37 And the two disciples heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them
following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?
They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where
dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt,
and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John
speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother
Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being
interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And
when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the
son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A
stone. (not a Rock,
but a stone) (John 1:37-42) Later, Jesus would formally
call Andrew and Peter by the shores of Galilee. And Jesus, walking by the
sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And
they straightway left their nets, and followed him. (Matt
4:18-20)
Andrew was one of the two first disciples, and later chosen as one of the first
two Apostles (with Peter). The other was most likely John (who followed Jesus
with Andrew at Jordan Banks) though his name is not mentioned here. John never
holds himself up in his Gospel out of an exalted love for Christ and a modest
and humble view of himself. You will remember the climactic moment when Jesus
proclaimed, One of you will betray me!
at the Last Supper of which John, referring to himself as the disciple Jesus
loved (and not by name) - Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of
his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to
him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on
Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have
dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the
son of Simon. (John 13:23-26) Later, at the foot of the
cross, John writes this account without mentioning his name - When Jesus
therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved,
he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!
And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. (John
19:26-27) What a
blessed comfort to be called, as are all who follow Him, the disciple whom
Jesus loves.
John had a particular quality as a disciple - humility and modesty. In fact,
each of the disciples were marked by a defining personality which, if turned on
the wrong path, could be tragic; but when turned onto the Way of Christ, good
and Holy. The same is true of each of us who claim the Lord Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior. Peter was impulsive, and that sometimes got him into trouble,
but, later, that impulsiveness to serve the Lord was turned to the glory of
God. Thomas was a doubter, but once his curiosity was satisfied, he was a
steadfast disciple who gave his life for the Gospel. John is one of my two
favorite disciples - the other being Andrew, the older brother of Simon Peter.
With God, a silk purse can, indeed, be fashioned from a sow's ear.
I named my Church in Alabama after St. Andrew. I did so for two reasons: First
of all, Andrew followed Jesus early being one of the first disciples. This
accorded well with my target members at St. Andrew - very young children up to
adulthood. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth
for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water
is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
(Psalm 63:1-2)
If we are able to nourish the twig before it is bent by the ill winds of the
world, it will grow into a tall Cedar of Lebanon. That has been my hope and
prayer for my family of young people.
Secondly, Andrew, as soon as he knew Christ, went to seek his brother, Peter,
and bring him Jesus. When word was noised about in the local community here
that there was this peculiar little church to which many races and
nationalities were welcome, many more youth came - but most came at the behest
of those who were with me from the beginning. What a blessing in my life to
have so many young Americans of Asian, European, African, and middle Eastern
descent come and sit attentively through my 45 minute sermons. I love them all
and consider them to be my own children in Christ.
Andrew was a native of Bethsaida in Galilee, brother of Simon Peter, a disciple
of John the Baptist, and afterwards an apostle of Christ. He is said to have
been crucified at Patrae in Archaia. He died a brave man's death and his name,
in fact, means, in the Greek - MALY (Andreas). Andrew was an observer of
men and persons. He had heard and followed John the Baptist because he
recognized truth when he heard it. Later, after the baptism of Jesus, He marked
the man (Jesus) and followed Him. He never relented in his following.
On the mount overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus raised the issue of feeding
the five thousand men (plus women and children) who had followed him these past
few days: And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus
then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto
Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would
do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for
them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five
barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? (John
6:4-9 KJV) Andrew did not know how the five thousand would be fed, but he knew
that whatever resources of faith were available - even five barley loaves and
two small fishes - it would be sufficient in the Master's hands. So, observing
the crowd, he spotted this lad and informed Jesus. Not knowing exactly what
Jesus would do to satisfy the need, and in order to avoid the impression of
presumptuousness, Andrew added: .
. . . but what are they among so many? Yes, and what WERE they among so
many? Enough to fill the stomachs of all present with fragments enough
remaining to fill twelve large baskets.
Andrew knew people - that was one of his strengths, and he knew and recognized
the most powerful and righteous man who ever walked upon earth - the Lord Jesus
Christ. He brought people to Christ - those whom he loved, such as his brother,
Simon, and those who needed to know Christ and serve Him such as the lad with
the five loaves and two fishes. Andrew, unlike his brother Peter, was not
impulsive but rather subdued in his demeanor. We do not hear a lot about
Andrew in the Gospels for Andrew said little, but observed much. He was not a
contentious man, but congenial and of one mind with the other apostles of
Christ. When the day of Pentecost arrived at the foundation of the New
Testament Church, Andrew was found among the disciples and, as usual, of one
mind with them in Christ. 12 Then returned they unto
Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's
journey. 13 And when they were come in, they
went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and
Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of
Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14 These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with his brethren.
(Acts 1:12-14)
We each are blessed with much variety in tastes and personality. Some are
impetuous. Some are dreamers. Some are loners. Some are doers. Some are
teachers. But all of these qualities can find a vacuum to fill in the walls of
the Temple of God. We can act with great passion and impetuosity when our
actions are dictated by the Holy Ghost just as did Jesus in chasing the
money-changers from the House of the Lord. (But in many churches, those money
changers have returned) When our dreams are informed by the Holy Ghost, as was
Peter's, we may dream with love and truth. If we find ourselves isolated and
abandoned as loners in a crowd of unbelievers, we can be as John on Patmos
where he wrote the Book of Revelation. If we are doers, we are on sound ground
if our deeds follow the salvation unto good works in grace. If we are teachers,
we may be blessed abundantly in teaching right and not error. Some may even be
what my Irish mother called 'ramblers.' There is a place for ramblers, too, in
the Kingdom of God if their feet take them in their rambling to good paths.
Andrew was such a rambler. He traveled far and wide in preaching the Gospel and
was martyred on the rocky shores of a Mediterranean island. Every weakness of
the lost soul can be molded into a strength in the Kingdom of Heaven.
What are your weaknesses, and how will you employ them to
the glory of God?
