Bartholomew is listed as one of the twelve disciples of Jesus in each of the four references to the group (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). In the Gospel of John, however, he is always referred to as Nathanael (John 1:45–49; 21:2). Bartholomew is a Hebrew surname meaning “son of Tolmai.” So Nathanael is the son of Tolmai, or Nathanael Bar-Tolmei.
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. What we know about Bartholomew/Nathanael comes primarily from the account of his call by Jesus (John 1:45–49). 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” (verse 45). This would seem to indicate Philip and Nathanael were students of the Law and the Prophets and that Philip recognized from their study that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for.
We see from Bartholomew’s next statement, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46) that he held the town of Nazareth in the same regard as many Jews of that day. Nazareth, and all of the area around Galilee, was seen as a low and wicked place. Even Bartholomew/Nathanael, himself a Galilean, was doubtful that anything good, let alone God’s Messiah, could come from such a place.
The next verse gives us true insight into the character of Bartholomew. When Jesus saw him coming, He said, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” The Greek word for “false” means “deceitful, crafty, or full of guile.” Jesus knew Nathanael’s heart, just as He knows what is in every heart. Jesus’ assessment of Bartholomew was that he was a “true” son of Abraham, that is, a man who worshiped the true and living God without any of the deceit or hypocrisy that characterized the religious leaders of that day.
What follows is a declaration of Jesus’ divine nature and power. Bartholomew/Nathanael asked Jesus how He knew him, and Jesus replied, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you” (John 1:48). Jesus wasn’t present when Philip called Nathanael, yet He had seen and heard their conversation, evidence of His omniscience. He knew not only Nathanael’s words but his heart and sincere character as well. Nathanael (Bartholomew) saw the attributes of divine omniscience and the ability to discern hearts in the Man who stood before him. Nathanael’s familiarity with Old Testament prophecies caused him to recognize Jesus for who He was, the promised Messiah, Son of God and King of Israel (verse 49).
This is all we know about Bartholomew/Nathanael from Scripture. As an apostle, Bartholomew saw the risen Lord Jesus (John 21:2) and was present at the Ascension (Acts 1:1–11). Tradition indicates that Bartholomew was a minister of the gospel in Persia and India. There is no biblical record of his death, but one tradition has it that he was tied up in a sack and dropped into the sea. Another tradition claims that he was crucified. All traditions agree that he died a martyr’s death, as did all the apostles except for John. (Credit: gotquestions.org)
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Another amazing fact about Jesus, that not only was he born and laid in an animal troff in stable, but he was also raised in a not-so-great city that Bartholomew had asked if "anything good can come out of Nazareth?"
And therefore, as Jesus explained how he knew Bartholomew, he realized Jesus was who He said He was.
That all people could know who Jesus is would be wonderful.
And friends, one day everyone will know.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Philippians 2:10
But not only that:
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. verse 11
We had better be ready. Are you?
Hello Friends. I am so sorry I have not been here for the past few days.
I had some tech problems with my pc and after trying to work them out, finally figured out it was because someone was trying to hack into it, Thankfully, they did not get anything. I have to say that even though it is at times stressful to keep changing passwords (because I don't rely on programs that make them for me), and having to use virus protection, I am thankful that the banks and credit card companies that I use will lock even me out until suspicious activity issues are addressed. These people that do these things do not care who they take from nor how much they steal. I saw one report on this subject that while a lot of them are in other countries, they think they have a right to the money in America because we are rich here. While that is mostly true compared to many countries, most of us struggle to make ends meet and put food on the table. We work hard for the money we earn and we as Christians know that our blessings from God Himself and no one has a right to take them from us.
One last thing about this is that while these people are doing criminal things, we should be praying for them. One day they will bow their knees to a Holy God as we will, and wherever they end up after that, may be the same place as those that do not accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Well, have a great rest of your day. I probably won't be here tomorrow as my family will be coming over. God bless you and your family!
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