Andrew

It would be fair to say Peter is one of the most well-known individuals in the entirety of Scripture. In the New Testament Peter’s name is mentioned 190 times, he was in the inner circle of Christ, and it does not really matter who you talk to, most people, even atheists, have heard of Simon Peter. Without a doubt, just about everyone knows who Peter is, but few know much about his brother, Andrew. With that in mind, let us briefly consider who Andrew was, because there is much to be learned from this man of God.

 First, when we examine Scripture, we notice Andrew was an evangelist. In John’s Gospel account, we see a detail that is not mentioned in the other account: Andrew is the one who brought his brother to Jesus. In John 1:40-42 the Bible says, “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” Isn’t it interesting everyone remembers the things Peter did for Christ, but no one remembers the man who brought him to Christ? Something we all need to think about more is the value we can add to the kingdom of God, simply by teaching others the Gospel. You never know what great things a soul might do for the Lord. Andrew brought Peter to Christ, and Peter went on to do some of the greatest work for his Master that we read about in the New Testament. Andrew, from the earliest stages, was an evangelist.

Secondly, when we examine Scripture, we notice that Andrew was devoted. Andrew was originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44), but when Jesus called him, he was living in Capernaum (Mk. 1:16-18). Now, the reason this is important is because John was preaching and preparing the way for Jesus in the wilderness of Judea (Mt. 3:1), and Andrew came all the way from Capernaum to get there. There is no way to know the exact distance because we do not know precisely where John was preaching, nor do we know exactly where Andrew began his journey. However, a realistic estimate is about ninety miles. To go hear the things John was proclaiming about the coming Messiah, Andrew had to walk those ninety miles-a journey that likely took four days. Andrew was devoted in coming to Christ, and he was devoted in following Christ.

 Finally, when we examine Scripture, we notice that Andrew was countercultural. In the first century we recognize there was a great division that existed between Jew and Gentile. This division is what makes accounts such as parable of the good Samaritan (Lk. 10:29-37), and Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well (John 4), so powerful. The people in the first century lived in a culture that was deeply divided. In John 12, we read of some Greeks who came to Philip, asking to see Jesus (v. 20-22). Now, if it had been James and John, the sons of thunder, or Peter, the impulsive responder, I wonder if these Gentiles would have gotten the opportunity to see Christ? Certainly, we cannot know the answer to that question, as it is hypothetical. However, it is worth noting when the Greeks asked to see Jesus, Philip told Andrew, and they brought them to Christ. Maybe Philip did not know how to respond. Perhaps he was unsure of what he should do. We are not exactly sure why Philip told Andrew about the Greeks request, but we do know the outcome: Andrew was not worried about the division that existed between Jew and Gentile. Rather, he was focused on getting as many into contact with Christ as possible. Andrew was countercultural.  

Without a doubt, Andrew is one of the lesser-known individuals of Scripture. However, just because there is not much said about this man, does not mean there is not much to be learned from this man. Andrew was a man of God who was an evangelist, devoted, and countercultural. What good it could do for all of us to strive to imitate him (1 Cor. 11:1)!