Tag Archives: Andrew

JOHN’S GOSPEL…FOLLOW ME – 6

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“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter)…

John’s record of Jesus calling His disciples differs from the stories told by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Why is this? Does it mean that the Bible is inaccurate or contradictory? Not at all! What if John was recording what happened before Jesus officially ratified His choice of the Twelve after a night of prayer?

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭40‬-‭45‬, ‭47‬-‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 Jesus’ call to follow Him was both general and specific. 

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬

From a larger group, He chose twelve men who would follow Him, walk with Him, live with Him, learn from Him, trust Him, love Him and, except for one defector, Judas, eventually carry on His mission across the known world… and some would even die for Him. 

What convinced Jesus’ first followers that He was indeed their Messiah, however they understood, at that moment, what “Messiah” meant?

It happened as a chain of events.

  1. John pointed two of his disciples to Jesus. 

True to his calling, John the Baptiser turned his attention away from himself to Jesus. Two of his unnamed disciples got the message and went after Jesus to discover for themselves who He was. One of these two turned out to be Andrew. 

“When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why did they want to know where He was living? Was it a veiled request to spend time with Him?

A whole day with Jesus! What did they learn that cemented their conviction that He was indeed their Messiah? It would be impossible to spend a few hours with Jesus without coming away convinced that He was far more than just a man!

  1. Andrew went home and told Simon, his brother. 

 Of course Andrew couldn’t keep quiet! How could he when he had found the very person the whole of Israel was anticipating with eager longing. What a find!

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus…”

John 1:41 NIV

If Andrew’s story didn’t convince Simon, surely Jesus’ first words to him must have blown his mind…

“Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. Jesus noticed Philip

On Jesus’ way to Galilee, Philip caught His attention. How? Where? We don’t know, but it happened. 

  1. Philip found Nathanael

Nathanael was more than convinced. He was gobsmacked, sold out. How did that happen? 

Jesus made a strange comment…

“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭47‬-‭48‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I know who you are! I saw you under the fig tree! I know what you were doing! I know why you came to me…because Philip told you!” What more did Nathanael need to convince him that Jesus was no ordinary man. 

Let’s unpack Jesus’ words…”an Israelite in whom is no deceit…” “I know you!”Jesus affirmed Nathanael’s character…a genuine, honest man. 

“I saw you…” Not only did Jesus see into him, He also knew where he was, “under the fig tree…”, symbolically still under the yoke of Judaism, locked into a system of slavery to the law. Was Nathanael faithfully praying the ritual prayers of Judaism “under the fig tree” both literally and symbolically since the fig tree was a symbol of Israel? Was Nathanael hoping that even in his faithfulness to his religious practices, someday Messiah would come to free him from the law to something much better?

Nathaniel’s response to Jesus’ affirmation was an explosion of excitement, anticipation, and hope! 

“Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus concluded His revelation with words that would resonate in Nathanael’s spirit…a fulfilment of his great ancestor, Jacob’s dream. 

“Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭50‬-‭51‬ ‭NIV‬

Jesus…the ladder between heaven and earth!

The chain is growing longer! Andrew, Simon, Philip, Nathanael…four men convinced that Jesus was the Messiah!

To be continued…

What’s In A Name?

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WHAT’S IN A NAME? 

“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas,’ (which, translated, is Peter).” John 1:40-42 (NIV)

Why did John go into so much detail in relating this little incident? Didn’t Jesus call these two brothers from fishing in the lake to follow Him? I cannot answer these questions because the Bible does not connect the dots. However, we get some interesting insights into the character of these two brothers.

Simon and Andrew were two very different characters. Andrew seems to have been the more serious one, a disciple of John and keen to find out about the Messiah John was introducing. Together with an unnamed disciple of John, he sought Jesus out and spent the day with Him. Convinced that He was the Messiah, he hurried off to fetch his brother and bring Him to meet Jesus.

Andrew was more contemplative and less vocal than Simon Peter. He was very much part of the Twelve but stayed in the background while Peter was the spokesman and always in the forefront of the action. Perhaps, after this introduction to Jesus, the brothers went back to their nets until Jesus was ready to call them

Jesus’ response to Simon needs some comment. Why did He change his name?  In Hebrew thought, a name was a prophetic utterance of character. Babies were often named according to the circumstances of their birth, or as an expression of their prophetic destiny. John the Baptist was not named after his father, Zachariah, but called John which means “grace”. He would be ushering in, through Jesus, a new era of grace.

 

The name Simon means “to hear” or “reputation”. Jesus saw him, not as merely a hearer but as a rock – Petros in Greek, Cephas in Aramaic — one who would become steadfast and dependable. Isn’t this typical of the way God sees people, not as they are but as they would become through His grace?

There were important implications for Peter in this way of viewing and treating him. Jesus had to endure some questionable ideas and behaviour from this volatile and outspoken disciple. He often spoke first and thought afterwards. He said the first thing that came into his head. He had inflated ideas about himself and then crumbled when the test came.

Jesus knew Simon. He knew his character. He knew the way he was thinking and the way he would respond but He also knew what he would become. On the strength of that, He renamed him Peter. On a few occasions, when Simon really exasperated Him, He would revert to his old name but, more often than not He called him Peter. Every time Jesus said “Simon”, He was rebuking him and reminding him of who he was — just a hearer. And that’s what he often proved to be. Simon suffered from “selective hearing” just like the rest of the disciples did!

But it was not Jesus’ intention to tie him to his past. There was no value in reminding Peter who he was. In changing his name, Jesus was declaring His intention to change his character, and every time He called him Peter, He was drawing him towards his future.

There are valuable lessons for us in the example of Jesus. First of all, we learn that God is more interested in what we will be than in what we are. He has called us His sons and daughters. Our role in life is to learn to become what we are — holy and beloved children of God. True faith is taking possession of what we already own. We are heirs of all that God has promised. It is our job to inherit His promises with faith and patience (Hebrews 6:12).

The second lesson is equally important. Just as Jesus saw Peter as a rock, so we must view people according to their potential rather than their actual. Instead of criticising them for what we don’t like about them, call them “Peter”. See them as holy and beloved. That attitude will pull them towards their future instead of anchoring them to their past.

Release them from the past by cancelling their debt just as God has done, and they will be set free to become what God already sees them to be.

Will you do that? That’s what Jesus did.