The Coach Who Had Already Watched the Game Film

In 2019, a high school point guard named Marcus Davis from Gary, Indiana, showed up uninvited to a basketball camp at Valparaiso University. He had no recruiter backing him, no highlight reel, no connections. A teammate had simply said, "Come check it out — what do you have to lose?"

Marcus walked onto the court expecting anonymity. Instead, the assistant coach approached him by name. "Marcus Davis. You play for West Side. You favor your left hand on the drive, but your court vision is exceptional." Marcus stood stunned. The coach had been watching his game film for months, quietly tracking a player no one else was recruiting. He had seen something in Marcus long before Marcus ever considered Valparaiso.

That moment changed everything for Marcus — not just because he earned a roster spot, but because he realized he had been known and valued before he ever showed up.

When Nathanael arrived to meet Jesus, skeptical that anything worthwhile could come from Nazareth, Jesus greeted him with intimate knowledge: "I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael's cynicism dissolved in an instant. He had come to evaluate Jesus, only to discover that Jesus had already been watching him.

This is the stunning reversal of the gospel. We think we are searching for God, but the Almighty has been studying the film of our lives all along — seeing who we are, knowing what we carry, and calling us by name before we ever take the court.