The Feast of Bartholomew the Apostle
By Jeff Bisgrove
Saint Bartholomew by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1657. From the Timken Museum San Diego CA
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit” - John 1:47 (ESV)
He (Jesus) said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:7-8 (ESV)
St. Bartholomew’s feast day is upon us and one might ask - who the heck is St. Bartholomew and why does he have a feast in the Anglican tradition? I must admit, before I started doing a little digging for this article, I had no idea myself. The only other “Bart” I knew was an annoying little guy always getting on the wrong side of Homer Simpson.
St. Bartholomew was one of Jesus’s original 12 disciples, referred to as Nathanael in the book of John, but referred to as Bartholomew in other places like Acts. After the Ascension of Jesus, Bartholomew did not stay in Israel, but rather he traveled to spread the Gospel. Like many things from 2000 years ago, evidence of his life is slim and debated, but according to two pillars of the ancient Christian Faith, (Eusebius ~300 AD who was an early Bishop, and Jerome ~350 AD who translated the Bible into Latin - Vulgate) St. Bartholomew went to India to spread the Gospel before he (along with fellow apostle Jude) converted Armenia to Christianity in the first century AD. Tradition has him martyred in Armenia for having the audacity to convert the King. He was flayed and beheaded. Fairly ugly spectacle.
After spending some time learning about this “Bart”, I spent some time in prayer and thought. What relevance does St. Bartholomew have after two millennia since his death? Looking through the various depictions of him, I came across the one above. A Rembrandt. There were many that showed his martyrdom - showing people being flayed seemed popular in the Middle Ages. However, this one really struck me.
First, it is a Rembrandt and I love his work. If you see one of his works, you will identify others very easily - they are uniquely striking. But there is more. In this image, Rembrandt shows St. Bartholomew looking into the distance. He holds a knife - the symbol of flaying. The caption that the museum which is associated with this artwork uses says his faraway look is St. Bartholomew contemplating his gruesome death by flaying yet to come - the flaying symbolized by the knife in his hand. However, I think they are wrong. St. Bartholomew is ignoring the knife to look into the distance at the lands that need to hear the good news — lands foreign and scary and unknown; but also lands filled with God's people who desperately need to hear about Jesus. Here is a man whom Jesus called “A true Israelite” leaving completely the comfort of the known Israeli world to travel to places like India, which at the time was truly, “the ends of the earth”. St. Bartholomew followed where Jesus told him to go. Our culture sees the death - St. Bartholomew sees the life that comes from the Gospel.
For me, this is a reminder to focus on God and see His plan for us. Not the knives of this world. Seek not the comfort (nor dwell on the potential pains) of this world - but rather seek the face of the Father and his plan for us.
Questions:
Where do you think you are focusing too much on the “knives” of this world so that it keeps you from hearing God more deeply?
Where do you think a particular “comfort” is interfering with hearing God?
How might you take a step into something new with God — something different from what you are used to.
Collect:
Lord God - please guide me to seek the things of your world and not the illusions, comfort, distractions, and possible scary futures of this world. Help me focus on your will for the people in this world - the people you love and long to be in relationship with. Help me leave my current comfort and stretch into the unknown to help speak your Gospel to others. We ask this in the name of our beloved Son Jesus Christ.