Call Upon Our Lives
On Wednesday (24 August) our liturgical calendar that we follow is set to recognise St Bartholomew, Apostle and Martyr. I want to begin by briefly profiling who St Bartholomew was, given that this beautiful sandstone church that we gather in for worship was named after him.
Bartholomew
So, who was Bartholomew? And why is he relevant? Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and early sources say he was also referred to as Nathaniel. Bartholomew hailed from Cana in Galilee and was martyred in Armenia for converting Polymius, King of Armenia, to Christianity. The name Bartholomew means Bar Talmai or the son of Talmai. We find Bartholomew mentioned in the three Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. In the Gospel of John, Bartholomew is identified as Nathaniel, a friend of Philip as we just heard of in the gospel account for today. A further mention of Bartholomew is made in the Acts of the Apostles.[1]
Biblical commentators have described Bartholomew as having a low profile. While not the only one of the twelve to live in relative obscurity, Bartholomew represents a quiet alternative to the more visible and vocal public witnesses frequently associated with the apostles. With such a low profile the commentators have implied that Bartholomew’s contributions may have been lost in archival care or scattered in upheavals that existed at the time. Were there deliberate acts to destroy his contributions because of jealousy or rival factions. Was Bartholomew someone who in fact did very little? Or was Bartholomew, the thoughtful one, prone to process his faith internally and intellectually, without a big fuss?[2] As I read and reflected about Bartholomew’s life over the last few weeks, I sense that he lived his life simply, meditatively and his call was to serve others.
Our Gospel Reading – John 1: 45-51
The essence of our Gospel reading is that of being called. Essentially, our Gospel reading focuses on the call of Nathaniel, shown in the interactions Nathaniel has with his friend, Philip and of course Jesus. I would like us this morning to consider our calling…
What is the call upon your life?
What is our calling to ministry, here at Alstonville Anglicans?
Or, more broadly speaking, as a Christian how do we exercise our call, use our gifts in the wider community?
My hope is as we explore this passage together, we will see that the individual circumstances we experience as part of our human nature, our humanity, that is, how we are made in the image of God can contribute to our calling when going about our lives.
Our opening verses show the interaction between Philip and Nathaniel. This interaction comes after Philip has been himself called by Jesus in Verses 43 and 44. Jesus’ invitation to Philip is to follow me! I get the sense that Philip is excited about his invitation, his call to follow Jesus. He wants to share this news. Philip has been described like Andrew as someone who cannot keep good news to himself, he needs to share it with others![3] So, we see Philip went and found his friend Nathaniel. Noting what Moses wrote in the law we see Phillip sharing with Nathaniel that we have found the One about whom the prophets spoke - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
What is Nathaniel’s response to all this?
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Not the most positive statement that can be made! Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
Why would he ask this?
Now for us, we know what the good is coming out of Nazareth because we live on this side of the resurrection. However, back in the time of this interaction between Philip and Nathaniel things were different. Nathaniel was contemptuous, he was well educated - there was nothing in the Old Testament which foretold that God's Chosen One should come from Nazareth. Nazareth was a quite undistinguished place back then. Nathaniel himself came from Cana, a Galilaean town, and in the country places, jealousy between town and town and rivalry between village and village, was notorious. Nathaniel's reaction was to declare that Nazareth was not the kind of place that anything good was likely to come out of. It was Nathaniel’s experience. It was Nathaniel’s knowledge of Nazareth. However, Philip was wise. He did not argue with his friend. He just simply said: “Come and see!”[4]
Come and see! Words used by Jesus in the previous chapter. Come and see! Another invitation… Philip wanted to show Nathaniel that things were different and would be different. Philip had come to know Jesus.
Nathaniel Meets Jesus
And so, Nathaniel came, and upon meeting Jesus, Jesus could see into Nathaniel's heart. Jesus says, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”[5] Nathaniel seems surprised by this, that upon meeting Jesus he would make such a statement. How do you know me? Jesus’ response was that he had already seen him under the fig tree.
Why a fig tree? In Jewish thought the fig tree always stood for peace. The Jewish idea of peace was a man could sit undisturbed under his own vine and fig tree. It was a place that was leafy and shady, and it was custom to sit and meditate. This is what Nathaniel had been doing! Nathaniel would sit and meditate, think through, and pray for the day when God’s Chosen One should come. Nathaniel would meditate on the promises of God. Upon meeting Jesus, Nathaniel now felt very strongly that Jesus had seen into the very depths of his heart. Nathaniel thought - Jesus knows me and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God and King of Israel.[6]
It is Nathaniel’s human nature, the practises that he applied in his everyday life that attracted Jesus’ attention. Yes, Nathaniel may have been initially critical about the good coming out of Nazareth, but Jesus still liked what he saw and called him. God wants Nathaniel to keep his humanness because he is made in the image of God. Nathaniel's heart was transformed.
People from the Bible
In the Bible we see other people who God has said keep your humanness. In all you do keep your humanity.
Think about Adam and Eve. God created them to till the garden. They chose to turn their back on God. God banished them from Eden – God did not stop them from tilling the garden, Instead God said it would be harder, God asked them to care for His creation. Keep your humanity.
Think about Abraham - Abram as he was. God went to him with a specific reason. God wanted to make Abram a great nation. He was a great man – a wealthy man. God wanted him to lead many people and do so by keeping his humanity!
Think about Sarah, who was eaves dropping near the tent when Abraham is told by three angels that Sarah would bear a child. Sarah laughs! God said you laughed! Sarah said I didn’t laugh. There is back and forth argument. God says call the child Isaac – which means laughter in Hebrew. Don’t lose your humanity!
Moses. Moses is out in the fields and is a stuttering shepherd. God says to him I will give you the words, but I need you to shepherd my people. Don’t lose your humanity!
Mary. Mary is a young teenager. God says to her I need you to be the mother of my Son. Mary is a faithful young woman who is curious and who says how can this be? God wants that curiosity in her so that she can raise Jesus to become the Son of God.
Jesus calls his disciples and tells the fisherman to become fishers of people, but don’t lose who you are as humans, become something more… Be disciples!
We are all humans! Therefore, we are all created in the image of God.
But God wants us to do something more… God wants us to become disciples. To become a disciple, we need to use Philip’s words, Jesus’s words, “Come and see!”
“Come and see!” How do we do that?
Application for us
For me, my knowledge of God grows as I am fed by his Word. Each day I am in the practice of reflecting on the verse of the day and going through a daily devotional. I experience God as I come forward to receive Communion at the Lord’s table. I also experience God as I interact with the people around me each day – family, friends, colleagues, students, strangers. Through these interactions love and care can be exercised, and the image of God is shown.
For us as Alstonville Anglicans, we say… Come as you! We welcome and invite humanity in all its forms and collectively minister love and care as we serve sharing the good life as disciples and followers of Jesus through corporate worship, the Op Shop, Play Place, Messy Church, the Community on the Verge (garden), Pastorally caring for others. Our humanity, our humanness, the ministry we do can then be extended into a community context as we connect with others in our midst.
Can I encourage each one of us not to lose our humanity, our humanness when carrying out the ministry we are called to do. They are important qualities that make us who we are and are part of our calling. God looks into the depths of our heart and uses these qualities just like He did with Nathaniel. God does not discriminate, but rather loves us. God knows our heart and guides us. God invites us to come and see! Out of this love we are made in the image of God to be His disciples to exercise ministry boldly, to exercise ministry quietly and without a big fuss in the world in which we live.
Amen.
Mark Stuckey LLM
[2] Portaro, S. (1998, p. 145) “Brightest and Best – A companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts” Cowley Publications
[3] Barclay, W. (1956, p.76) “The Gospel of John – Volume 1” The Daily Study Bible St Andrew’s Press, Edinburgh
[4] Barclay, W. (1956, p.76)
[5] John 1: 47 (NRSV)
[6] Barclay, W. (1956, p.77)