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This Week's Sermon ST. BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE 24 August 2008 "Learning to Live One's Confession" John 1:43-51,Luke 22:24-30 LSB Series A Pastor Philip G. Meyer Soli Deo Gloria!

St. Bartholomew was one of the Twelve apostles that our Lord chose to carry the Gospel to the world. We don't know very much about him, making him one of the lesser known apostles. In fact, he has a kind of identity crisis because we come across the name Bartholomew only in John's gospel. The other three Evangelists name him Nathanael. Nathanael would be what we call his first name, while Bartholomew is really Bar-Tolmai, Hebrew for "son of Tolmai."

This morning we read both Gospel readings appointed for the day. The Lectionary has an "or" at the listing. One may read either of them, but the Lukan reading doesn't have the name of a single disciple, and only John tells us anything about Bartholomew. It seems that the two readings should go together. One informs the other, giving us a better understanding of him. We'll look first at what St. John writes, then what St. Luke writes.

CONFESSING THE CHRIST, PART 1

As Jesus was calling his disciples following his baptism by John the Baptizer, we get an insight into what kind of person Bartholomew was. When Jesus found Philip and called him to be a disciple, Philip found Nathanael and announced to him:

"We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45, ESV)

Bartholomew's response was one of skepticism based upon Jesus' hometown! That skepticism was praised by Jesus when he saw Bartholomew coming toward him. As Jesus unfolded how he had chosen Bartholomew before Bartholomew was even aware of him, a strong confession of faith came from Bartholomew's lips:

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" (John 1:49, ESV)

This was a courageous, bold confession of faith, one that most would not make for some time. Bartholomew confessed Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel, the Messiah! Here was a man who would not be easily misled making a bold confession of faith. Based on the evidence, he was sure who Jesus was. Perhaps Bartholomew had been under the fig tree praying for the coming of the Messiah. Perhaps he had even asked God to give him a sign. While we don't know, we do know that Bartholomew was certain.

He made a bold confession of who Jesus is. He confessed the Christ of the Scriptures, just as the Old Testament had portrayed the coming Messiah. That kind of confession is certainly needed today! Too many people today recreate Jesus in their own image. They don't accept what the Scriptures say of him. They deny his divinity, his miracles, his very words. They pick and choose what they like and reject the rest. Not so Bartholomew. He confesses the Christ of the Scriptures.

Telling the truth these days is a rare thing. People dance around the truth. Sins are no longer called sins; they are called "mistakes, errors of judgment." But sin is much more serious than that. Sins are not misdemeanors but felonies. Much of our society has reduced sin to mere misdemeanors, mistakes, but not acts which separate one from God for eternity. Western society, for the most part, has decreed that there are no more sexual sins. Cohabitation of unmarried couples is no longer seen as a sin against the Sixth Commandment. Not even homosexuality is seen as a sin. In some places in this nation, mostly on the West Coast, one may lose one's job if one refuses to approve such illicit same-sex unions. This past week there was a story about a physician who declined to artificially inseminate a lesbian patient. She said that she could not in good conscience do this, but she referred this person to another physician who would. It was not good enough. This Christian physician was brought up on charges of intolerance and subsequently dismissed from her job for being truthful. Some told her to lie about it but she refused, and for that she was fired. The State of California has decreed that no intolerance in sexual matters will be tolerated!

How refreshing to find Bartholomew, a man who was outspoken in his confession of Jesus as the Son of God! In the Collect of the Day we prayed:

"Grant that Your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught. . ." [LSB Altar Book, p. 973].

CONFESSING THE CHRIST, PART 2

If it were just a matter of speaking it might be easy. If one had only to lob his words at the world or at his neighbor he would be like so many internet bloggers who often post outrageous things and not worry about the consequences. But that isn't Christ's way. It is not the way that Jesus taught his disciples to think and act. That's where Part 2 comes in. This is where the Lukan text applies. In particular, you and I need to couple Bartholomew's early words with these words of our Lord as the disciples disputed who was the greatest among them:

"The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves." (Luke 22:25-27, ESV)

Jesus speaks about the confession of faith that is lived. Faith must be lived out to be genuine. It is relatively easy to speak the right words about Jesus but much more difficult to live them in your day to day lives.

Jesus tells us that greatness is not measured by what you say but by what you do as a result of what you say. One makes the genuine confession of faith by serving as Jesus did. Jesus became Servant of the whole world by shouldering the world's burden of sin in his own body and taking it to the cross. He suffered the humiliation of a criminal, of the very least of society. He suffered immensely in body and soul for sins he never committed. He died innocently for all. His service can never be repeated. He made atonement for all sin. Period.

You and I can never die an atoning death for anyone, but we can serve as Jesus says. We can show the love of Jesus by our words and actions. You can confess Christ not merely by your words but especially by serving. Lest you think that this needs to be something great, you should think again. There are those Christians who think that such service means something extraordinary, like going into the slums of Calcutta, taking vows of poverty, never marrying, and the like. It seldom means that, but as Luther taught us, the kind of service that Jesus speaks of happens as you live out your Christian vocation. In our Adult Bible class we've been talking about that lately. Whatever your station in life you are called to a life of service. If you are a mother you serve in ways that are often taken for granted. Who sees your service when you get up in the middle of the night to change a dirty diaper? Or if you are a husband, you take care of the mechanical things at home because you have the talent to do them. Or if you are a child who finds ways of helping around the house without being commanded to do it. Perhaps you can serve your neighbor who needs some extra help. There are countless situations where you can fulfill your Christian vocation by serving your neighbor rather than demanding to be served.

Who is the greater one? Jesus asks. Actually, it is not the one who is served but the one who serves. This one who serves is the one whom God will reward on the last day. This is the one who has lived like Christ, confessing him not only in words but also in actions.

So what happened to St. Bartholomew? The fact that we have to ask this question tells us that his confession of Christ was more than just words because he never achieved worldly glory. We have only the tradition of the Church which says that he went to Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Persia, India, and was skinned alive in Albanus for the sake of his confession of Christ. The man whom Jesus said had no deceit ended up dying for his lack of deceit in confessing this Christ. He ended up, God knows where, because of his confession of Christ, but he did what Jesus gave him to do. He carried the Gospel to the Gentiles in far off lands and the world is richer for it and Christ is glorified. Even more, St. Bartholomew is glorified in the nearer presence of Christ as he sits at Christ's table in his kingdom, "sit[ting] on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Following St. Bartholomew's example, make the bold confession of the Christ by your words and by your service so that others, too, may share the joy of the everlasting glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!