Title: The Honest: Bartholomew (John 01:43-51)
Contents 1. The disciple under the fig tree
For those living in Galilee, the fig tree was a kind of personal resting place.
The fig tree grows to a height of about 4 m and its branches cover 7 m in all directions.
Most houses had only one room, so those who wanted to be quiet spent some private time in the shade of the fig tree.
2. Meaning of name (Batholomew Nathanael)1) Bartholomew was named after a royal family, but in reality, he was not a noble person.
It means son of Dolome.
2) Nathanael It means “gift of God,” and it must have been made by Jesus as in the case of the other disciples.
3. Why do you think Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person?
Matthew, Luke, Mark, and Acts all mention Bartholomew as the sixth or seventh of the twelve apostles, but they do not refer to him as Nathanael (Matthew 10:3/Mark 3:18/Luke 6:14/Acts 1:13). ).
The Gospel of John does not say Bartholomew, but includes Nathanael as one of the apostles (John 1:45-51), and says that he became an apostle as a fisherman from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2).
If both Bartholomew and Nathanael were among the twelve, they should be referred to as the same person.
The relationship between Nathanael (Bartholomew) and Philip is very close, but there is a focus of the problem.
If you look at the list of men mentioned earlier, Bartholomew is always paired with Philip in three places.
John says that Nathanael (Bartholomew) and Philip were friends, and that Philip took Nathanael to Jesus.
Main subject
1. Nathanael searched the Bible.
1) Nathanael meditated.
Seeing Nathanael under the fig tree, Jesus said, “I saw you alone studying, praying and meditating in a quiet place.”
Friends found him under the fig tree in the garden when he wasn't in the boat.
Jesus knew that Nathanael was a man of faith.
An honest heart that does not sin comes from Nathanael's habit of meditating under the fig tree.
This quiet meditation refreshed Nathanael's spirit and strengthened his character.
(Yes)
We live in a noisy era.
Teenagers turn on the radio and tape recorders for deaf ears, and adults turn on the TV as soon as they get home.
We also live in a very busy world.
Some people have been sarcastic, saying, "What we need is a sports car and a rocking chair that can run at a speed of more than 100 km/h."
In the words of Nathanael's time, we desperately need a fig tree.
Everyone should have a place to think quietly and pray.
Isaac went out into the field in the middle of the night.
Elijah was friendly with God in the cave.
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the Confessions, it is written that Augustine sought a secret place after living in hiding from God for a long time, and after being held in God's hand.
He recorded the process as follows:
“I was thrown under a fig tree. I don't know what the hell happened. Tears flowed out like a flood. After hearing the word of God, I repented greatly.”
2) Nathanael prayed.
The shade of the fig tree was the place where Nathanael prayed.
Prayer, the most powerful force in the world, enables us to be with God and helps us realize that God's power can save a desperate world.
But Christians are failing to use the power of God.
In order to have a thorough and extensive prayer life, you need the subject of prayer and a secret place where you can pray without interruption.
Some people prepare an empty room as a place of prayer, while others block the walls of the prayer room so that they can commune with God in a quiet atmosphere.
3) Nathanael studied the Bible.
Nathanael studied the Bible with more than zeal to meditate and pray.
He studied the Old Testament to find the promise of the Messiah.
After Philip met Jesus, he went to Nathanael and said, “We have found the man whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45).
Philip's words imply that he spent much time studying the Law and the Prophets in search of the Messiah.
When Philip visits Nathanael's house, he opens the Old Testament under the fig tree and contemplates the coming of the Messiah.
Because the Bible is the world's best-selling book, I read it out of sheer curiosity.
We read the Bible because of its literary value, and we also read it because it helps us understand our culture. However, the most important reason to read the Bible is that the Word of God, the mediator and Redeemer, is the Bible.
Jesus said, “You search the scriptures, thinking that you have eternal life, and these are the scriptures that testify of me” (John 5:39).
Like Simeon and Anna, Nathanael believed in the Messiah's promise.
Because Nathanael looked for Christ by reading the Bible, he could immediately know that he was the Son of God when Christ came.
2. Nathanael was a skeptic.
To Philip, who eagerly explains that he had met the Messiah, Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
Studying the Bible, Nathanael did not expect that a Savior would come from Nazareth.
