“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
John 1:48-49 (NIV)
John’s gospel doesn’t explain what happened in Nathanael’s life or the story behind him sitting under the fig tree, but when Jesus said those words to him, his heart was instantly touched and he believed. Maybe John didn’t give any details because he hoped readers like us, would relate it to our own situation.
We’ve all had fig tree moments like Nathanael. Jesus knows our story and saw everything we have struggled with. He saw us during the hardest times, when that something happened, which momentarily felt like our hopes and dreams were shattered.
There are fig tree moments in everyone’s life, and that’s why we can relate to whatever Nathanael’s were. Jesus only said seven words to him, “I saw you under the fig tree.” Those powerful words said it all for Nathanael. Sometimes we just need to know God is there, that He knows us and sees us.
For Nathanael, it was a confirmation that Jesus was God and could see and know all about what was crushing his spirit at the time. Whether his fig tree moment was a feeling of overwhelming grief, unworthiness, isolation, doubt or some desperate fear, it was a turning point for him, just knowing that the Son of God saw him.
Those seven words of Jesus, “I saw you under the fig tree,” renewed his faith and restored his hope. Until our problems are solved, and our prayers are answered, we keep hoping in Jesus, and He gives us the comfort of knowing that we are seen and known by God. He sees and knows us because He individually loves us.
Our difficult times are not the end of our story, and we don’t remain for a lifetime under our fig trees. In His love for us, Jesus travels this journey with us and has always shared every fig tree moment with us. He is taking us forward to better days.
We can look back at some crushing time in our lives and know that God still had good plans for us, and brought us through to so much. Therefore, since He did it before, we can trust Him to do it again.
Fig tree moments also remind me of a verse that Paul told the Corinthian church, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed,”
(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
Paul described a catalog of his own suffering, for readers to identify with. Even in all these things, the negative never prevails; there is always some experience of rescue, of the presence of Christ and His eternal salvation. He rescues our hope, our faith and our spiritual self esteem, before rescuing us from actual the problem. We can say, like Paul, when we feel weak, we are actually strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
It is the presence of Christ who keeps us from becoming perplexed, or driven to despair. We are never destroyed because there is power in Jesus’ name, and He never forsakes us.
The psalmist wrote, “God is near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
(Psalm 34:18) When we suffer, Jesus is nearer to us than ever, especially since He was acquainted with sorrow and grief more than anyone. That’s why He sees us under our fig trees.
Jesus speaks these same words to each of our hearts today, “I saw you under the fig tree,” which has particular meaning to our personal lives. When we close our eyes and tell Him that we know He is near, He will make His presence real in some way, and send comfort and assurance in the midst of our affliction.
Lord, comfort and restore our hearts today, as you have seen and known each of us during our recent fig tree moments. Renew our hope and faith, and send your blessed Presence to each reader, filling us with your love, joy and peace. Amen
