The Simple, Deceitless Faith of Saint Bartholomew

Saint Bartholomew is one of Christ’s twelve apostles whose story leaves us with more questions than answers. He is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke by the name Bartholomew. Bartholomew is a patronymic meaning “son of Tolmar,” which leaves one wondering about his personal name. The Gospel of John, though, never refers to the twelfth apostle by the name Bartholomew. The absence is startling, but it doesn’t take much to draw the lines to the disciple whom John refers to as Nathanael. 

Nathanael’s story falls at the tail end of all the disciples’ call stories in the first chapter of John’s Gospel, specifically, right after Jesus calls Philip. Christ finds Philip, and according to John, simply says to him, “Follow me.” Philip follows. Then he goes out to find Nathanael and tells him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 

Nathanael responds with skepticism. Really, Nazareth, what good can come from that little place? But Philip commands him to “Come and see.” Right after Nathanael goes with Philip, Jesus greets him with a compliment, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” But Nathanael doesn’t immediately accept this. How does Jesus know anything about him? They have never met in Nathanael’s knowledge. Jesus then startles Nathanael by saying that he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. Nathanael immediately believes, stating, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel!” Jesus responds to this quick yet whole belief by telling Nathanael that he will see greater things than Jesus’ knowledge of him under the fig tree. He will even see the angels descending and ascending to the Son of Man.

This story always makes me wonder what was happening under that fig tree. Was it so remote that no one could have seen him? Was Nathanael deep in prayer, asking for the Messiah? What was it about that moment that was so significant that he knew Jesus mentioning it meant that Jesus was the Messiah? There is something mysterious and at the same time simple about Bartholomew/Nathanael’s conversion. This deceitless man hears a few lines, and then he becomes a disciple. He doesn’t need elaborate proof or stunning intellectual discourse. He simply knows that he has been seen, and somehow being known makes him sure that he too can know.  He knows that Jesus is the one they have all been waiting for. This changes everything.

We don’t hear any other individual accounts of Bartholomew/Nathanael in the gospels. But around 300 years after Bartholomew’s conversion, Eusebius tells the story of St. Pantaenus of Alexandra going to India. This may refer to an area in Arabia or Ethiopia, or somewhere else in Asia Minor, and not what we think of as the modern state of India. When Pantaenus arrives in India, he finds people who already believe in Christ. The people have a Hebrew copy of the Gospel of Matthew that Bartholomew gave them.  

In the sixteenth century, Cardinal Baronius shared that Bartholomew died a martyr, being flayed alive and then beheaded. His grizzly death led him to later become the patron of leatherworkers, tanners, butchers, and bookbinders.  

On the Feast Day of Saint Bartholomew, may we be encouraged by the guileless nature of this disciple and, like him, believe simply. May our belief naturally lead us to share the Good News of the Gospel.  And may we, like Batholomew, be willing to lay down all that we are and have for the sake of Christ.

Five things to do on Saint Bartholomew’s Day 

1. Read John 1:43-51.
2. Spend time praying for simple and deceitless faith; ideally under a tree.
3. Eat fresh figs and goat cheese. (Substitute fig jam if you can’t find fresh figs.)
4. Share the Gospel with someone through written or spoken word.  
5. Pray Bartholomew’s Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach your Word: Grant that your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.  Amen.