St. Bartholomew
Today we remember one of our Lord’s lesser known apostles – St. Bartholomew. His name is recorded in the lists of the apostles preserved for us in Holy Scripture. And just like Peter is also known as Simon, Bartholomew was evidently known also by another name – Nathanael.
The only thing we know for sure about Bartholomew/ Nathanael is about his call to come to Jesus. St. John records: “Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘The One Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets, too – we’ve found Him, Jesus, Joseph’s son from Nazareth.’ ‘Nazareth – can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked him. ‘Come and see!’ Philip told him. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him. ‘ Here’s a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit,’ Jesus said of him. ‘Where did You get to know me?’ Nathanael asked Him. ‘Before Philip called you,’ Jesus answered him, ‘when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ ‘Master, ‘ Nathanael answered Him, ‘You are God’s Son! You are Israel’s King!”
The only other thing we know of Bartholomew for sure is that Scripture records him being in the upper room with the rest of the Apostles between our Lord’s ascension and the day of Pentecost.
Where the Spirit led St. Bartholomew after the day of Pentecost, we are not sure. The Church historian Eusebius says that Bartholomew preached to the Arabians or possibly the Indians and translated Matthew’s Gospel into their language.
Another tradition says that in Albinopolis, a city of greater Armenia, after various persecutions, Bartholomew was beaten with staves, then crucified; and after that his skin was stripped off, and he was beheaded. The people of Armenia remember him as the apostle to them.
We keep in mind here that even though we don’t know for sure what happened to Bartholomew after Pentecost, the Lord knew; and St. Bartholomew’s work done for the Lord was not in vain.
We also clearly see in the example of St. Bartholomew's life, that Christians are not called to great earthly glory; instead we are called to, and certain of, heavenly glory.
This is the point of our text: “The disciples also started to quarrel among themselves as to which of them was considered the greatest.” This is so typical of the worldly way of thinking: What’s in it for me? We try to be the greatest, thinking “I’m number one”. We wrangling for positions of power and glory.
However, our call to be Christians is not for earthly honor and glory. Jesus knowing the quarreling among the disciples says to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over them and their rulers call themselves benefactors. With you it’s different.”
For the proper perspective, it’s vital that we remember precisely what we are—sinners. That’s why we’re Christians. By the work and power of the Holy Ghost we have come to recognize our sin, that by nature we are sinful and unclean and that we sin against God in thought, word and deed. We recognize that we cannot save ourselves, that by our works we have no hope of heaven because we have and continue to sin against God’s divine, holy will and majesty.
Since we recognize that we are lost, condemned sinners with the rest of humanity, where is there any room for boasting and pride? The only thing that each can say of himself is “I am the chief of sinners.” We have nothing to boast about before God. All we can do is to plead for His mercy, confessing our sins.
Even after the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts and we are Christians, our renewal in this life is incomplete. We are still saint and sinner at the same time.
As Christians, we struggle against sin. And even though we have the Holy Spirit in us leading, prompting, strengthening us, we still fail miserably and sin. How can we consider ourselves better than any other? Certainly we cannot consider ourselves spiritually/ morally greater. As we honestly consider who and what we are, sinners, how can we even think we are worthy of great glory before another? We are all sinners. We all need a Savior. Any honest look at ourselves in the mirror of God’s holy Law rules out us having a great earthly glory morally.
We know we are not called to earthly glory when we consider whose we are, namely Christ’s. “The kings of the nations lord it over them and their rulers call themselves benefactors. With you it’s different.” Jesus here is stating a truth of how things work in this sin corrupted world: here everything is based on authority and power. Once the rulers have exploited the people, they claim the title “Benefactor”. How corrupt! But they have their glory in the eyes of the world.
It’s different with the Christian because we belong to Christ and His kingdom is not of this world.In Christ’s kingdom, His Church, this is the rule: “You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus, because all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free person, no man or woman – you’re all one in Christ Jesus.” Since we are all one in Christ Jesus, none is before or after another. Especially as Christians there is to be seeking our own glory or greatness. That’s the worldly way, the worldly characteristic. When we remember whose we are, then we recognize that Jesus is the all in all. If we seek glory for ourselves, we are necessarily taking the glory from Christ.
