“We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45).
After the apostle Philip met Christ, he immediately went to his friend, Bartholomew – who is also called Nathanael in the Gospel – 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.” (John 1:45).
And Bartholomew responded in a way that makes me laugh – even two thousand years later. Bartholomew said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
And I have been reflecting on that statement of that Saint. For though we know little about Saint Bartholomew, we do know that he was martyred in the East some years after the Death and Resurrection of Christ and in this way – and through a life of holiness – he became a saint.
You see, Saint Bartholomew was told that his good friend had met the Messiah – the One that all Jewish people had been waiting for over a period spanning thousands of years. And when he heard that wonderous proclamation, his only response was scepticism and irony when he asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
And when Saint Philip replied, “‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!’” (John 1:46-47).
And when I read those familiar words the other day, I had to stop right there, because in the face of scepticism and irony, Christ gave a COMPLIMENT. He looked at the doubt of Bartholomew and he responded with LOVING RESPECT AND A COMPLIMENT!
I mean – there was a soul who rather than giving Philip a chance to show him what he knew, was cracking jokes – and discriminating jokes at that. And what did God – King of the Universe do about that? Well – He loved that soul EVEN MORE and COMPLIMENTED that very part of it… “‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!’” (John 1:47)!
And then – AFTER that compliment – God Himself, showed Bartholomew that he KNOWS him…
“‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.’” (John 1:48-49).
And that is important too because in BIBLICAL language knowledge means MORE than superficial knowledge. Knowledge implies a relationship. And this means that God is establishing a RELATIONSHIP with Bartholomew by KNOWING him. And this relationship was so important that Christ made Bartholomew the FIRST recipient of the revelation that God wants a PERSONAL relationship with each soul when He said…
“‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.’” (John 1:50-51).
For each of us is created to SEE HEAVEN OPEN when we are resting in the arms of Our Lord…
And that causes me to stop and pray – right here at my desk. Because my Beloved loves my miserable little soul so much that He COMPLIMENTS me – even when I am weak. And I know this, because He did this for Saint Bartholomew – to show me how He loves…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.