Jn 1:45-51
Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Bartholomew.
What is certainly known about him is that he is mentioned in the Gospels according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke. He is also named as one of the Apostles in the Acts of the Apostles.
He is not mentioned at all in the Gospel according to John. Many scholars believe that the disciple Nathanael whom Philip introduced to Jesus, is the same person as Bartholomew.
We can get a fuller picture of what he was like by linking all the texts where Bartholomew/Nathanael appears.[1]
In Matthew, he appears on the list of Apostles; he is listed after Philip. The apostles are listed in pairs, perhaps to show who were in the pairs, and sent to the same places.
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; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Matthew 10, 2 – 4
In Mark, he is listed among the appointed twelve whom we was sending to preach and 'have authority to drive out demons.'
[he appointed the twelve:] Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Mark 3, 18 – 19
It is Mark who recounts that Jesus gave some of his apostles, special names. Mark wrote 'Simon, whom he named Peter,' and Jesus' name for the brothers James and John 'Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder.'
In Luke, he is again on the list of the Apostles:
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6, 13 – 16
It is in Luke that Bartholomew is explicitly mentioned. He is described as being chosen from among the disciples and named expressly as 'apostles,' i.e., to be sent.
He is listed among the Eleven in the Acts of the Apostles. They were waiting in prayer with Mary, the mother of Jesus. There were other disciples – women and men -- with them.
When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Luke 1, 13 – 14
In all the previously listed gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, the name Nathanael does not appear. He only shows up in the Gospel according to John. It is there that how he came to be a disciple is revealed.
That was what he heard in today's Gospel reading.
My observations:
- He was Philip's recruit.
- He knew how to speak up.
- He had at least one prejudice. His question was, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
- But he was a person open to new information which could overturn his preconception. He took up Philip's challenge to 'Come and see.'
- And when he was proven wrong, he was profuse in his recognition of the truth, saying, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
And when we hear our Lord's description of him, we know that he was a person who had been actively searching for the truth,
Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him . . . . Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree. . . . Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this. . . . "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
John 1, 47. 48. 50. 51
All the other details that we know about Bartholomew/Nathanael are vague.
When I was younger, I used to wonder why there are so few details about the Apostles in the Gospels and in the other writings of the New Testament.
As I have gotten older, I have gotten more convinced that it was because they always wanted to center their preaching on Christ and never tried to draw attention to themselves. What we do learn about them seems to present examples of how a believer in Christ should act.
First, we can also be brought nearer to Christ through the company we keep. Nathanael listened to Philip.
Second, following Christ is a team effort. We are not islands.
Third, we all have our prejudices, but if we are willing to have them questioned by evidence, we can unlearn them.
Fourth, having recognized Christ, it is essential to acknowledge His Kingship over our lives.
Then we too, can see what our Lord promised Nathanael take place.
Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
The skies are opened; God listens to all our prayers. The angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man means that God is involved in our lives, and we are never alone.
[1] https://overviewbible.com/bartholomew-the-apostle/
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