Freebies

I keep coming back to this passage at the end of John Chapter 1 where Nathaniel believes in Jesus simply because Jesus says he saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, when just moments before Nathaniel says to Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" As if to say, who is this joker? Complete doubt to utter surrender in a matter of seconds.

Jesus' response is what sticks with me. I kind of get the feeling He enjoys Nathaniel's simplicity, seeing how little it took to convince him that Jesus was, in fact, divine. He's not mocking Nathaniel, Jesus is simply stating the insignificance of his statement about the fig tree when it is compared to the majesty of God. He speaks about the heavens opening up, and angels ascending and descending upon the son of the Father. Now, I have never seen an angel coming or going to heaven, but I have felt their presence, and certainly that of the Holy Spirit. To me, this little fig tree example is a freebie. It's a handout from God. It's a sampler tray of chicken tenders from McDonald's before getting a $80 filet from a top-10 steakhouse. Jesus is saying, "oh boy, Nathaniel, that's all it took? really, that's it??... just you wait..." I hope that I can continue to both seek and hopefully know the full glory of the things that God has to reveal. The things that give me a glimpse into His expansive mystery. I don't want to get caught up on the freebies, the little handouts.

I am not saying that they are not important. Sometimes the little movements in our hearts and the little tugs from spirit are life-changing. In a way, they really contribute to the other, more impressive feats of God. They are the little shocks along the way that keep our faith alive in a dying culture. The point I am really trying to make is that I want those AND more. I don't just want to live on those little moments, though I know I will continue to have them. I want to seek and find some of the deeper glories that my heavenly father has to bestow upon us. I want to taste the steak, not the tenders. I want to be bewildered.