Friday, September 25, 2015

Nathanael Under the Fig Tree

There’s a huge wall around the heavenly city where the foundation stones are inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles (Rev. 21:14). When those apostles decided to follow Christ, they had no idea that their names would be recorded on the walls of the heavenly city for all eternity!

Nathanael sat under a fig tree one day, perhaps asking God if he would ever see the Messiah during his lifetime. “Lord, will I ever live to see the Messiah so I can follow Him? Lord, can you see me under this fig tree?” Sometime later, Philip comes to him and says, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth. Come and see.” (John 1:45-46).

As soon as Jesus saw Nathanael, He said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” They had never met, but Jesus knew everything in his heart. Like a computer program scanning for viruses, He scanned Nathanael’s heart and couldn’t find any deceit. Jesus told Nathanael, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (1:48). Even though Jesus wasn’t anywhere near the fig tree, He could see him and knew what he was thinking.

Jesus told him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” He not only knew Nathanael’s past, but also his future. Nathanael would be a disciple of Jesus and would see Him perform many miracles. And after Nathanael died, he had to be pleasantly surprised when he arrived in heaven and saw his name inscribed on a foundation stone.

Have you ever wondered if God knows what’s going on in your life? Just as Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree, He sees where you are right now. You may be sitting in a chair in your living room, but He sees what you are going through. When you trust Jesus to save you, your name won’t be chiseled on a foundation stone in heaven, but it will be recorded in the Book of Life (Luke 10:20), and that’s why Jesus said you need to rejoice. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net 

Listen to Song of the Month: Rebecca St. James “Shine Your Glory Down”

Making Life Count Ministries
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Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174