The Chosen and Friends: God With UsSample

Do You See Me?
From Come and See

There’s a reason the writers of The Chosen didn’t leave out the detail of Nathanael sitting under a fig tree. In those days, fig trees were traditionally set apart as sacred spaces to reflect on the things of God—and to pray in pretty raw ways as a result. Put a bit differently:a fig tree was a quiet place to get loud with God. Andin the clip you just watched, that’s exactly what Nathanael does.

To put things in context, the show’s creators have imagined a backstory in which Nathanael has watched his dreams as an architect figuratively (and then literally) burn away to ash, and so through a river of tears and a ribbon of snot he yells at God until he whimpers out the question at the forefront of his heart: “Do you even see me?” And the subsequent silence is so deafening that Nathanael flees the fig tree in deep disappointment.

But is it true that God didn’t see him?

You’ve now read Nathanael’s story in full, so you know that at the invitation of his friend Philip, he goes to see if Jesus is who Philip says he is—the Messiah, God’s long-promised Rescuer of mankind—and Nathanael sees and hears just enough to know that Jesus is. Which had to have made Jesus’ words to Nathanael all the more piercing: “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.”

God did see Nathanael.

He saw Nathanael as his dreams burned to ash, and he was sure to send along help. In Philip. In his own Son.

Maybe you’re under your own fig tree these days, laying out your pain and crying out a question: “Do you even see me?” Maybe you’ve even fled the fig tree in the wake of a deafening silence. But in seeing Jesus, don’t you see what Nathanael saw himself? When you cry out, you are seen by a God who sees. By a God who always sees—and even sends help.

About The Author
Come and See is a faith-based nonprofit that exists to share the authentic Jesus with at least one billion people worldwide. Because of the generosity of supporters around the world, Come and See is able to ensure that all seven seasons of “The Chosen” are produced, translated into 600 languages, made globally accessible, and free to all. Learn more at comeandsee.net.