"When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.'  'How do you know me?' Nathanael asked.'  Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.'  Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"  John 1:47-49

 

I've always liked this passage, ever since as a new seminary graduate working at stories for children's sermons for Sunday worship services.  I wrote lessons for the children's message based on it.  It illustrates how a simple story can convey the most profound theological concepts.

 

The lesson I wrote was called, "Jesus Always Sees Me."  That's another way of talking about he doctrine of omnipresence, which states that God can be and is everywhere in the created universe at once.  He is always present with us; He sees us at all times.

 

While Jesus did not exercise this attribute at all times, a number of biblical stories show that He was aware of events that took place beyond the range of sight.  For instance, Jesus in Galilee knew that His friend Lazarus had died in Bethany, near Jerusalem in Judea (John 11).  Nathanael, obviously accurate theologically, knew that there was no way Jesus could have seen him under that fig tree before Philip arrived, and came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.  And of course Nathanael had reasoned correctly.

 

None of this, however, was important to the children for whom I gave that children's message.  They weren't interested in solving the mystery of the theantropic person (God/Man).  They didn't care to debate to what extent Jesus surrendered exercise of Deity when He took on humanity.  But they did care that "Jesus always sees me."  They did care that even when Mommy and Daddy were out of sight, Jesus was watching over them.  They did care that whether they were riding in a car, sleeping in the dark, or playing outdoors, Jesus was there, and could see.

 

What a lesson for us today.  Yes, theology is profound.  But relationship with God is far greater than the most profound depiction of doctrine.  And our relationship with God can be expressed in words just as simple as "I saw you." And can be understood in the comforting terms of "Jesus always sees me."

 

Blessings for the day and God Bless America!

CH Mike