Bartholomew 2/07
John 1: 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 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." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
How do you qualify to be chosen to be a personal companion and confidant of God-in-the-Flesh? If you put the word “qualify” in the search block of an internet search engine and you can get 195 million results or more. What kinds of things do we have to qualify for? Jobs, mortgages, credit cards, athletic competitions, schools, benefits, loans, health plans, tax credits, insurance, participation in certain sales or auctions, clubs, associations, and the list goes on and on – literally thousands of areas in life where there is a list of characteristics, traits, or conditions that we have to meet in order to “qualify” for something. So, how do you qualify to be chosen to be a personal companion and confidant of God-in-the-Flesh? You don’t – you don’t qualify. You can’t qualify. The most amazing position that anyone could have and hold is impossible to qualify for. So, how did these twelve men get to be in the position we find them in ? They got into that position because Jesus chose them.
We’ve been looking at these men whom Jesus chose to be with Him in the closest and most personal of ways; to learn from Him, to be helpers to Him in teaching the world about the good news of the kingdom of God, to be the ambassadors of God to the world. So far we’ve seen that they all had a lot wrong with them, a lot to disqualify them. Yet, Jesus chose them anyway. This is where we get our own encouragement. None of us has a single qualification for being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He has chosen us, saved us, sanctified us, gifted us, and then commissioned us – . Just like with the Twelve, He takes the raw materials of a willing heart – which could be the only qualification we can bring, except that even a willing heart is something that is given us by Him – and qualifies that person, molding and shaping their character in the process. As we have also seen, Jesus refines those raw materials, purifying them like silver; but He doesn’t remove those qualities.
Peter was a man who was a strong, bold, take-charge kind of guy who was always in the middle of things; a man who was dynamic in every area of his life and who was a natural-born leader. Peter who would act and speak without thinking because he was one to always take the initiative and not sit around waiting for someone else to make things happen. He could confront and rebuke and be confronted and rebuked – he was teachable, even in his desire to be in command. He had a love for God and a love for Jesus Christ that was bottomless. Jesus took his weaknesses and used him to lead the early Church and ensure its survival.
Andrew, everybody’s friend, was quiet and unassuming, gentle and inconspicuous, someone who would never speak boldly to crowds , but Jesus used him to be the bridge between people and Jesus Christ like none of the others could be. His seeming weaknesses Jesus turned into strengths.
James, Son of Thunder, the man who everyone wanted to shut-up, was a man who was uncompromising in his zealous love of Jesus Christ and in his willingness to speak the truth no matter what it cost him. His single-mindedness helped strengthen the others when they came under persecution.
Then there was John, the beloved disciple, the one who had a love for the truth and a heart for making sure that others knew about the love of God . Jesus took his single-mindedness and energetic devotion to the truth of God and transformed him into the second-greatest contributor to the Christian faith and to Christian doctrine recorded for us in the Bible.
Today we look at :Nathanael when we first meet him along with Phillip in John 1:43-46. Great things come from the strangest places – much to the amazement of Nathanael who is introduced to the disciples by Philip. But who is Nathaneal? I ask the question because, as many of you would have noticed, Nathaneal was not mentioned among the list of twelve disciples in Matthew 10:1-5. What we need to realise is that some of the disciples have two, or even three, names. In this case Nathaneal is the same person as Bartholomew. Bartholomew is not even a name. Bartholomew means: Bar is the Hebrew word for son and tholomew is the word for Tolmai. (or, Ptolemy) –hence Bartholomew , his name was Nathanael Bartholomew since “Bar” means “son of” make Bartholomew the equivalent of "son of Tolmai”. So when we talk about Nathanael or Bartholemew we are talking about the same person. It is this person who is coming to the realisation that great things can come from strange place. Remember that Phillip has just told his best friend that they have found the Messiah, and that it is Jesus of Nazareth. Bartholomew’s response is one of ridicule; “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael displayed a certain degree of prejudice when he says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And his prejudiced comment has been recorded for all time. Why would Jesus choose a man who was a bigot and who was prejudiced against Him from the outset simply because of where He comes from?
No one is sure what the extent of the prejudice was. It could have been contempt for Nazareth, as Nate was from a neighboring town. (Rivalries often exist between neighboring towns.) It could have been from the fact that Nazareth was nothing special. It was a very mediocre town. Notice that Philip didn’t argue or debate with Nate. He didn’t try to persuade him. He simply said, “Come and see.”
Noted NT scholar, Wm. Barclay wrote, “Not very many people have ever been argued into Christianity. Often our arguments do more harm than good. The only way to convince a man of the supremacy of Christ is to confront him with Christ.”
