He See’s You - Devotional
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
-John 1: 48
In the book of John, an Israelite by the name of Nathanael was just minding his own business, doing what he normally would do daily. He most likely did not even think twice that he would encounter the very man that was sent for his salvation. Maybe he was going to grab water from the well or was walking to a local synagogue for the day, literally doing the most mundane daily tasks. However, Phillip, a man from Bethsaida approached him. “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth” John 1:45. Now, what in the world was Phillip talking about? Nathanael probably thought, wanting to complete his tedious tasks so he could move on to the next one. However, it was on that mundane day, completing that tedious task that Nathanael would encounter Jesus.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Phillip answered him. -John 1:46
A picture is painted in my head, seeing Nathanael, completely confused and skeptical walking towards someone who is looking at him as if he has been waiting for him his whole life. Phillip walks behind Nathanael, giving him space to come in contact with this stranger that stands before Nathanael. Meanwhile, Jesus watched Nathanael, waiting to welcome him as an old friend.
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. How do you know who I am, never having a conversation with you? Why do you look as if you have known me my whole life? Have you been looking for me specifically, and if so, why? All of these questions must have been going through Nathanael’s head as he approached Jesus, asking “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered with no hesitation, complete confidence, and probably with a sense of overwhelming love, saying “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
I saw you.
What a beautiful picture that is painted of how we approach Jesus. Completely confused, skeptical, scared even. Yet, He waits for us with arms wide open, such sincerity, such compassion, and love overflowing from Him, and He says, “I saw you.” Jesus is that man that sits in the coffee shop and notices our presence just as we are crossing the street to walk into those doors. He is that neighbor that sees us moving in from down the street and comes to offer help before we even had a chance to get familiar with our new neighborhood. He is that friendly face that sees us drop our textbooks in the hallway from far away and yet comes to help us carry the load of books we have been lugging around all day.
Jesus sees us. He knew us before the thought of following Him even crossed our minds. Before we can even comprehend who, Jesus is and what He has done for us. The world tells us to hustle so that we can be seen. It tells us to bend the rules and to compromise what we stand for, even just for a brief moment to get that job promotion. It tells us to connect with an individual and do things we wouldn’t normally do to network with certain people. In today’s society, we must work hard to get to the top, for people to see the skills and talents we possess.
But Jesus says, “I saw you.”
He saw our talents before we even discovered our passions. He saw a way to fix our mistakes before we can even make them. He saw our desires before we even knew what we really desire.
Jesus sees us.
Let that sink in for a moment. Really take that in and comprehend what that means. My friend…this world is all about who you can outshine. It is all about how you can stand out from everyone else. But take heart, there is no need to force your way to the front of the stage when it comes to Jesus. He sits in the auditorium, and before you come out on stage for the world to see what you bring to the table, remember, Jesus already saw you. While you were backstage, getting ready, preparing, still perfecting your lines. And yet…it was then that He saw you as a masterpiece.
I saw you.
