Rv 21:9b-14 / Jn 1:45-51
Why this reading today from John? It is believed that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same. Well then, what was Nathanael Bartholomew (son of Tholomy?) doing beneath the fig tree?
Something I read once suggested he was reading or reflecting on one of the psalms as he sat beneath the fig tree. Maybe it was one of these:
Psalm 17 — a cry for justice from the Psalmist. Was Nathanael crying out for justice in his day as he looked at his own life and the lives of his fellow Jews in the Roman occupation?
Psalm 24 — a call to worship. Was Nathanael seeing himself as unworthy to praise God, and Jesus called him worthy when they met?
Psalm 32 — confession of sin, similar to Psalm 24 in this respect. Did Nathanael see a need for cleansing that he met in the Son of God?
Psalms 34, 35, 36, 52, 55, and 119 — also have the word for guile in them. Look at them all for similar ideas.
(WARNING: Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible. You could spend a long time looking through that one! The word shows up in verse 78.)
I like this interpretation of our gospel reading for today. If I had to pick a psalm Nathanael was reading, I would have to go with Psalm 24. There have been many times I have felt unworthy of my calling to be a follower of Jesus, let alone a priest. It is good to feel unworthy, as long as we also know that Jesus has called us, set us free, and named us “without guile.”
Today, beg the Lord for mercy. Cry out for holiness of heart. Then hear the Lord say: “Now here is one I approve of.”
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