Don’t try to convince people to follow Jesus through reasoned debate. Don’t try to argue people into faith. Show them Jesus in your life. Nate doesn’t allow his prejudice to cloud his vision. He goes to see Jesus. And why would Nathanael, be so hateful toward Nazareth? Part of it, I think, is that he, too, knew the prophecies of the Old Testament and knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem in Judea, not come from some town in Mobile Home-ville Galilee. There have been many statements made through out history by the so-called experts over the years, which when looking back have been proven wrong badly. (NOTE: These and many more can be found at http://www.permanent.com/quotes.htm)
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), maker of big business mainframe computers, arguing against the PC,in 1977 said,"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
The President of Decca Records, rejecting The Beatles after an audition in 1962, said "We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out anyway."
IBM, to the eventual founders of Xerox, saying the photocopier had no market large enough to justify production, in 1959 said, "The world potential market for copying machines is 5000 at most."
Jim Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, said to a young manin 1954, "You ain’t going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck." At the time, firing Elvis Presley seemed like a good idea.
Mary Somerville, pioneer of radio educational broadcasts, said in 1948, "Television won’t last. It’s a flash in the pan."
The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said in 1939, "Atomic energy might be as good as our present-day explosives, but it is unlikely to produce anything very much more dangerous."
Tris Speaker, baseball expert, was talking about Babe Ruth in 1919when he said,"Taking the best left-handed pitcher in baseball and converting him into a right fielder is one of the dumbest things I ever heard."
Rutherford B. Hayes, U.S. President, after a demonstration of Alexander Bell’s telephone in 1872, said, "It’s a great invention but who would want to use it anyway?
‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. Now why would he say such a thing? It’s because Nazareth was not considered a very significant place. It is not mentioned at all in the Old Testament. There are no prophecies linking the Messiah with Galilee, much less with Nazareth. The town was not known for great minds or great abilities. In his response you discover Nathanael knows the Bible extremely well. Philip says we found the Messiah,Jesus, and he identifies him as Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Well, the son of Joseph is not the problem because everyone referred to who your physical parents are or who your human parents are (the human perspective, who your parent might be -- it is not a denial of the virgin birth) but the Jesus of Nazareth part- that is what got Nathanael.
There are 456 Old Testament prophecies and, what’s amazing is that he knows every one of them to the degree that he quickly he makes a snap judgment. Philip said ‘Nazareth’ and in Nathanael’s mind he is thinking ‘Nazareth-there is no connection with the Messiah and Nazareth.’ Now, how would he know this? Well, he has been studying it. It was a hot topic then, which is not surprising. I mean, isn’t it true; the second coming is a hot topic today? People just love studying about it. You have a class on the second coming; boom, it’s filled! You have a class on the Book of Revelation; boom, people would love to come. Well, if that’s true today, how much more true was it about Jesus’ first coming? Did people study it? Was it really a hot topic of the day? Well apparently it was, and Nathanael knew that Nazareth and the Messiah had no connection; it is not possible. Did you know that? Did you know there is no connection between the Messiah and Nazareth? How well do you know the Bible? Nathanael knew the Bible. Philip said he is “Jesus of Nazareth.” He is actually from Bethlehem. He grew up in Nazareth, but he is not from Nazareth. His origin is Bethlehem. Nothing special was ever expected to come from Nazareth … certainty not the Messiah. So Nathanael had good reason to be sceptical. However his skepticism is outweighed by curiosity. Notice what Jesus says when Phillip brings Bartholomew to meet Him and the brief conversation they have as a result of it: “’Behold, an Israelite indeed,iin whom there is no guile!’ Nathanael (Bartholomew) said to Him , ‘How do You know me?’Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Phillip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael (Bartholomew) answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.’”
Jesus is amazed at how easily Bartholomew believes in Him and accepts Him for who He is. He even comments on it. Jesus gives Bartholomew one of the greatest compliments He could give to a Jew of that day or any other – a true Israelite, in whom is no guile. Guile is deviousness, deceitfulness, trickiness, cunning,craftiness, slyness and characteristics of that sort. Nathanael must have gotten the shock of his life, “This man knows what I’m thinking … I wonder if He knows what I just said about Him?”. But Jesus isn’t worried about a few words, Jesus wants to focus on the character of this man. As a “true Israelite” Nathanael didn’t just read the Word of God, he lived it. Which is a great trait because there were many who were Israelites in name only:
• They offered sacrifices of repentance; but were not willing to change their lives.
• They came to the temple to worship; but it was a hollow ritual.
• In public they were praised; in private they were ungodly.
• Circumcision meant they looked like Israelites; but their hearts were far from God.Israelites in name only. Many were like that … but not Nathanael. He was a man who feared God, a man of integrity. His heart gave a testimony to God. That is why Jesus continues to describe him as one in whom there is nothing false.Falseness brings to mind a picture of deception or hypocrisy … and Nathanael was neither. Nathanael was straightforward – a man that people respected because when you spoke to him you knew you were getting the plain truth.
“Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false”. That’s a huge compliment – especially when it comes from the mouth of the Son of God. It’s also a compliment that challenges us. It challenges us to think about the type of disciples Jesus needs. Jesus needs disciples who are true to their heart. Hypocrites are so easy to spot … so are those who exaggerate the truth. When we meet such people we often switch off … or find conversation elsewhere. But, when we find people of integrity … up-front and honest … well when that happens we warm to them don’t we. As disciples of Jesus we want people to warm to us. Spreading the Gospel is hard enough as it is without making people switch off because of our character. So we need to be people of integrity and honesty. True believers in whom there is no falseness.We need to be this kind of person because the Gospel we are sharing contains some pretty incredible claims:- Jesus saw right into the man’s heart and knew that there was none of that in him. Could that really be so? As far as was humanly possible, yes.
Jesus had seen Bartholomew ‘sitting under the fig tree’. This isn’t just a reference to what Jesus physically saw This is also a reference to the kind of life Bartholomew was devoted to.In the days of Jesus the fig-tree often symbolised fruitfulness and spiritual fullness. remember when Jesus cursed the fig-tree because it had no fruit. He didn’t do that because He was angry with the tree – He did it because the fruitless tree reminded Him of a spiritually fruitless nation. When Jesus refers to the fig-tree he is pointing to the fact that Nathanael was a man who desired a closer walk with the Lord. The fig tree was a refuge for people who lived in one-room homes. The fig tree was a place of prayer and meditation. It is what we would call a prayer closet. Would Jesus say to you, “I saw you in your prayer closet”? Jesus is saying to Nathanael … “I know the real you”. Jesus says just as much to us … “I know the real you”.Knowledge of what happens under the fig tree means Jesus knows Nathanael’s desires and what drives him. Jesus recognized this about Bartholomew, and He called him to be one of the Twelve.
Bartholomew is the forerunner of the great men and women of the faith that will come after him whose lives will be so focused on heaven and the things of God that they will have qualities the rest of us struggle to gain. The Bartholomew’s of this world are the ones who write the great inspirational works of the faith that show the rest of us what it is to be untainted by the world we live in. They inspire us to be more Christ-like. It is the Bartholomew’s of the faith who become the ones we can easily see as “saints. Bartholomew shows us that no matter what raw materials we are made of, it is the calling by Jesus Christ that makes us more than we are and qualifies us to be servants of the Most High.
May we all one day hear Jesus say to us, “Behold, a Christian indeed in whom there is no guile.”
Jesus is amazed at how easily Bartholomew believes in Him and accepts Him for who He is. He even comments on it. Then Jesus promises this man of simple, guileless faith that he is going to see greater and more wonderful things than he has already been able to perceive. “Come and see” was the invitation. Nathanael came … and saw … and he believed. He is just so amazed at what Jesus has done. Then Jesus does raises the stakesa little more. “You think seeing you under a fig-tree is impressive … well you ain’t seen nothing yet!”. "You shall see greater things," Jesus promised Nathanael. "You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man". Jesus promises Bartholomew that he is going to be witness to visions like that of Jacob when he saw the ladder going up into heaven, as recorded for us in Genesis 28:10-22.
. Yet they are great things which he here foretels: You shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. What does this mean? Some understand it literally, as pointing at some particular event. Either (a) There was some vision of Christ’s glory, in which this was exactly fulfilled, which Nathanael was an eye-witness of, as Peter, and James, and John were of his transfiguration. There were many things which Christ did, and those in the presence of his disciples, which were not written (ch. 20:30), and why not this?
Or, [ b. ] It was fulfilled in the many ministrations of the angels to our Lord Jesus, especially that at his ascension, when heaven was opened to receive him, and the angels ascended and descended, to attend him and to do him honour, and this in the sight of the disciples. Christ’s ascension was the great proof of his mission, and much confirmed the faith of his disciples, ch. 6:62.
Or, [ c. ] It may refer to Christ’s second coming, to judge the world, when the heavens shall be open, and every eye shall see him, and the angels of God shall ascend and descend about him, as attendants on him, every one employed; and a busy day it will be.
Greater things Nathanael did see. He saw lepers cleaned of their illness. He saw the blind healed, the lame walk, the deaf hear. He saw the dead brought back to life. He saw the empty tomb when a body should have been there. He met Jesus on the beach when He should have been dead. Sin was paid for, death conquered, heaven opened.
A.W. Tozer said this: “The widest thing in the universe is not space; it is the potential capacity of the human heart. Being made in the image of God, it is capable of almost unlimited extension in all directions. And one of the world’s greatest tragedies is that we allow our hearts to shrink until there is room in them for little besides ourselves.”
