Day Three!

John 1:35-42

The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. 38Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. 40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

Food for thought!

We are on day three in Jesus’ first work week. You remember we started by verse 19 where John the Baptist started to talk about Jesus. Then, in verse 29, we saw “the next day”, that was day two. Today, the gospel says “the following day,” which is day three in Jesus' first week. John (not the Baptist but the writer of today’s gospel reading) finishes the paragraph with the words, "It was about four o'clock in the afternoon." He finishes that way because he was one of the two disciples himself that Jesus met on Day Three. John could tell the very hour of the day and no doubt the very spot of the road he was standing on when he met Jesus. At four o'clock on a spring afternoon in Galilee, life became a new thing for John.

On day three, again we see John the Baptist pointing his men to Jesus. John did not mind “losing” his men over to Jesus. There was no jealousy in John. He had come to attach men not to himself but to Christ.

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 like John. He was prepared to take the second place. Again and again Andrew is identified as Simon Peter's brother. In fact, every time the gospels mention Andrew they mention his as Simon Peter's brother; never alone. Andrew lived under the shadow of Peter.

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. After all he was the one of the first two disciples who ever followed Jesus. Peter himself owes his meeting with Jesus to Andrew. He is content to stand back and let his brother have the limelight. Like John the Baptist, he was quite content to play a humble part in the company of the Twelve.

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 shadow of someone (are you known as husband of... or wife of... or secretary of?). Indeed, all of us, must be known in relation to someone, Jesus; he must take the first place. As John said on day one, Jesus must increase, we must decrease.

Like John the Baptist, Andrew is the man who always introduces others to Jesus. In John 6:8-9 Andrew brings to Jesus the boy with the five loaves and two small fishes. In John 12:22 he brings the enquiring Greeks into the presence of Jesus. Like John, it was Andrew's great joy to bring others to Jesus. He stands out as the man whose one desire was to share Jesus. Having himself found the friendship of Jesus, he spent all his life in introducing others to that friendship. Andrew is our great example in sharing Jesus.