Guard down, hope rises

Revelation 21:9-14; Psalm 145 Your friens make know, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom; John 1:45-51

The words of Bartholomew aka Nathaniel
"Can anything Good come from Nazareth."

Initially it seems that Bartholomew is a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the information given out by his companion and friend Philip about this so called Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

How often is this the case when we are presented or others are presented with that which seems to be to good to be true, we error on the side of skepticism for fear we might be mistaken, or fear we might be let down. So we automaticlly protect ourselves from disappointment and doubt, and skepticism acts as a buffer of sorts so we "don't get our hopes up".

This can be a common reaction to Jesus. How often have people been skeptical about Jesus, about faith, about religion, about the church?

Philip did not get defensive as we have a tendency to do. Rather, he simply invited his friend Bartolomew to "come and see." He invited Bartholomew to check it out, trustung that the drawing power of Christ could be fully understood only in a personal encounter.

Once a genuine conversation occurs between Bartholomew and Jesus new horizons open up, old skepticism fades away, and hope is found, "Rabbi, you are the son of God; you are the king of Israel."

With Chirst we can let our guard down and get our hopes up!

This fervor that came upon Bartholomew never faded. He went on to preach about the drawing power and changing encounter of Christ up until his death, where he was flayed (skined ) alive in Armenia.

Bartholomew, once was skeptical then was a true disciple, chose in the end to give it all for this person, Christ. He refused to save his own skin because in the end it wasn't his to save, but rather it belonged completely to another, Christ the who brings hope.

Let your guard down, Christ in, and your hope rise.