Bartholomew’s name appears only four times in the New Testament, and each time it is in one of the lists of the apostles.  This would seem to indicate that we know very little about this man, but that is not necessarily true.  By investigating a little further into the matter we can learn much.  In the lists of the apostles found in Matthew and in Mark, Bartholomew is paired with Philip.  In the gospel according to John, nothing is said of the apostle Bartholomew.  However, we do find John mentioning someone in connection with Philip, and that person’s name is Nathanael.  Let’s look a bit more closely.

            In John 21:1-2 we find, “After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise showed he himself.  There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, having two other of his disciples.”  First, we see from this passage that like all of the apostles, except Judas Iscariot, Nathanael was a Galilean.  Secondly, we find that he, like the other apostles, was a witness of the resurrected Christ.  A third interesting fact has to do with the name Bartholomew -- it is not what we would call a “first name”; it is a last name.  Bartholomew means “son of Tolmai.”  These considerations had led many scholars to identify Bartholomew with Nathanael – making his name Nathanael Bartholomew – or Nathanael, son of Tolmai.  About Nathanael we can ascertain much from the scriptures.

            In John 1:44-51 we read, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.   And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?  Philip saith unto him, Come and see.  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, as Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me?  Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

            Let’s notice a few things.  Nathanael was brought to the Lord by someone else, a follower of Jesus.  That can be said of all who are Christians.  Someone cared enough and was faithful enough to tell us about the Lord.  This emphasizes our need to do the same, care enough and be faithful enough to tell someone about Jesus.  We might also note that Nathanael’s belief and commitment were not based merely on Philip’s opinion.  Remember that he said, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”  Perhaps that appears to be an unreasonable bias, but what sets Nathanael apart is that when Philip said, “Come and see”, Nathanael went and saw.  A lot of people allow their bias and previously held notions keep them from investigating the truth.  Not Nathanael.  Jesus even said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.”  When Nathanael recognized that Jesus possessed supernatural knowledge, his conclusion was, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel

            Jesus told him that he would see greater things than these.  If my understanding that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same person, then Nathanael walked with Jesus through His earthly ministry.  He saw Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, calm the sea, and raise the dead.  He had his confession of faith so profoundly confirmed by the Lord’s resurrection.

            So the picture is that of a simple man, possessed with a deep honesty and integrity, willing to investigate for himself and make an honest evaluation.  Once having made that evaluation, he was willing to commit to it and live by it.  I don’t know that a person could do much better than that.”

                                                                        Greg Litmer

VALENTINE’S DAY

            According to Wikipedia, “Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14.  In North America and Europe, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine’s cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionary.  The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine.  The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.”

            Regardless of the origin of the holiday, and some would go even further back to certain ancient fertility rites to find the seeds of its beginning, we all recognize that February 14 has become an important mid-winter day.  It is a good time to show your love and appreciation to your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse.  I say “in a special way” because love and appreciation should be shown everyday, but a particular day set aside to focus upon something that is so important is nice.

            Isn’t it wonderful to have a mate?  In the account of creation in Genesis 1 & 2 we find statements that can help us to appreciate what we have if we have a spouse or special friend of the opposite sex.  In Genesis 1:31 we find, “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” However, as we move over into chapter 2, we find one thing that God saw that was not good.  In verse 18, we read, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”  Moving down to 21-22 we are told, “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.”

            The woman was created to be a help “meet” for man.  She was created to be a companion, suitable in every way to complement man.  It is obvious that man is thus compatible with the woman as they are meant to walk hand in hand together, supporting and complementing one another in this incredible journey called life.  God created men and women to be monogamous -- one man and one woman to be joined together for life.  Take time to let that special person know how much you care for them.  At the same time, make certain that you remember to thank God for His plan and for the wonderful person that He blessed you with.

                                    Greg Litmer