Today's Gospel in Art - I saw you under the fig tree

The Moreton Bay Fig, Photographed by Beth Moon, 2012, © Beth Moon, all Rights Reserved

Gospel of 24th August 2019 - John 1: 45-51

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.' 'From Nazareth?' said Nathanael 'Can anything good come from that place?' 'Come and see' replied Philip.

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, 'There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.' 'How do you know me?' said Nathanael. 'Before Philip came to call you,' said Jesus 'I saw you under the fig tree.' Nathanael answered, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.' Jesus replied, 'You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.' And then he added 'I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.'

Reflection on the Black and White Photograph

'Before Philip came to call you,' said Jesus 'I saw you under the fig tree.' In today's reading we hear of Jesus calling Nathanael to follow him. We sense that maybe Nathanael seemed a bit cynical about Jesus at first. But then Jesus describes the heart and character of Nathanael as if He had looked right into his soul. It is as if Jesus already knew Nathanael from the moment he saw him sitting under a fig tree. Once Nathanael understood that Jesus knew him more profoundly than he could ever have imagined, he answered his calling and followed Christ.

How many of us take time to sit under that symbolic tree, reflecting on God's goodness and recognising that He is watching and waiting for us? Jesus knows our hearts and characters even better than ourselves. He looks into our souls, identifies qualities and talents in each of us, and then calls us to follow Him. This intimate knowledge that Jesus has of us, makes us wonder what qualities in us that Christ identifies and delights in… To read on see: www.christianart.today/daily-gospel-reading/152