不同的人，對耶穌基督抱不同的期望。
當然，跟隨了耶穌基督之後，他的胸懷廣闊了。巴爾多祿茂不再局限自己，在解放以色列民族之上，更把自己的生命，犧牲奠祭在印度的土壤上。懸在十字架上的人子耶穌基督，貫通了天地，天主的天使在祂身上，上去下來，輸送恩寵。（1：51）同樣偉大的聖巴爾多祿茂，為了印度的歸化，不惜卸下自己的外皮，把得救的福音，樹立在文明的古國之中。我們也應擴闊自己的視野，關心更多人的生死存亡！
群眾在「五餅二魚」神蹟吃飽後，想擁立耶穌為王，期望從此跟隨耶穌便不愁衣食！市民大眾的要求，並不奢侈 ，但求安居樂業而已！
比較有理想的人，眼見自己的同胞被外族粗暴地統治，但敢怒而不敢言。他們的心期望甚麼呢？當然是期望一位解放者，驅逐胡虜，恢復以色列的獨立王國！
巴爾多祿茂又在期望甚麼呢？當斐理伯告訴巴爾多祿茂，他已找到預言中的大先知（申18：18），就是納匝肋人耶穌（若1：45），而巴爾多祿茂卻認為，大先知不會出自納匝肋。至於他在遇到斐理伯之前，在無花果樹下正在做甚麼，在摘無花果吃？在睡覺？在祈禱？在出神？在…就無從稽考了。從耶穌基督評論他「確是一個以色列人，在他內毫無詭詐。」（1：47）可見巴爾多祿茂是一個正直的人，沒有掩飾他瞧不起納匝肋；而斐里伯告訴他已找到大先知，可見他也是個愛國愛民，有理想的人。從耶穌基督說出他在無花果樹下做甚麼時，巴爾多祿茂得到了啟示，好像洗者若翰一樣（1：34），他也認出了天主子來（1：49），並期望耶穌基督是以色列的君王，解放受壓迫的以色列民族。
父啊！願宗徒們所建樹的天國，為世人帶來無盡的恩寵。亞孟。
Jesus Christ is Beyond Our Expectations (John 1:45-51)
Different people expect different things from Jesus Christ.
What did Bartholomew expect? When Philip told Bartholomew that Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:45) was the Prophet mentioned in prophecies (Deuteronomy 18:18), he did not think so because he thought that nothing good would ever come from Nazareth. Before Philip came, what was Bartholomew doing under the fig tree? Pricking figs? Sleeping? Praying? Or in ecstasy ...? We have no clue. From Jesus' comment that he "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him" (1:47), we can see that Bartholomew was an upright person. He did not hide his opinion against Nazareth. Philip shared with him that they had found the Prophet. It shows that Bartholomew was patriotic and idealistic. When Jesus told him what he was doing under the fig tree, Bartholomew received revelation, like John the Baptist (1:34), and recognized the Son of God in Jesus (1:49). He expected Jesus Christ to become the King of the Jews to liberate the oppressed Israelites.
Of course, after following Jesus, the horizon of Bartholomew was extended. He no longer confined himself to the liberation of Israel. He even offered his life as a sacrifice on the land of India. Jesus Christ who was crucified on the cross links heavens and earth together. Angels of God ascend and descend on him to transmit graces (1:51). Similarly, great St. Bartholomew was willing to shed his skin for the conversion of India and put up the gospel of salvation on the land of one of the ancient civilizations. We should also extend our horizon and care more about the life and death of more people!
The crowd wanted to make Jesus king after eating to the full at the Five Loaves Two Fish miracle. Following Jesus, they expected never to be in want anymore! The request of the crowd was not ambitious. They just wanted a stable life!
More idealistic people want more. Seeing their folk suffer tyranny in the hands of foreigners and their voices muted, what would they expect? Of course, they expected a Messiah to drive out the aliens and restore an independent Kingdom of Israel!
Father! May the Kingdom of Heaven built up by the Apostles bring infinite graces to humanity. Amen.
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