Biblical scholars inform us that Bartholomew and Nathanael are likely to be the same person. This should not surprise us. “Bartholomew” simply shows his lineage - that he is the son of Tolmai. “Nathanael” on the other hand means “God has given” or “gift of God.” Thus, the full name of this disciple might well be Nathanael, the son of Tolmai.

The Gospel today tells how Nathanael first met Jesus. But Jesus' words are full of symbols and hidden meanings. It seems Jesus already long knew him by saying he saw him “under the fig tree.” Sitting under the fig tree was a common rabbinic phrase for studying the Scriptures, praying, or waiting for the Messiah. Jesus was showing that He knew Nathanael was waiting and longing for Him, the long-awaited Messiah to come. Or perhaps Nathanael once prayed to God under the fig tree for a miracle and no one else knew this. But Jesus did and it convinced Nathanael that Jesus indeed is the Son of God. Furthermore, “I saw you” suggests that Jesus divinely saw and understood Nathanael's true character before they ever met - “an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.” Finally, Jesus' comment about Nathanael seeing “heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending” is a self- revelation that the Son of God is the link between heaven and earth (recall Jacob's dream in Gen 28), something that the disciple himself will come to see and eventually perceive.