Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles that Jesus called unto himself to follow him. Very little is said about him, as the name "Bartholomew" is only mentioned four times in all of scripture. And of those four times, he is only found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The name Bartholomew does not appear in the Gospel of John at all. However, it is likely that he is referred to as “Nathanael” in the Gospel of John, as both names are used in the company of the Apostle Philip. The name Bartholomew means "son of Tolmai", while the name Nathanael means "gift of God.” Since the Gospel of John was written many years after the events of Jesus’ ministry, it is amazing to see that before Christ, Bartholomew was just the son of Tolmai. But after spending years with Jesus and looking back on John and Bartholomew's time in ministry together, he was not just someone's son, but rather he became a gift of God. Will that be your testimony in thirty years? Will you just be the son or daughter of your father, or will you be the gift of God in someone else's life?
The first account that we see of Bartholomew is when Philip told him that he had found the Christ, the one that Moses and the prophets had prophesied would come (Jn 1:45). Moses had promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 that God would raise up another Prophet from among the Jews that was like Moses. The Jews were aware and actively looking for this Prophet. That is why the priests and Levites inquired about who John the Baptist was – they asked him, "Art thou that prophet?" (Jn 1:21). In response to Philip’s message, Bartholomew's first reaction was disbelief, especially due to the fact that nothing of significance could come from a town like Nazareth.
I grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, and it was often referred to as "sewer city" because of the water treatment and pork processing plants near the interstate that gave it – let’s call it – a unique smell, given a strong enough breeze at the right time of day. When I tell people where I am from, I know if they have ever driven through Sioux City because they will often make note of the smell. Even now, people make assumptions about someone based on where they are from. I am ashamed that I have done this with people visiting from other parts of the country or other parts of the world. It appears that this tendency to make assumptions based on stereotypes existed even when Christ walked the earth! Because the first thing that Bartholomew says to Philip is, "that cannot be the case because nothing good comes from Nazareth." But Bartholomew could not be more wrong. Our Savior and only hope did indeed grow up in Nazareth.
1 Corinthians 1:27 tells us that God uses the foolish and weak things of the world to confound the wise. If I were to pick where a king would come from, it would not be from a small town, but the capital or some other stronghold of an empire. And with that being said, indeed, God's ways are not like our ways (Isa 55:8).
Upon hearing Bartholomew's doubtful response to where Jesus was from, Jesus responded to his question by proving who he was. Jesus told Bartholomew something only the Son of God could know. Is it not wonderful to know that Jesus will meet you where you are? Are you skeptical of Jesus? Let the Son of God speak to you to prove who he is. Not only does Jesus tell Bartholomew something only God could have known, but he also makes a promise to Bartholomew that he will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man! What a promise (Jn 1:51)!
After this initial calling of Bartholomew, we find him to be faithful to follow and obey Christ all the way to the cross and beyond. He is listed in both the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 10:1-7) and the Gospel of Mark (Mk 3:14-18) as being sent out to preach. Bartholomew was listed with the rest of the disciples when the resurrected Christ was taken up into a cloud, and they returned to Jerusalem and went into the upper room (Acts 1:13). Nothing is recorded specifically of Bartholomew after this meeting, but there is a long tradition that says that he headed west to be a missionary to India. The fourth century Christian historian (and father of Church History), Eusebius of Caesarea, recorded that Bartholomew had gone to India and took the Gospel of Matthew with him. Tradition also tells us that Bartholomew was martyred for his faith in India. There are several varying accounts, but the most common is that his skinned was flayed off of his body to torture him and then he was beheaded.
Bartholomew was a man that met Jesus because his friend Philip wanted him to know Christ. At first, he was skeptical that Christ could be the Prophet based on his origins alone. Despite this, Jesus had the patience to prove himself to Bartholomew. As a result, Bartholomew became a follower of Jesus Christ for the rest of his life, ultimately leading him to go to a place he otherwise would not have gone. As exemplified by Bartholomew, no matter where we are in life, the key to moving forward is following Christ wherever he leads us.
Guy Bailey is a discipler and service team leader at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO.