He grew up in Galilee of the Gentiles, but as a true son of Israel he watched and waited for the True Light to dawn on that land of darkness. Matthew, Mark, and Luke called him by his father’s name—“son of Tholmai” or “Bartholomew.” But St. John called him simply Nathanael. In the most unlikely place, Nathanael found what every true Israelite longed for: “On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16).

Read John 1:43-51

⁴³The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
⁴⁴Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
⁴⁶“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”
⁴⁸“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
⁴⁹Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
⁵⁰Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”