Picking up from where we left off, the next thing Jesus says to Nathanael is, “I saw you under the fig tree.”

If Nathanael knew the Old Testament well, as most Jewish men would have, he would have known that he was not the first man to be found by God under the fig leaves.

Sin does something to us, in our walk, that causes distance between us and God. Not because He has moved or changed, but because we have chosen a preference for something over our desire to abide in obedience to God. We have exchanged righteous conduct for conduct that is ill befitting to the worthiness by which we’re called.

We also have a notion that somehow we can hide our sin from God if we avoid places like church and people who walk faithfully, or we are deceived into believing that God has much bigger things to worry about, or that He really isn’t involved in the minute details of our life.

But, the Bible makes it clear, “there is nothing hidden from His sight, all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13); For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14); “He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what lies in darkness and light dwells with Him (Daniel 2:22).” The Bible makes it clear: there is nowhere we can go to hide from God. King David wrote in Psalm 139:7-9, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!”

When Jesus tells Nathanael, “before I called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” He creates an allusion to Genesis 3, immediately after the fall, when Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness and shame with fig leaves.

Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin on their own by crafting fig leaves into a covering. But man isn’t able to cover the price for sin on his own. When God arrived in the garden to find them cowering beneath their fig leaves, He created the temporary atonement needed to cover their sin. He made an animal sacrifice and created clothes for them. A blood sacrifice was required to cover the cost.

The lamb of God was there with Nathanael. The exchange for his coming to Jesus was that there was no more deceit in him, no more crookedness in his heart, and as a result his sins were covered by the blood of the lamb. Nathanael’s response affirms this. It can only be that Nathanael spoke from the Spirit’s inspiration of his heart to reply, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel (v49).” Nathanael had just met Jesus. Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to tell Nathanael something about himself Jesus couldn’t have otherwise known. This undoubtedly impressed and surprised Nathanael, but for him to affirm Jesus’ deity and authority immediately after meeting Him is indicative of the sort of enlightenment that can only come from the unveiled heart of the redeemed.

God sees you, friend. He sees you in this season. Sometimes twinkling lights and Christmas carols don’t seem to be manifesting the same joy they always have. Maybe you’re experiencing joy in all the trimmings and trappings this season brings. Whatever path you’re on, it is a path seen by the Lamb, one on which you are not alone, and this season is a shining reminder of the high value he has placed on you. A price so high it was paid for in blood, but it ensures that if you come to Him, the penalty for a debt you could not pay on your own, has been paid in full.