Rector’s Reflections
Tuesday 1st October 2024
A Life-giving Conversation with Jesus
In this current series of reflections, I am sharing some thoughts on the conversation between Jesus and an early disciple, called Nathanael. I am treating Nathanael as representative of any man or woman who has encountered Jesus, and wishes to know more.
Interestingly, when John records the conversation between Jesus and Nathanael, he provides us with an intriguing piece of background information. When Nathanael asks Jesus, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered: “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you”. What is the significance of the fact that Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree? Why did John see fit to include this apparently trivial piece of information in his account of the encounter between Jesus and Nathanael?
The short answer is that we do not for certain why this piece of information was included. However, it is quite possible that Nathanael was sitting or standing under the fig tree because it was a shady and relatively cool place to be, and that he was there because it was an ideal place to think things through. We all need places we can go to be quiet and undisturbed – places where we be alone with our thoughts. In a hot climate, like that of the Holy Land, sitting under a fig tree is an ideal place to think things through.
I wonder what Nathanael was thinking about? What was on his mind? Perhaps he was trying to work out who Jesus was. Nathanael was a faithful Jew (Jesus describes him as “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit”). He had heard about Jesus, and perhaps had already heard some of his teaching. What should Nathanael, as a faithful Jew, make of this religious teacher? Was he another John the Baptist? Was he a prophet, like one of the famous prophets of olden days? Might he be the Messiah, whom God had promised to send to lead His people Israel?
Or it might have been that Nathanael had other things on his mind. Perhaps he was trying to work out what he should do next in his life. Perhaps he was struggling with some difficult decision, or trying to make sense of something which had happened to him or to a close friend. Perhaps he was trying to make sense of his life, or what was happening in the world around him. There would plenty for a faithful Jew to be thinking about. If God loved and cared for His people, why had He allowed them to be under the thumb of the Roman Empire? Why didn’t they have their own independent state? If God was really a God of love and justice, why was there so much pain and suffering? Why was there so much social injustice? And if God blessed the righteous, why did bad things sometimes happen to good people? Perhaps Nathanael’s own life was not going according to plan, and he was struggling to come to terms with this. Surely, as a faithful and observant Jew, God would be blessing his life, and everything should be a bed of roses? Was it that there was something amiss in Nathanael’s relationship with God? Was he not getting things right? Were there things on his conscience? Might the problem be that while he knew he was faithful, he feared he wasn’t faithful enough?
For whatever reason, Nathanael seems to have had something on his mind, and Jesus knew this. Hence Jesus tells Nathanael: “ I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you”. This knowledge comes as a great surprise to Nathanael. How had Jesus seen him? Presumably Nathanael would have wanted to alone as he wrestled with his thoughts, and he might well have been hidden from sight as he stood or sat in the cool shadows underneath the canopy of the fig tree.
For whatever reason, Nathanael felt that Jesus already knew him, and that Jesus also knew that he had had things on his mind. Nathanael realised there was something remarkable about this. He also knew that it was not a reason to be anxious or defensive. So replies with an immediate and heart felt statement of faith: “ Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”. Perhaps Nathanael wasn’t even quite sure what he meant by these phrases- they just came out, spontaneously, It can sometimes be like that at times of tension and surprise – the words just come out!
So the starting point for the conversation between Jesus and Nathanael is quite probably a time when Nathanael has things on his mind. He has found a quite spot in the shade, and wrestling with his thoughts.
I wonder if we ourselves are currently struggling with a question or a decision? Perhaps we are struggling with doubts, or just can’t quite work out what God is doing in our lives, or in our world. If this is so, we can re-assure ourselves that Jesus has seen us in our struggles, and he is there, waiting for us to recognise his presence.