August 24 | Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine leaving everything you know behind to travel to the absolute furthest edges of the ancient world. You are armed with nothing but a radical message of hope, and you face a fate so brutal, so utterly terrifying, that for thousands of years, artists would only dare to paint you holding the very weapon that ended your life, a sharp, heavy knife.

Today, we are exploring the incredible life and the mind-blowing martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. Saint Bartholomew is a figure who might seem shrouded in mystery at first glance, but his life was nothing short of legendary. If you open up your Bible to three of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as the Book of Acts, he is officially listed as an apostle named Bartholomew. But, if you flip over to the Gospel of John, many New Testament scholars agree that he is called by another name, Nathaniel.

Same guy, two names, one epic destiny. So, how did this man first meet Jesus? It's all about the power of an invitation. Bartholomew didn't just stumble upon Jesus by accident on a walk. His friends had already encountered the Lord, and they were the ones who eagerly led him to Christ. Think about that for a second. His friend Philip simply came up to him and gave him an invitation, telling Bartholomew to come and see.

The moment Jesus sees Bartholomew walking toward him, Jesus says something incredible. He calls out loud, here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Let's break that down. No deceit means no fakeness, no lies, and no two-faced behavior. Jesus is basically saying, look at this guy. He is 100% real and totally honest. Bartholomew is super surprised by this praise. He looks at Jesus and asks, Where did you get to know me? Jesus replies with a totally mind-blowing answer, I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.

This moment completely changes Bartholomew's life. He immediately replies, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel. In a matter of seconds, he goes from just checking things out with his friend to being completely all in. And he stayed all in. Tradition holds that after the resurrection, Bartholomew was actually one of the apostles who got to see Jesus again when a group of seven of them had been out fishing all night long.

But his story doesn't stay in the familiar territory of fishing boats. Tradition tells us that he took that message of truth and traveled incredibly far distances, going all the way to India to preach the gospel of Christ. That was a massive, dangerous journey back in those days.

And this brings us to the dramatic, intense end of Bartholomew's earthly life. When you preach a radical message of truth, you make enemies. Bartholomew died as a martyr for his faith, and his death is one of the most intense you will ever hear about. He was actually skinned alive and then beheaded. It is a terrifying, gruesome reality, but it shows exactly how incredibly strong his faith was. Because of this unimaginably painful way he was martyred, his attribute, the symbol artists used to identify him, is him holding a knife.

Bartholomew is the patron saint of tanners, tailors, plasterers, leather workers, and bookbinders. We are called to be like Bartholomew in one very specific, challenging way today. Remember that Jesus said he was a person in whom there is no deceit. Live a life of total honesty.

In a modern world full of fake social media profiles, school gossip, and the heavy pressure to fit in, what would it look like if you were completely honest? Today, try to be 100% genuine. Don't lie to impress your friends. Don't put on a fake mask. Be real, be honest, and be exactly who you are without deceit. Alternatively, you can be like his friend Philip. If you know someone who is struggling, just invite them to find hope. You don't need a huge speech.

Just say, come and see. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.