Jesus then continues in our text: “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads should be like one who serves. Who is greater, the one who reclines to eat or the one who serves? Isn’t it the one who reclines to eat?” The greatest is to be like the youngest, that is, the most modest and helpful; and the one leading is the one who is serving. What the world around us despises – serving – is exalted; and what the world seeks after – greatness and leading – are despised. In Christ’s kingdom all is different.
Since the Christian will be serving and humble, we will never achieve greatness and glory in the eyes of the world. When we consider what we are called to do – namely, to serve – we remember that we will never achieve earthly glory.
What does this mean? –The Christian whom the Lord has blessed with tremendous gifts uses those gifts in service to His Lord, His Church, His fellow Christian. The gifts the Lord gives His Christians are not for their own self-aggrandizement and glory, but for serving others.
Today we remember St. Bartholomew; we remember that he had no earthly glory. He suffered greatly on account of his faith in Christ – even to the point of suffering a horrible death. As Christians we, too, are potentially called to this.
That then raises the question: Why go about not seeking earthly glory, serving others and suffering misfortune? Or as Peter asked elsewhere “Look: We gave up everything and followed You. So what will we get?” We Christians are not called to great earthly glory in a worldly kingdom but to heavenly glory in a heavenly kingdom.
How glorious this is, dear Christian! We are called to heavenly glory because we have been served by Christ. He says here: “But I am among you as one who serves,” or as He says elsewhere about Himself, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” The wonderful news here is that even though the disciples showed a worldly attitude and quarreled about which was the greatest, Jesus didn’t reject them as unworthy creatures but served them and because He served them He cheered them with a glorious promise of heavenly glory. In the same way He today cheers us, in the face of our sin, with the promise of heaven.
We have the wonderful and certain promise of heaven precisely because Jesus came and served us by giving up His heavenly glory, becoming true man, placing Himself under the Law to keep it for us as God demands, taking our sins upon Himself and suffering and dying for all our sins. He rose again from the dead on Easter morning and 40 days later ascended into heaven, opening the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Heaven is assured us, dear Christian, because Jesus came and served us. We know in the certainty of Spirit worked faith that as Jesus ascended into heaven and that we too will one day be with Him there soul and body. Yes, our great comfort is that we have been served by Christ.
Not only have we been served by Christ, but He continues to serve us. Jesus’ words in our text still apply to us today: “But I am among you as one who serves.” He is still serving us today.
The very fact that we are Christians shows us that Jesus served us by sending us His Holy Spirit to work faith in our hearts. Jesus came to us in the waters of holy Baptism, served us by saving us, working faith in our hearts, forgiving us our sin. He continues to come to us, in spite of our sin, or rather, precisely because of it, to forgive us our sin. He does so each time the Gospel is announced, such as in the absolution. He comes to serve us in a special way in Holy Communion, giving us the forgiveness of sin, as He gives us His very body and blood together with the bread and wine. In so many ways we are served by our Lord today, continually, with forgiveness of our sin, and eternal life.
He serves us as He preserves us in the faith during the many trials we endure on earth which attack faith. Was it easy for Bartholomew to go off to far lands, preach the Gospel and die in such gruesome fashion? Didn’t he surely endure many trials like St. Paul? Of course! But he remained in the faith because the Lord served Him by keeping Him in the faith. Jesus told the disciples in our text: “You have stood by Me in the troubles that have tested Me.” The same thing applies to us today –Jesus works through His Word and Sacrament to serve us, to strengthen and uphold us in the midst of earthly trial so that we remain faithful to Him.
Here is the wonderful thing: Jesus serves us in this way and then promises to give us the kingdom of heaven. By ourselves and our own workings and strivings, there’s no way that we could ever gain heaven, but in His love, grace, mercy toward us, it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom. “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.”
Here is the Christian’s true, heavenly glory we have been called to. What spiritual bliss of life in heaven in contrast to earthly glory. Though this special grace Jesus here describes belongs to His apostles, [sitting] on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel, we, too, after this earthly life will behold the face of God in eternal joy and bliss. Jesus describes in a picturesque way the great glory the apostles will enjoy: that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom. But also all believers will enjoy the blessings of eternal life – described like a spiritual and heavenly banquet and ruling over all our enemies – Sin, death, devil and hell. Later Jesus says, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Jesus’ victory is our victory! How blessed we are, dear Christian, for we haven’t been called to earthly glory but to heavenly glory and this. We can be certain of this heavenly glory because Jesus has served and is serving us. To Him be our eternal thanks, praise and glory. INJ Amen.