The Look and Tone That Words Cannot Capture

Alexander Maclaren penetrates the heart of discipleship's mystery: the Evangelist records what Nathanael said to Jesus and what Jesus said to Nathanael, but no written word can reproduce the look, the tone, the magnetic influence which streamed from Christ Himself. "We may believe," Maclaren writes, "more than anything He said, riveted these men to Him." Here lies the scandal of mere textual analysis—we read the confession "Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel" and wonder how Nathanael, who began with hesitation ("Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?")…