St. Bartholomew
August 24, 2025
John 1:43-51
Remembering a saint like Bartholomew may strike you as odd, but if we take a step back, do we ever bat an eye when we hear the pastor say, “as St. John wrote…” or “St. Paul once said…”
I’m not even sure we think about their titles; we know they are children of God, witnesses of Jesus Christ, sent to proclaim His Word throughout the world.
So, why do we get so uneasy with talk surrounding the “Saints?”
My guess is that it has something to do with the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and its views on Sainthood. The idea that sainthood is reserved for those who, if they did not die a martyr’s death, have performed verifiable miracles. Yet, how does one verify a miracle on this side of heaven without Jesus?
Nonetheless, even if a miracle is attributed to a person, they still aren’t guaranteed sainthood.
And for all of this, we do need to step back and ask, does the Roman Catholic Church have a proper view of sainthood, of who is considered to be a “Saint?”
Martin Luther did not believe so; he came to the belief that the Roman Catholic Church had taken the name of “Saint” and misapplied it to fit their needs and teachings.
And so, Luther wrote,
Scripture calls us holy while we still live on earth - if we believe. But this name the papist have taken from us; They say that we are not to be considered holy, that the Saints in heaven alone are holy. Therefore, we are compelled to reclaim the noble name. Holy, you must be, but you must also guard against imagining that you are holy of yourself or by your own merit. You are holy because you have God’s word, because heaven is yours, because you are truly pious and made holy by Christ. This must be your confession if you would be a Christian. For it would be the greatest disgrace and blasphemy of the name of Christ if we did not concede to Christ’s blood the glory that it washes away our sins, or if we did not believe that this blood sanctifies us.
According to Luther, we need to base our definition of a “Saint” according to Scripture, and according to Scripture, a “Saint” is someone who has been set aside and made holy solely through the forgiveness of sins, won for you by the merit and death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Listen here to all the ways Scripture describes a “Saint…”
The Psalmist writes,
As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” (Psalm 16:3)
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name. (Psalm 30:4)
Or as Saint Paul wrote,
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
Or in the letter to the Ephesians,
And [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Or going back to the Psalms, one of the most comforting passages,
Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116:15)
Precious in the sight of the Lord are you, O faithful child of God.
This is what Saint Bartholomew was: a faithful child of God who was forgiven and redeemed through the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross.
Bartholomew was originally known as Nathaniel from the Gospel reading today. Somewhere along the way, he became known as Bartholomew; it may have been a surname. We don’t know for sure. But what we do know is that he was a witness to the life and ministry of Jesus, His death, and resurrection. On that first Pentecost, Bartholomew received the Holy Spirit and was led into foreign lands, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus, even willing to suffer death rather than risk falling away from his Savior.
His death was a vicious one, too. The three knives on the cover of today’s bulletin reflect how he died, being flayed alive for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Are you so bold?
Obviously, we pray the Lord would spare us from such an evil death. But remember the words of the confession you made on the day of your Confirmation, you were asked by the pastor, “Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?”
Your response, “I do, by the grace of God.”
“I do, by the grace of God.” – Remember, God’s grace is what makes you a “Saint” in this life and the next.
So, coming full circle, why are we remembering saints like Batholomew today?
Well, as it states in our Lutheran Confessions,
“Our churches teach that the remembrance of the saints is to be commended in order that we may imitate their faith and good works according to our calling.” (Augsburg Confession 21)
We remember saints such as Saint Bartholomew so we can give thanks to God for giving His Church such faithful servants. This extends to our loved ones who have died in Christ, too.
Secondly, through this remembrance, our faith is to be strengthened as we see the mercy God extended to them throughout this life, His Word, His Baptism, His flesh and blood for the forgiveness of sin.
Lastly, the saints are examples for us; we are called to imitate their faith and good works throughout our lives. We are called to boldly confess Jesus in our daily lives through sickness and health, in times of peace or persecution.
Why?
Because you are God’s saints, even now. You, my fellow redeemed in Christ, are His holy ones, set apart from this corrupt and dying world to live in Him, Christ the crucified.
And when the road of life becomes difficult, remember those who have gone before you, remember Saint Bartholomew, Saint John, Saint Paul, and all your loved ones who have finished the race and received eternal life. When their lives were difficult, where did they turn for help?
To Christ…
May we follow this example to run the race that is set before us, no matter how challenging it may be, being led by the cross of Jesus to be numbered among His saints in heaven. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
