Monday, June 10, 2013

John 1:40

A man named Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, is one of the two men who hear what John the Baptizer says about Jesus.  He ends up being one of the two men that follow Jesus around all day.  John 1:40 EFP

The plot thickens!  Unless you are already familiar with the story, you are not expecting the name Andrew to pop up at this juncture.  After all, even the verse has to clarify who Andrew is, not on the basis of some previous act or future notoriety, but for no other reason than the fact that he is Simon Peter’s brother.  Peter’s brother.  That’s his claim to fame at this early stage of the Gospel story.

Andrew would never truly match his brother’s impact on the movement that was being launched.  He is not credited with any watershed sermons as is Peter.  He would not provide memorable quotes as did his sibling.  But he is the first of the twelve disciples to be mentioned in John’s Gospel narrative.  Peter may have ultimately been the disciple with the greatest name recognition and unparalleled renown, but it is Andrew who had the sense to follow Jesus first.

Somebody got the Gospel wheels churning—Andrew.  Somebody saw the promise in this unknown teacher who had come to be baptized by John, who up to then had been his mentor and spiritual leader—Andrew!  It just goes to prove that God is not always looking for the marquee names to initiate his purposes.  God just needs an opening into a willing heart to plant the seeds of the amazing.  Yes, Andrew was known at this point as nothing more than the brother of Peter and “one of the two” who followed Jesus for a day.  But the world would never be the same again because of his decision to follow Jesus first.  A choice like that can make all the difference.  I choose to follow the Lamb….

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