Will the great conqueror in royal robes come from the capital city of Jerusalem?
Or will the conqueror come from Bethlehem, which Micah prophesied as the birthplace of the Messiah?
It is likely that Nathanael and the other disciples understood Nazareth's background to Jesus after they learned of the Old Testament prophecies of the resurrection and the Upper Room (Matthew 2:23/Luke 24:44-48).
Nathanael was skeptical and honest.
As Nathanael studied the Bible, she received no hint of the coming of the Messiah from Nazareth.
So many people have a prejudice against Christianity because they do not have a proper knowledge of the Bible. They cannot read the Bible correctly, nor do they interpret it correctly, and they draw and interpret the Bible only for their own justification.
Honest skepticism opens wide the way to light and truth.
Two years after Nathanael's resolution, Jesus' enemies said, "Are you also from Galilee?
No prophet is born out of Galilee” (John 7:52).
Their prejudices overshadowed the person and majesty of Jesus and led the people to deny Him.
But, on the other hand, Nathanael's honest skepticism has opened the way for further exploration and search for light.
His openness to his sincere honest heart wanted him to go and see for himself.
3. Nathanael's Great Discovery
The two went to the place where Philip had separated from Jesus.
Philip was fussed inside, and Nathanael was a little excited, then startled.
The Gospel of John records, "When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said to him, "Behold, this is a true Israelite, and there is no deceit in him" (John 1:47).
The figure of Nathanael is clearly revealed in these words.
1) Nathanael was a true Israelite.
There are two kinds of seed in Israel, Paul taught (Romans 9:6-8), one of the children of the flesh and the other of the children of God, the children of the covenant.
The seeds of the flesh did not have the same spiritual faith as their forefathers who believed and acted in Abraham and eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah before Christ.
Jesus placed Nathanael of the spiritual seed. “Behold, this is a true Israelite” refers not only to the flesh, but also to the people of Israel that God wants them to be true believers and to live with God spiritually.
2) There was no deceit in Nathanael.
Unlike other Israelites, Nathanael did not inherit the blood of cunning or deceit.
Since there was no hypocrisy and no cunning, his personality was as clear as clear water.
He did not psychologically analyze any words, nor did he seek hidden motives.
His naive personality allowed people to take advantage of him and even deceive him.
However, his fortune entering the kingdom of heaven led him to an indescribably precious jewel (Jesus).
Jesus, who was angry and rebuked at the cunning and hypocrisy of the Pharisees, did not deceive Nathanael's character and praised him for having no hidden motive.
Nathanael was impressed.
While asking Jesus a question, his doubts completely disappeared.
Confused, Nathanael frankly asked, “How do you know me?” (John 1:48)
The Messiah's original answer, "Before Philip called you, I saw you while you were under the fig tree" (1:48) answered the question.
Nathanael confidently said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, and you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49).
It may not be as significant as in the case of Peter or Thomas, but it was a wonderful confession of faith (Matt. 16:16/John 20:28).
Nathanael was a model of a sincere person who believed in Christ after having prejudice, and had skepticism and conviction.
4. Nathanael was fully enlightened.
Together with the disciples, they saw and heard Jesus perform miracles, forgive those who sinned, and speak words that are overflowing with grace.
When a miracle was fulfilled, another miracle was fulfilled.
Hearing the deaf, the blind open their eyes, the dumb speak, the lepers are cleansed and the great crowds eat, the storm slept, the dead are raised.
At times, bewildered, he realized that he was walking and eating before the Son of God.
When the night of betrayal came, Jesus was arrested, suffered, and was finally crucified.
The miracle of the resurrection of Jesus, who rose from the dead, touched their hearts deeply and became an opportunity to accelerate a new life in which they decided to preach God's message to the end of the world.
Nathanael realized that Jesus was the ladder connecting the earth and the heavens, and that this ladder would bring sinners into reconciliation with a holy God.
5. Life
It is said that Nathanael preached the gospel in Phrygia, Heraholis, Armenia and India.
According to one legend, he preached in Armenia, where idolatry is high for 16 years, and then he was beaten with a club, his skin was removed, his head was dropped from a cross, and his body was tied up in a sack and thrown into the sea.
Afterwards, his body was moved to Beneventum, Italy, where his memorial sanctuary was later built on Tiber Island