“How do you know me?” Nathaniel asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (John 2:48 NIV)
Reading along in John 2 today, I stumbled under the fig tree with Nathaniel. Jesus had been calling His disciples: Andrew, Simon Peter and Philip had all signed on. Philip found Nathaniel and pulled him along. As Nathaniel is still approaching, Jesus tells him; “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.”
I circled back, was there any mention of the fig tree before? Was this where Philip found his friend? Unclear. Yet Jesus said He saw him and I wonder the backstory. Was the fig tree significant in Nathaniel’s personal history? (In my experience, Jesus knows just what to say to grab hold of my heart and get my attention.) Was the fig tree Nathanial’s preferred place of rest and refreshment? Was it where he learned to read the Torah, did the local Jewish school gather under it’s shade? Had Nathaniel wrestled with the call of God under just such a tree?
David Guzik suggests that “under the fig tree” was a phrase rabbis used to describe meditation on the scriptures. If this is the case, Jesus was essentially telling Nathaniel, “While you were seeking God, I saw you. I set my sights on you when you set your heart on Me.”
Over and over in the gospels, we realize Jesus knows all things. At first I noticed how Jesus knew what people were thinking. Mind reading is a particularly fantastic skill. But now I see He wasn’t limited in His supernatural knowledge: He knew thoughts and motives alike. He knew personal histories, hangups and long-standing feuds. I think of the woman at the well: “He told me everything I ever did.” (John 4:29 NIV) Jesus speaks with authority because He is self-existent and omniscient: He’s been here from the beginning and He knows all things. Even the hidden things.
This is, of course, further evidence of His divine nature. Proof of His God-status.
“From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth – He forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” (Psalm 33:13-15 NIV)
God sees our longing. Our effort. Our contemplation. Our desire to see Him move in our situation. He is “moved with compassion” (Matthew 9:36) and tends to our need.
Be encouraged today, God sees you under your fig tree. Your inquires, your troubles, your tears are not unnoticed. Jesus sees you and He’s coming with a plan in hand. Hold on. Have faith. And wait on His collection. <3
Lord, thank You for seeing us even in the hidden places. You know our actions but You also know our thoughts and motives. You see our wrestle and You meet those that seek You. Make us steadfast as we wait under our fig tree, searching, thinking, setting our hearts on You. Amen.