John 1:35-42
The following day as John was standing with two of his
disciples, Jesus walked by. John looked at him intently and then declared,
“See! There is the Lamb of God!” Then John’s two disciples turned and followed
Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked
them. “Sir,” they replied, “where do you live?” “Come and see,” he said. So
they went with him to the place where he was staying and were with him from
about four o’clock that afternoon until the evening. (One of these men was
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.) Andrew then went to find his brother Peter and
told him, “We have found the Messiah!” And he brought Peter to meet Jesus.
Jesus looked intently at Peter for a moment and then said, “You are Simon,
John’s son—but you shall be called Peter, the rock!”
Food for thought!
We do not possess a great deal of information about Andrew,
but even the little that we know perfectly paints his character. He is one of
the most special people in the Bible. He has two outstanding characteristics.
First, Andrew was characteristically the man who was prepared to take the
second place. Again and again he is identified as Simon Peter's brother.
In fact, every time the gospels mention Andrew they mention him as Simon
Peter's brother. It is clear that Andrew lived under the shadow of Peter.
People might not know who Andrew was, but everyone knew Peter; and when men spoke of Andrew they described him as Peter's brother. Andrew was not one of the inner circle of the disciples. When Jesus healed Jairus' daughter, when he went up to the Mount of Transfiguration, when he underwent his temptation in Gethsemane, it was Peter, James and John whom Andrew took with him.
It would have been so easy for Andrew to resent this. Was he not one of the first two disciples who ever followed Jesus? Did Peter not owe his meeting with Jesus to Andrew? Might he not reasonably have expected a foremost place in the apostolic band? But all that never even occurred to Andrew. He was quite content to stand back and let his brother have the limelight; he was quite content to play a humble part in the company of the Twelve.
To Andrew matters of precedence and place and honour mattered nothing at all. All that mattered was to be with Jesus and to serve him as well as he could. Andrew is the patron saint of all who humbly and loyally and ungrudgingly take the second place. Don't be afraid to take the second place; don't be afraid to be known only in relation to someone, or to live under the shaddow of someone (are you known as husband of... or wife of... or secretary of?). Indeed, all of us, must be known in relation to Jesus; he takes the first place. As John said the other day, he must increase, we must decrease.
Second, Andrew is characteristically the man who was always introducing others to Jesus. There are only three times in the gospel story when Andrew is brought into the centre of the stage. There is this incident here, in which he brings Peter to Jesus. There is the incident in John 6:8-9 when he brings to Jesus the boy with the five loaves and two small fishes. And there is the incident in John 12:22 when he brings the enquiring Greeks into the presence of Jesus. It was Andrew's great joy to bring others to Jesus. He stands out as the man whose one desire was to share the glory. Having himself found the friendship of Jesus, he spent all his life in introducing others to that friendship. Andrew is our great example in that he could not keep Jesus to himself.
People might not know who Andrew was, but everyone knew Peter; and when men spoke of Andrew they described him as Peter's brother. Andrew was not one of the inner circle of the disciples. When Jesus healed Jairus' daughter, when he went up to the Mount of Transfiguration, when he underwent his temptation in Gethsemane, it was Peter, James and John whom Andrew took with him.
It would have been so easy for Andrew to resent this. Was he not one of the first two disciples who ever followed Jesus? Did Peter not owe his meeting with Jesus to Andrew? Might he not reasonably have expected a foremost place in the apostolic band? But all that never even occurred to Andrew. He was quite content to stand back and let his brother have the limelight; he was quite content to play a humble part in the company of the Twelve.
To Andrew matters of precedence and place and honour mattered nothing at all. All that mattered was to be with Jesus and to serve him as well as he could. Andrew is the patron saint of all who humbly and loyally and ungrudgingly take the second place. Don't be afraid to take the second place; don't be afraid to be known only in relation to someone, or to live under the shaddow of someone (are you known as husband of... or wife of... or secretary of?). Indeed, all of us, must be known in relation to Jesus; he takes the first place. As John said the other day, he must increase, we must decrease.
Second, Andrew is characteristically the man who was always introducing others to Jesus. There are only three times in the gospel story when Andrew is brought into the centre of the stage. There is this incident here, in which he brings Peter to Jesus. There is the incident in John 6:8-9 when he brings to Jesus the boy with the five loaves and two small fishes. And there is the incident in John 12:22 when he brings the enquiring Greeks into the presence of Jesus. It was Andrew's great joy to bring others to Jesus. He stands out as the man whose one desire was to share the glory. Having himself found the friendship of Jesus, he spent all his life in introducing others to that friendship. Andrew is our great example in that he could not keep Jesus to himself.
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