First Sunday of the Great Fast: Sunday of Orthodoxy; The Discovery of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs at Eugenius.
Day 7 of the Great Fast.
Hebrews 11:24-26,32-40; 12:1-2; John 1:43-51.
Read John 1:43-51
Feeling seen by people we care about is deeply meaningful. Feeling unseen or misunderstood can be lonely and painful; being truly seen is healing, connecting us to others.
When Jesus said to Nathanael that he saw him under the fig tree, Nathanael’s response contained more than amazement that Jesus could see him in his surroundings across great distances. Jesus’s first seeing of Nathanael was internal – “an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” – and Nathanael knew it. He felt seen. He and Philip cared about the coming of the Messiah. They had already been searching the scriptures for “him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.”
But Nathanael wasn’t the only one who felt seen. Jesus was seen by Nathanael – “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Later in John’s gospel Jesus says, “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” God loves being seen by those who love him.
God does not have an emotional need to be seen. His revealing of himself to us is a gift. He is One from all eternity, but he is not alone. He has eternal relationship of love within himself – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – which he calls us into. Our diligent seeking to see him delights him: “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” (Psalm 147:11) He looks forward to sharing that with us: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”