INTRODUCTION
Today, the Feast of St. Bartholomew is my 85Th birthday, so much to be thankful, so many blessings. This is also the Tenth anniversary of my blog, began July 2015.
BACKGROUND
Saint Bartholomew lived in the first century AD. His name means “son of Tolomai” Bartholomew and is one of the twelve apostles. He was sometimes called Nathanael which is a Hebrew name meaning “God has given.” Philipp was the one who introduced Nathaniel to Jesus John 1:43-51.
Bartholomew was born in Cana in Galilee. In each of the listings of the disciples, the names of Philip and Bartholomew are linked, which could mean they were good friends or even related. St. Bartholomew preached in India and Greater Armenia. He was martyred in Armenia where he was flayed and beheaded.
In art Bartholomew is most commonly depicted with a beard and curly hair at the time of his martyrdom. According to legends he was skinned alive and beheaded so is often depicted holding his flayed skin or the curved flensing knife with which he was skin
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JOHN 1:44-51
The names of the twelve apostles* are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;….Matthew 10:2
After Jesus called Philip to follow Him, 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” John 1:45
The next day Jesus went into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
REFLECTION
Come and see! This was Phillip’s call to his friend Nathanael. We too should reach out to bring others to Jesus and Jesus will do the rest. Nathanael is without deceit. Nathaniel worships the true and living God without the duplicity and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his time.
Jesus saw Nathanael under a fig tree before he met him in person. Jesus knows Nathanael through and through. Nathaniel is a righteous man, clearly a son of Abraham probably reading Scriptures under the fig tree.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael (Bartholomew) saw the attributes of divine omniscience and calls out, ““Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
Lord may I experience your Divinity as Nathanael did!
JESUS CALLS PHILLIP AND NATHANIEL