St. Bartholomew, Apostle
August 24, 2003
The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Lessons: Exodus 19:1-6; I Corinthians 12:27-31a; St. John 1:43-51
You may not realize it, but we have a bit of a problem today. If you, like me, have appreciated our continuous reading these last several weeks from the gospel of John, chapter 6--as we've heard Jesus explaining to us how he is the bread of life, and how the bread he gives us to eat, is his flesh and blood--if you've found that challenging, as Jesus has taken us deeper and deeper into the mystery of the Lord's Supper, then we have a problem, this morning. And the problem is, that this is the day of Saint Bartholomew, and in the liturgical year, a saint's day, takes precedence over what we call, a "Green Sunday"--a Sunday within the season of the Sunday's after Pentecost. And that's a problem, because, since we heard the Gospel for Saint Bartholomew, we won't be hearing the gospel for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, and that gospel passage is really the culmination, the climax of all that Jesus has been saying to his disciples, and us, these last few weeks, through John chapter 6!
Now, don't get me wrong, the day of Saint Bartholomew is important, especially because Bartholomew, or to use his full name, Nathaniel Bar Tolmai, isn't one of the big three. He isn't Peter, James or John, whom we hear about often. He isn't one of those saints who left a great legacy, with a cathedral in Rome, or statues in churches all over the world. Granted, tradition says that Bartholomew was a great apostle, preaching in Asian Minor, Mesopotamia, Persia and India, as well as in upper Egypt and North Africa, finally spending his last years preaching in Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded for the faith. Still, while Bartholomew did great work for the Lord Jesus Christ, he's not widely remembered, or widely recorded in history, and he's important for us to commemorate, for just that reason--because not all of us are a St. Peter or St. Paul. Not all of us are central figures in the history of Christianity--and yet, we too, do important work; we too, can serve, and spread the good news, wherever we are, in whatever calling we find ourselves in. For these reasons, it's good to remember Nathaniel Bar-Tolmai, today. But it would mean we'll miss hearing the proverbial "rest of the story", with regard to Jesus' teaching about the bread of life. It would mean we would miss the reaction, not just of the Jews, but of Jesus' own disciples, to his plain talk about, having to eat his flesh, and drink his blood, to have eternal life. These past few weeks, again and again, in response to Jesus' words, the Jews have been murmuring at Jesus, disputing among themselves, questioning how this could be, that this man, Jesus, could give his flesh, for people to eat. But this whole encounter comes to a head, beginning with chapter 6, verse 60, when all of a sudden, it's not the Jews who are murmuring and disputing--now, it's Jesus' own disciples! If we had read the gospel lesson for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost today, this is what we'd hear…"Many of Jesus' disciples, when they heard it (heard his talk of eating his flesh and drinking his blood), said, 'This is a hard saying: who can listen to it?'…and after this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him." And then, Jesus said to the twelve--to his closest, handpicked disciples, "So, do you also wish to go away?"
And interestingly, that kind of brings us back to Nathaniel Bar-Tolmai, and the call we heard in our gospel lesson for the day of Bartholomew; the call that Jesus extends to Philip, to "Follow me." And the invitation Philip extends to Nathaniel Bartholomew, to "Come and see--to come and see this Jesus, whom Moses and the prophets wrote about." And what is Nathaniel's response? Nathaniel said to Philip--"Bah--can anything good come out of Nazareth?!" It was an exclamation, as much as it was a question. Everyone knew nothing good could come out of Nazareth. The Messiah was to come from Bethlehem--not Nazareth. Nathaniel sounds quite like those Jews in John 6, who were murmuring at Jesus, and questioning Jesus, and disputing with Jesus. And yet, this is the very same Nathaniel Bartholomew, who did come to see Jesus, and who, upon meeting him, replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God!" This is the very same Nathaniel Bartholomew who heard Jesus' instruction about the bread of life, who stood with the other eleven disciples, when Jesus asked them, "Do you also wish to go away?" And of course, we know Bartholomew's answer. Peter answers for the twelve--but the other eleven answered, by their lives--and some of them, by their martyr's death. Jesus asks, "Do you also wish to go away?" And Peter responds, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Bartholomew responded, by living his life, following Jesus--inviting others to "Come and see--this Jesus, who is the bread of heaven, who gave his flesh for the life of the world." Bartholomew responded by traveling to Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia, and Persia and India, and Egypt and North Africa, and Armenia. Bartholomew responded by giving his life, to the Lord of Life, even to the point of death. In that regard, Nathaniel Bar-Tolmai is a wonderful, faithful example for us--of how we can give ourselves, not turning away from Jesus, not distancing ourselves from Him, but following Jesus, for no other reason, than that He has the words of eternal life. For no other reason, than that Jesus is, the bread of life, who gives His flesh and blood for the life of the world--and for life, for you and for me!
One of the reasons I wanted to return to the Lutheran Book of Worship, today, is because these very words from the Gospel of John, are the words we sing as the Alleluia Verse in the LBW liturgies. Before we hear the gospel proclaimed, we sing, "Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." And while that's an appropriate affirmation before we hear the gospel reading--maybe we could have that question asked, just as appropriately after the reading of the Gospel! After we've heard Jesus telling us that we are to eat his flesh and drink his blood, otherwise we won't have eternal life. After Jesus has called us to "Come, follow me!" After we've heard Jesus say, if any one would be my follower, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and come after me. Then, let's hear Jesus, asking, "Do you also wish to go away?" And then, how will we answer? Will we say, "this teaching is difficult--who can accept it?" Will we say, "how can he give us his flesh to eat?" Will we say, "can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Or will we still--answer--"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life!" Think about that--every Sunday, after you've heard Jesus challenging you, calling you, maybe offending you--in the gospel reading. Then, will you still say, "Lord, to whom, else shall we go? You alone, have the words of eternal life!" Then, will you, with Nathaniel Bartholomew, still, come and see--and go, and serve? Or will you, also, wish to go away?
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.