Under a fig tree

These blog posts will be short entries that reflect moments that have impacted me but aren’t long enough for a podcast episode. Today’s entry is from John 1:43-51.

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.) Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.” But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”

When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.” Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.” Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”

This makes me curious. I wonder if there was something significant that happened to Nathanael under the fig tree. Otherwise it seems kind of random that he would respond so strongly - he seemed surprised, taken back. Fig trees are common in that part of the world, so I can’t imagine that he only sat under a fig tree one time in his entire life. Perhaps that is the case and that is why it is significant.

But my imagination causes me to wonder if Nathanael had some kind of really cool divine encounter with the Holy Spirit under the fig tree or something. Or maybe there was something he’s ashamed of that happened under a fig tree. Something he had never told anyone. I just know that I have had moments like Nathanael where I just have to declare “WOW you really are an amazing God!” I actually just had one this last week. It’s usually because God whispers something to me that doesn’t seem likely or possible, and then it actually happens! One of those moments where He just shows me again how amazing His power is. I just wonder if Nathanael had an experience like that. I hope to remember to ask him when we meet in heaven.