Ever Seen

“Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’"—John 1:48

Have you ever felt that what you do for God doesn’t matter? Does it seem that you are in an endless battle of unbelief and sin, in your own life and in the lives of others? Perhaps you feel that all of the things you have done have been overlooked? Or maybe that the sins you have stayed away from, the sacrifices you’ve made, and the holiness you have been pursuing have gone unnoticed by God? We begin to wonder whether the good that we do means anything, if God sees or if He cares. But God does care, and He does see.

In our passage for today, Jesus meets Nathanael for the first time. Philip had met Jesus and was so impressed that he went and told his friend Nathanael about him, but Nathanael was cautious and a bit pessimistic (see John 1:46). Pessimism gave way to curiosity and he went to meet this Jesus that Philip raved about. As Nathanael was approaching Jesus, Jesus called out, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”—John 1:47. Such a response caught Nathanael off guard and he responded with a question, “How do You know me?” This was the first time that they had ever met, yet Jesus appeared to know Nathanael’s life. Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” To Nathanael, this was unbelievable! How could Jesus have seen Him under the fig tree and known about his life? When Jesus made the statement that in him there “was no deceit” it wasn’t simply to show His power and omniscience. It was to show Nathanael that God had seen him. God knew about his life and knew everything he had done. Jesus knew his heart. Such an expression amazed him and drew him into a declaration, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"—John 1:49.

Undoubtedly, Jesus’ simple statement on Nathanael’s life served to encourage him tremendously—to know that his life had not gone unnoticed. God does see us and the life we live, the sins we forsake, the righteous deeds we do. God does see. God does care. And He will reward us on that glorious day when He comes again.

In Genesis 16, God is called “El Roi,” which means “the God who sees.” God sees us in our afflictions, trials, tribulations, sorrows and sufferings. He sees our joys and victories, our triumphs and our tragedies. He knows the lives that we live; even the most minute detail is not overlooked by Him. He knows the sins we avoid and the sacrifices we make. He is ever seeing and He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He doesn’t get tired, drained, or distracted, but is always aware of everything that we are going through. What does this mean, this “God who sees”? It means that God loves us, His eye is always upon us, and He wants us to be encouraged and transformed, just like Nathanael.

While Nathanael was amazed at Jesus’ act of omniscience and had responded in a declaration of belief, Jesus answers him with an awe-inspiring truth—Nathanael would see something greater than this. As Jesus said,

"Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’"—John 1:50-51.

Jesus’ statement of encouragement on Nathanael’s life became a prophecy of future wonders that Nathanael would one day see—whether that meant the second coming of Christ or something else we are not privy to, we do not know, but we do know that Nathanael was allowed to see something amazing and so shall we. One day, we will see Christ face to face as He is (1 John 3:2). What a day of rejoicing that will be, when we will see Jesus face to face! He will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4) and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” What a day we have to look forward to! Don’t give up! Don’t give in! God sees and knows everything we are going through, and one day, when we fall at His feet, it will all come together. It will all make sense. All of the sorrow and all of the pain, all of the striving, and all of the work, will be seen in Him for what it is—an act of love and sacrifice whereby we displayed Him as the all-consuming passion of our lives. May we receive joy and strength for today, as we look forward to that last day in hope, confidence, and ever-expectant joy! Amen.