EVENNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
6/30/2026 6:01 PM
My
Worship Time Focus:
PT-2
“Bartholomew (Nathanael)
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Luke
6:14f
Message of the verse: “Bartholomew”
I want to finish copying the rest of this section from
John MacArthur’s commentary as we continue to look at Nathanael, one of Jesus’
apostles.
“Unfazed by Nathanael’s cynical
comment, Philip issued a simple challenge: ‘Come and see’ (v. 46). To his credit, Nathanael’s seeking heart
overcame his prejudice, and he went with Philip to meet Jesus. To his utter amazement, the Lord greeted him
as ‘an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ (v. 47). Jesus’ words were a powerful commendation of
Nathanael’s character. His
characterization of him as ‘an Israelite indeed (alethos; ‘truly,’ ‘actually,’
‘in reality’)’ means far more than that Nathanael was a physical descendant of
Abraham. Abrahamic descent alone does
not make on a true Jew. As the apostle
Paul wrote, ‘They are not all Israel who are descended from Israel’ (Rom. 9:6),
since ‘he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is
outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew
who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the
Spirit, not by the letter’ (Rom. 2:28-29).
Jesus identified Nathanael as one of the believing remnants, who
worshiped the true and living God. Simeon
and Anna were also examples of such (Luke 2:25-38).
“Surprised that this man whom he had
never met would greet him that way, Nathanael asked incredulously, ‘How do You
know me?’ (v. 48). How could Jesus know what was in his
heart? The Lord’s answer, which revealed
His omniscience, shocked Nathanael. ‘Before
Philip called you,’ He replied, ‘when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ But there is more to Jesus’ response than
merely His supernatural knowledge of Nathanael’s location; He also knew the
state of Nathanael’s heart (cf. John 2:24-25).”
“24 But Jesus on his part did not
entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man,
for he himself knew what was in man.” “To
escape the noise and, in hot weather, the stuffy heat of their houses, people often
sought solitude under the shade of a fig tree.
That was where Nathanael went to study, pray, and think.
“The Lord’s knowledge of Nathanael’s
heart removed all his doubts about Him and he exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, You are the
Son of God; You are the King of Israel’ (v. 49). Nathanael affirmed his belief in Christ’s
deity as the ‘Son of God’ (cf. Ps. 2:12) and that he was the Messiah, the ‘King
of Israel’ (cf. Zech. 9:9).”
(cf. Ps. 2:12)
“12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish
in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge
in him.”
(cf. Zech. 9:9)
“9 ¶ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout
aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous
and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal
of a donkey.’
“Jesus in
turn affirmed Nathanael’s faith ‘and said to him, ‘Because I said to you that I
saw you under the fig tree, do you believe?’’ (v. 50). The Lord’s reply should probably be taken as
a statement, not a question. His
omniscient knowledge of Nathanael’s heart had convinced Nathanael of Jesus’
identity, but far more was to follow. ‘You
will see greater things than these,’ Jesus promised, ‘You will see the heavens
opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’ (v.
51). The reference here is to Jacob’s
dream in which he saw a ladder descending from heaven (Gen. 28:12). Jesus is in reality what that ladder
symbolized, the link between heaven and earth and thus the revealer of divine
truth to mankind (cf. John 1:14, 17; 3:13; 6:33; 1 Tim. 2:5).”
(Gen. 28:12)
“12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder
set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the
angels of God were ascending and descending on it!”
“(cf. John 1:14, 17; 3:13; 6:33; 1 Tim.
2:5).”
“14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of
grace and truth.”
“17 For the law was given through Moses; grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
“13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who
descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”
“33 For the bread of God is he who comes down
from heaven and gives life to the world.’”
“5 For there is one God, and there is one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
“As is the case with his close companion
Philip, little is known about Nathanael’s life and ministry after Christ’s
resurrection and ascension. According to
some accounts, he ministered in India.
Other traditions place his ministry in Persia, Egypt, Armenia, and Asia
Minor. Nor is there any agreement about
how he died. Some accounts claim that
Nathanael was martyred in Armenia, but those accounts differ over the manner of
his death. Some say he was beheaded, others that he was skinned
alive and then crucified (thus some works of art portray him holding his skin
in his hands).
“What is clear is that Nathanael
remained faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ to the end, as he had been in the
beginning. His life and ministry are
testimony to God’s ability to use common, insignificant people to His glory.”
6/30/2026
6:37 PM
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