Greater Things

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” 

John 1:46

Today is the Feast of Saint Bartholomew. Very little is known about Saint Bartholomew, also known as the Nathanael in the 1st chapter of the Gospel of John. He became one of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus after Philip called him. “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth,” Philip revealed with some excitement. 

Nathanael sort of scoffed, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Philip persisted, “Just come and see for yourself!” Imagine if Philip gave up after Nathanael’s initial reaction? Sometimes we give up too easily on people. We get a scoff, or “I’m busy”, or even a taunt, and we stop inviting them to a prayer meeting, bible study or church service. 

Nathanael may have been hesitant at first, but we know from verse 48, that he was praying and reading scripture. Jesus revealed, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Jesus knew and had a connection with Philip, just as we have a connection with Jesus when we pray and read the Bible. And just as Jesus promised Nathanael, we too “will see greater things!” How exciting is that?