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from earning to belonging

Happy Sunday, friends! I just got done with finals, and while I thought I’d keep this post short, it turned out to be a lot longer than expected – whoopsie. But I really wanted to share a theme the Lord keeps circling back to in my life, and I felt like I was supposed to invite you into what He’s teaching me!

John 1:43-51 – 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50  Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

This is a pretty well-known story from the Bible, but a few things stood out to me here: In verse 48, Jesus says, “…Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” I did some digging, and in that culture, a fig tree was often a quiet, peaceful place people used for prayer, studying Scripture, or just thinking. Symbolically, it was like a little “secret place” with God. We don’t know the details of Nathanael’s moment under that tree, but here’s what we can see clearly: Jesus is saying, “I saw the real you before anyone introduced us.”

This perfectly mirrors Romans 5:8, “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Before I was impressive, before I had fruit, before I served in ministry, before I repented, I was already seen and loved. But this passage actually gives us even more than just the fig tree line. Before Jesus even mentions the fig tree, in verse 47, He says, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” This seems like a random compliment, and every time I’ve read or heard this passage, I skimmed over this. But I want us to study what Jesus means when He says this.

“Deceit” in Greek translates to “dolos,” which means to “bait”, or trap/decoy. Before Jesus even has a conversation with Nathanael, He calls out something in his heart that deserved honor. Jesus isn’t saying Nathanael was sinless – instead, He’s praising his lack of duplicity. Nathanael was not living a double life or trying to manipulate a spiritual image. Nathanael made his skepticism known rather than hiding anything, and Jesus honored that. In other words, Nathanael was honest, and Jesus honors the person who brings their real self into the secret place.

Something I love about this passage is who Nathanael is, and who he isn’t. Nathanael is not a priest or a leader. He’s not famous or “important”. He was just a regular guy from a small town. No title, no platform, no big ministry. And yet Jesus noticed him. Jesus saw the depths of his heart. Jesus saw him in his hidden place, where no one else was watching. The beautiful truth in this: being seen by Jesus has never depended on being impressive, it only depends on presence.

To me, this passage speaks quietly to those struggling with people-pleasing or feeling the pressure of having to be liked or chosen. And I think this pressure gets so loud because it imitates a works-based way of living. That love must be earned based on how many people like and accept us and that approval can show up only in achievement. Scripture teaches us the exact opposite (Eph. 2:8-9). If God doesn’t love me because I perform well, then I don’t need people to love me for that either.

People-pleasing can quietly become a spiritual distraction because it doesn’t always look harmful at first – sometimes it even looks humble. But underneath it is often bondage to fear of being unloved if we are not impressive enough. I did a private study on idolatry a couple years ago, and something that completely shifted my perspective was that people-pleasing is actually a form of idolatry. It convinces us that other people’s opinions matter more than God’s. Our focus slowly shifts from Jesus and onto ourselves. My goal in this post isn’t to shame you into “not caring what people think.” It’s to help you see a different angle of feeling unseen.

For Thanksgiving this year, a friend invited me to her family dinner. I went expecting good food and fun conversation, but I ended up leaving with so much more. A friend and her husband talked with me for a while about the current season I’m walking through and said that for years, they had been praying for God to protect me. In all honesty, I didn’t even think her husband knew my name.

I share this because it reminded me that not all people will notice me, but the right people will. Not everyone is for you. Not everyone will like you. As Christians, we’re called to love everyone, but that doesn’t mean everyone will value or choose you. And that doesn’t mean your character is flawed – it just means you’re human and you cannot please everyone you meet.

There’s a lie the enemy speaks to us that says, “If the people I want don’t see me, then I’m not really seen.” The truth that Jesus speaks, “I saw you before you proved anything.” While it’s so easy to believe the lie, it is so important to know that you were seen the entire time, just not always by the crowds you were trying to impress. And something about God is that He is always moving behind the scenes – He may be pulling you out of needing validation from others so that you’ll seek it from Him alone. He may be teaching you that obedience may not look like popularity, a packed social calendar, or constant invitations – but like fruit growing in your life. He may be showing you that you won’t be seen by everyone, but you will be seen by the people that matter to your story, and most importantly, by Him.

This passage in John carries so much depth because the significance of Jesus seeing Nathanael under the fig tree tells us that we are seen in private. But Jesus doesn’t stop there… In verse 51, Jesus also says to Nathanael, “…you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Here is a direct callback to Genesis 28:12, where Jacob saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending on it. Jesus is saying He is the true “ladder” between heaven and earth. Jesus’ mention of angels ascending and descending also tells us that our private place with God becomes secure. There is no striving, no need to impress or perform. Heaven has already come down to you in Christ.

People-pleasing is exhausting because it’s a form of earning, but Jesus meets us under the fig tree to replace earning with belonging. Nathanael wasn’t a “super special” guy by the world’s standards. He didn’t show up with huge faith or a long spiritual resumé. He was just a normal person who Jesus saw. Nathanael’s story is not only about Jesus noticing someone in private, it’s about the kind of person Jesus notices. The first thing Jesus praises is not Nathanael’s influence or his achievements – it was his inner life.

Jesus doesn’t stop at “I see your heart”, He goes further into reminding us that He Himself is the bridge between heaven and earth. He reminds us that our worth doesn’t rise or fall on who sees us. We can never reach our way into significance because in Christ, heaven has already reached us.

Friend, if you ever feel unseen, remember this:
Jesus saw you before the invite.
He saw you before the blessing.
He saw you after the heartbreak.
He sees you in the middle of the fire.
He can name the parts of you other people would overlook.
He calls out sincerity in you that no one else has the capacity to see.

Last thing: being seen by fewer people does not mean you’re loved less. Being seen by God alone means you’re loved the most.

Other people may miss you, but Jesus doesn’t. You weren’t as unseen as you thought. Maybe you’re just not being celebrated by the crowd because that’s not where Jesus wants your value to reside. Jesus was always paying attention in the secret place – under the fig tree, in your car, on your couch, at your desk, in your tears. He saw you there, and He still sees you. And if He sees you there, there is no purpose in auditioning for love, because His love met you first through His sacrifice and grace.

I hope you feel encouraged by this, friend! Have a great weekend!