Fig Trees and Playgrounds

Our mall was renovated years ago, but my children fondly remember the way it used to be.
They remember the Talking Bear at Christmas.
It was a gigantic teddy bear that held a conversation with you and even knew your name.
Unbeknownst to the children, the bear had a savvy helper inside that listened very well!

There was also the playground.
It was THE place to go after our shopping was done.
It was circular playground with ramps that brought you down to the play area.
There was one rule. NO ONE leaves the playground without me under any circumstances.
No one was allowed on the ramps; we entered together; we left together.

The playground had ropes to climb on; a slide; things to climb in, on, and under.
It had a playhouse that became a restaurant and sold many imaginary ice cream cones.
There was even a small, elevated platform that became a stage for the blossoming actress.

We usually went to the playground without incident.
Usually!

This particular day I went with my daughters and my infant son who was in his stroller.
We met a neighbor that we had not seen in a while and began to talk to her.
Mom, look at me! as I glanced in the direction of my rope climbing daughter.
Perhaps it was while she was on the rope that she saw it.

My neighbor was looking at my tiny son in the coach; my other daughter was on the stage.
I turned and did not see my oldest daughter anywhere.
The playground was self-contained; you could leave only by walking up the ramps.
I couldn’t imagine she would have done such a thing.
I thought the worst.

I asked my neighbor to watch my other daughter and my son and I set off to find her.
There was a food court nearby and I glanced at all the tables and chairs.
She was nowhere to be found.
What frightened me was that there was an outside entrance near the playground.
What if…?

I walked along the stores and got about five stores down from the playground.
I looked in and saw two of my nieces; nieces that often stayed with us during the summer.
I went in to ask for their help.
As I entered the store, I heard, Hi, Mom!
There was my daughter holding one of her cousins’ hands.

I was so incredibly relieved; and got down on my knees to hug her.
Then reality set in.
I pulled her away from me, looked her in the eyes and told her what she did was wrong.
I reminded her of our rule: NO ramp, and asked her why she disobeyed.

Apparently, while climbing on the ropes, she saw a dollar bill on the ground.
The dollar bill was at the top of one of the ramps.
She went up the ramp to get it.
At the top of the ramp, she saw her cousins and walked with them to the store.
None of them thought to tell me…

It became THE story for a while.
Remember when I left the playground and almost got taken in the parking lot?
Remember when I disobeyed you and you were worried?
The story had more details after a while, conjecture and possibilities mostly.

I have always been grateful to God for His protection that day.
Things could have turned out much different.

Mothers wish they had eyes in the back of their heads.
Young children think we do!
Our peripheral vision can only go so far.
Our tunnel vision can miss even the most obvious things.

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 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.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that. (John 1:43-50)

Jesus saw Nathanael when no one else did.
Nathanael was under the fig tree, which was a common place of prayer.
The rabbis taught that if you did not pray for Messiah to come, you did not pray at all.
Nathanael was in prayer under the fig tree and was praying for Messiah to come.

It seems odd to think that Nathanael would make such a declaration.
You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.
But it wasn’t odd at all.
Jesus saw Nathanael while he was under the fig tree and Jesus heard his prayers.
No one else could have known what Jesus knew.

Nathanael recognized the Answer to his prayers as Jesus stood before him.
Only the Son of God would know what he was praying.
Only the Son of God would see him when no one else was around.

Do we recognize Jesus?
Jesus sees us when no one else does.
Even when lost, especially then, we are found by the One who is the Son of God.