DO YOU RECOGNIZE ME?
by Erwin Bourne—February 25, 2002
I watched her walk down the long driveway of the Casa
Grande. Something faintly recognizable—as of some
distant time--marked her face. We shook hands. She
smiled. Then she asked, “Do you recognize me?” “Not
really,” I replied. To this she added, “You have
taken many pictures of me.” My mind was a blank. She
said her name was Lydia. This still drew a blank from
me. I searched the shadowy corners of my memory.
Absolutely nothing. This Indian woman seemed to have
approached my blind side.
In Saint John 1, beginning with verse 29, Jesus began
choosing His twelve disciples. Some of them were
familiar with each other—but not Nathanael. The next
day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip
and said to him, “Come, be my disciple.” Philip was
from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s home town. Philip
went off to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have
found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote
about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from
Nazareth.” Nathanael queried, “Can anything good come
from there? Philip said, “Just come and see….”
Following is the interesting part of our story.
Philip and Nathanael were approaching Jesus when He
said, “Here comes an honest man—a true son of Israel.”
Nathanael asked Jesus, “How do you know about me.”
Here is Jesus’ reply. “I could see you under the fig
tree before Philip found you.” If you find this
interesting, read all the story in John 1:43 through
51 (NLT).
God sees everyone and He reads his character like a
book. I, at the moment, was still trying to put a
history onto the Indigenous woman standing in front of
me. She was obviously eight months pregnant. I asked
her if she had other children. “Yes, one.” She gave
me two clues by mentioning the River Calderon and a
man named Lorenzo. “Are you from the department of
Caquetà? “Yes.” At one time weren’t you living at
Picuma, Huila? “Yes.” Didn’t you have two children
by Lorenzo? And didn’t Jean buy them a doll and a
truck? “Yes, yes.” Didn’t you and Lorenzo live at
kilometer eleven with Gustavo? Then you moved to the
Calderòn and Lorenzo joined the Israelites—Old
Testament saints—and he wears a long beard and is
remarried? (??) “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom
is no guile!” (????).
Yours for OUTREACH AMAZON
—Erwin and Jean Bourne