like if anything good was ever going to come out of me, it would be a miracle. I grew up with such low self-esteem that at one point, it didn't matter to me whether I woke up in the morning or not.
In primary school, I was what psychologists call a "late bloomer." From class one to class three, I was always last in my class. I couldn't even read. I remember in class two, my teacher Mrs. O'Malley called me up to read some words. I couldn't read any of them, and she beat me and told me to go home and tell my mother to teach me how to read. I'll never forget those words.
But good things come from small places. By the time I got to class four and five, I was top of my class. Not because I was the smartest, but because God had a plan. I was the first one in my family to get a degree. I was the one least likely to succeed. But God has ensured that I have a second degree, I have my master's degree, and I'm working on my doctorate.
When I met my wife, I was broke. Dangerously broke. Honestly, if I were her, I wouldn't have married me. But she is a woman of God. She didn't see my present condition; she saw God's promise in my life. She saw what God could do. She was willing to commit her life to me and get on this adventure of faith with me.
When God called me into the ministry, I struggled for more than a year. I didn't want to become a pastor because I didn't want to be poor. I'm being honest. But God spoke to me and said, "The things that people struggle and work hard for a lifetime to get, I will give them to you if you only follow me." And I'm here to testify that God is faithful. What he said has come to pass in my life.
I have been many things. I was a makanga—a bus conductor. I can still remember the name of my matatu route and where I used to stand on Fungano Street. I was kicked out of college because I didn't have school fees. I'm a college dropout. I never finished my degree at Catholic University after two years.
But good things come from small places. Don't be afraid of your scars. Don't be afraid of your troubles. Don't be afraid of the labels people have put on you. I know where you come from. Maybe your village isn't even on Google Maps. But God is not tied to your location. God can pick you from nothing and make something of your life.
Don't give up on your children, even if they're not doing well in school. Don't give up. God is not tied to their grades. He has a plan for them. Not everyone needs a degree to succeed in life. Some of the best things people will achieve will be through different paths—a driver's license, a trade, a skill. But through all of it, God can bless them.
Don't despise the days of small beginnings. Good things come from small places. God can take anybody's life and turn it around for his goodness. I love seeing people come to the Lord and get born again because I know that good things come from broken lives. Good things come from small places.
