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Under the Fig Tree: Nathanael's Encounter with Jesus · Traveler’s Tales

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  There are places in our lives that seem ordinary to everyone else
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  but become sacred to us because of what happens there.
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  A chair beside the window, a quiet corner of the house,
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  a familiar place where the Bible is opened and prayers are offered.
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  No one else may ever notice it, and no one will ever
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  know how often you have met with God there. But God
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  knows. Welcome to Traveler's Tales, produced by Enjoying
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  the Journey. I'm your host, Greg Dowdy.
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  Sometimes the smallest detail in Scripture can carry a
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  much bigger story than we realize. A place, a custom,
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  or even something as ordinary as a tree can connect
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  us to the world of the Bible and help us see a familiar
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  passage with fresh eyes. A special thanks to John
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  Buckner, whose research into the lands, history, and culture
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  of the Bible helps us better understand the setting of Scripture.
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  Today we're going to look at one brief moment in the life of Nathanael
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  and discover why the words of Jesus when he said, when thou wast
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  under the fig tree, I saw thee, may mean more
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  than we first realize. In John 1, Nathanael had
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  a sacred place. It was beneath a fig tree.
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  When Nathanael first approached Jesus, Christ greeted
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  him with an incredible statement: Behold, an Israelite
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  indeed, in whom is no guile!
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  Nathanael was understandably surprised.
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  Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered,
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  Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig
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  tree, I saw thee. Those few
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  words changed everything for Nathanael.
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  Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.
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  Thou art the King of Israel. What was Nathanael
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  doing beneath that fig tree? Scripture does
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  not specifically tell us, so we should be careful not to say more than the
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  Bible says. But the image of sitting beneath a fig tree
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  would have carried tremendous meaning to a faithful Israelite.
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  Throughout the Old Testament, the vine and fig tree became pictures
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  of peace, security, and the promised blessing
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  of God. During the prosperous reign of Solomon,
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  Scripture says, and Judah and Israel dwelt
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  safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree.
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  It was a picture of a kingdom at peace.
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  Years later, the prophets took that familiar picture and pointed Israel
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  toward an even greater kingdom yet to come. Micah looked
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  forward to the day when nations would beat their swords into plowshares
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  and would not learn war anymore. Then he
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  wrote, but they shall sit every man under his vine
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  and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid.
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  Zechariah used similar language when speaking of the coming Branch,
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  the promised Messiah. He said, in that day,
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  saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor
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  under the vine and under the fig tree. For generations,
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  God's people had been waiting for that day, and Nathanael
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  certainly had reason to long for it. Israel was no longer
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  enjoying the peace and prosperity of Solomon's reign.
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  Rome controlled the land. Roman soldiers walked its streets.
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  Taxes were heavy. Political tension was everywhere.
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  False hopes and false messiahs appeared.
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  Yet there were still faithful Israelites who believed God's promise.
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  They were waiting, watching, hoping. And then one
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  day, Philip found Nathanael and announced, we have found
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  him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write— Jesus of
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  Nazareth. Now Nathanael was skeptical about
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  Nazareth, but he went to see Jesus for himself.
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  And before Nathanael could explain anything about himself, Jesus essentially
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  said, I already know you. When thou wast under the fig
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  tree, I saw thee. Whatever happened beneath
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  that tree was known to Nathanael and
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  known to Jesus, and that was enough.
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  Nathanael immediately confessed, Rabbi, thou art the Son
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  of God, thou art the King of Israel.
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  What a beautiful truth for us today.
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  Jesus sees what happens beneath your fig
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  tree. He sees the faithfulness that no one else sees.
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  He sees the Bible open early in the morning when no one else is awake.
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  He hears the prayers you have prayed again and again.
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  He knows the promises you're holding on to. He sees the
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  tears no one else knows you've cried. There are parts of your
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  walk with God that may never be public, and they don't need
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  to be because Jesus sees you under the fig tree.
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  But there's another lesson here. Nathanael was living in expectation
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  of something God had promised. He lived in a troubled
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  world, but his hope was not ultimately in Rome becoming
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  better His hope was in the Messiah coming. That sounds
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  incredibly familiar. We live in a world filled with uncertainty.
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  Governments change, cultures shift, people turn away from
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  the truth. False hopes promise what they can never deliver.
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  But Christians are not waiting for this world to finally fix itself.
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  We are waiting for the King. The same Jesus who came the
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  first time has promised to come again.
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  So while waiting on our King, every Christian
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  needs a fig tree— not necessarily a literal
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  tree, but a place in the heart where we deliberately
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  turn away from the noise of this world and remember
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  the promises of God. A place where we can pray,
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  a place where we can open his word, a place
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  where we remind ourselves that this present world is not all
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  there is. A place where we can live in the
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  expectation of the coming Christ. Proverbs 27:18
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  says, whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof,
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  so he that waiteth on his master shall be honored.
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  Keep tending your fig tree. Keep meeting with God
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  when no one else notices. Keep believing his promises when
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  circumstances seem to contradict them. Keep looking for
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  Christ in a world looking everywhere else for hope.
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  Daniel discovered something beneath that fig tree that we desperately
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  need to remember: that long before we ever see the fulfillment
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  of God's promises, God sees the faith that is waiting for
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  them. One day, our faith will become sight.
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  Until then, stay faithful and close to God
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  beneath your fig tree. Thanks for traveling with us
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  today on Traveler's tales. The world of the Bible may be ancient,
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  but its truth is timeless. As we better understand
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  the setting of Scripture, our desire is that we would see more clearly
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  the God who has revealed himself through it. Keep reading,
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  keep learning, and most importantly, keep allowing God's
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  word to shape the way you live. And for
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  more Bible teaching resources and help for your Christian walk,
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  visit us today at etj.bible.