The Call
God is constantly calling to our hearts and continually surprising us. There are moments in our lives when we think we are abandoned or alone, perhaps even hidden from God. Even in these moments, however, He is there. He is calling. He tells us, as He told Nathanael (Bartholomew) in today’s Gospel reading, “Before you saw me, I saw you.”
I saw you…
To be told that we are seen, especially in a moment when we have felt unseen, can be a great consolation. Nathanael (Bartholomew) had that experience. He met Jesus, and as he walked toward him, Jesus called out, “Here is a true child of Israel.” This is an interesting thing to say. I have actually wondered about this phrase many times. Reading the first reading today, I caught an insight that I would like to share.
The Wife of the Lamb
Israel is an ethnic group and also a country, Israel the man was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, the second son who stole the birthright and the blessing of his father, who was once named Jacob, but after a struggle with an angel was renamed Israel and called to be the father of a nation. Jerusalem is the capital city of the country of Israel. The first reading from Revelation speaks of Jerusalem as “the wife of the Lamb.” Who is the Lamb? When John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by at the beginning of his public ministry, he called out, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”(Jn. 1:29) If Jesus is the “Lamb”, and Jerusalem is His bride, the people of Jerusalem – of Israel – are his children, his own.
You are Mine
If this is true, then when Jesus called out to Nathanael (Bartholomew), “Here is a true child of Israel,” He was essentially saying, “You are mine. You are my child.” This is what St. Paul said in his letter to the Galatians: “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:26) Jesus is always looking for us to come looking for Him. Just as Phillip brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to meet Jesus and to an incredible experience which made him say, “You are the son of God,” I pray that each of us will bring and be brought to Jesus. To hear him call out to us, “You are mine!”
