Gospel

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If He Were Born Today, Jesus Might be From the Wrong Side of the Tracks
by Dan Blankenship



In the first chapter of the book of John, beginning with verse 43, Jesus calls on Philip, from the town of Bethsaida, to follow him. Philip in turn tells a friend named Nathanael (some believe this man is also Bartholomew) about Jesus of Nazareth, and then asked him to come meet the Son of God. In response to Philip’s request Nathanael says, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46 NIV).

When I first read that comment by Nathanael, I literally laughed out loud. I thought about how people make the same type of prejudicial assumptions based on today’s real estate. In fact, have you ever heard of the saying “he’s from the wrong side of the tracks”?

That saying comes from the fact that quite a few years ago train tracks ran right through the middle of most American towns. Trains chugged through settlements on a regular basis, sending soot into the air as they transported people and goods. The land upwind from the train smoke became prime real estate, while the land downwind became second-choice properties.

Wealthy parents did not like their children hanging out with kids from “the wrong side of the tracks.” And so a prejudicial phrase was born. One that still can be heard now and then.

So the very first thing that came to mind when I read what Nathanael said to Philip was that if Jesus were born today, instead of 2000 years ago, might he be raised in a neighborhood considered on the wrong side of the tracks? And is that what people would say when they heard about this amazing Son of God? How can he be from that neighborhood? Do you know the median household income is less than 20,000 in Finchfield Heights? They sell drugs in that neighborhood, don’t they? I imagine that those are exactly the kind of responses that people would have.

See, things haven’t changed much in 2000 years. People still judge others by where they live, how much money they make, and the color of their skin. But Jesus never did. He went to the poor, the rich, the esteemed and the downtrodden. He brought to all the message of hope, regardless of property values. And after only a few minutes with Nathanael, Jesus clearly won his heart and convinced him to follow the world’s Redeemer “from the wrong side of the tracks.”

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