Nathaniel 

Nathaniel was the youngest of a family of seven, was unmarried, and the only support of aged and infirm parents. He lived with his father, Bartholomew, and his mother at Cana. His brothers and sister were either married or deceased, and none lived there. Nathaniel was well educated and prior to meeting Jesus, he had thought of becoming a merchant.

At the time that Philip and his friend Nathaniel were traveling to meet John the Baptist at Pella, Phillip was already familiar with Jesus and ran forward to greet him while Nathaniel rested under the shade of a mulberry tree by the roadside.

Hurrying back to inform Nathaniel of his decision to join the apostles, Philip broke in upon his friend meditating upon the many things which he had heard concerning John the Baptist, the coming kingdom, and the expected Messiah, exclaiming, “I have found the Deliverer, him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote and whom John has proclaimed.” Nathaniel, looking up, inquired, “Whence comes this teacher?” And Philip replied, “He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, the carpenter, more recently residing at Capernaum.” And then, somewhat shocked, Nathaniel asked, “Can any such good thing come out of Nazareth?” But Philip, taking him by the arm, said, “Come and see.”

Philip led Nathaniel to Jesus, who, looking benignly into the face of the sincere doubter, said: “Behold a genuine Israelite, in whom there is no deceit. Follow me.” And Nathaniel, turning to Philip, said: “You are right. He is indeed a master of men. I will also follow, if I am worthy.” And Jesus nodded to Nathaniel, again saying, “Follow me.”

When Nathaniel joined the apostles, he was twenty-five years old and was the next to the youngest of the group. The apostles all loved and respected Nathaniel and he got along with them splendidly, excepting Judas Iscariot. Nathaniel and Judas were the best educated of the twelve, but Judas didn’t think Nathaniel took his apostleship seriously enough. Nathaniel was “without guile.” And this was his great virtue; being known as "Honest" Nathaniel.

Nathaniel watched over the needs of the families of the twelve. He received regular reports as to the requirements of each apostle's family and, making requisition on Judas, the treasurer, would send funds each week to those in need.

In many respects, Nathaniel was the odd genius of the twelve. He was the apostolic philosopher and dreamer, but he was a very practical sort of dreamer. He alternated between seasons of profound philosophy and periods of rare and droll humor. When in the proper mood, he was probably the best storyteller among the twelve. Jesus greatly enjoyed hearing Nathaniel's discourse on things both serious and frivolous.

Nathaniel progressively took Jesus and the kingdom more seriously, but never did he take himself seriously. Many times, when Jesus was away on the mountain with Peter, James, and John, and things were becoming tense and tangled among the apostles, when even Andrew was in doubt about what to say to his disconsolate brethren, Nathaniel would relieve the tension by a bit of philosophy or a flash of humor; good humor, too.

Nathaniel most revered Jesus for his tolerance. He never grew weary of contemplating the broad-mindedness and generous sympathy of the Son of Man.

Nathaniel differed increasingly with Peter regarding preaching about Jesus in the place of proclaiming the teachings of Jesus, the gospel of the kingdom. This disagreement became so acute by the middle of the following month that Nathaniel withdrew, going to Philadelphia to visit Abner and Lazarus; and after tarrying there for more than a year, he went on into the lands beyond Mesopotamia preaching the gospel as he understood it.

Nathaniel’s father, Bartholomew, died shortly after Pentecost, after which this apostle went into Mesopotamia and India proclaiming the glad tidings of the kingdom and baptizing believers. His brethren never knew what became of their onetime philosopher, poet, and humorist. But he also was a great man in the kingdom and did much to spread his Master’s teachings, even though he did not participate in the organization of the subsequent Christian church. Nathaniel died in India.