Andrew is so impacted by his one-day experience with Jesus that he runs home and not only tells his brother all about this man he had met, but probably spoke incessantly about the Messiah as he was leading Simon to meet Jesus in person. He must have done an excellent job of convincing his brother of the extraordinary nature of this teacher that his otherwise intransigent sibling accompanies him without a word significant enough to be part of this biblical narrative. This, you will discover, is very usual for Simon Peter.
What follows is more than a bit curious and
awesome. To begin with, Jesus calls
Peter by the name “Simon” which means “one who listens and obeys.” That was the name he went by. This was either an inspired moment meant to
confirm Andrew’s assessment of Jesus’ role as Messiah, or a clue that Jesus has
talked to Andrew about his brother during the day, and had taken the time to remember
that detail when he sees him as Andrew is leading him towards Jesus. Either way, it’s important to note that Jesus
knows his chosen ones by name (that’s all of us—good and bad). He also knows everything about us. Proof of this is the fact that Jesus makes it
a point to assign to Simon a name in Aramaic (Cephas), which means “rock or
stone” just like Peter, which is his name in Greek The word “rock” describes Simon as he is at
that moment—stubborn, headstrong, rugged, and virulent, and not the “one who
obeys.” Yet Jesus already sees in him
the “rock” solid, determined, and devoted disciple that would lead Jesus’
fledging church in its infancy.
Jesus, and by definition God Almighty,
chooses to see me at my best when I am at my worst. He knows me at my darkest moments and chooses
to appreciate me for what I can be in his power and grace. He knows not only the names by which I am
known—failure, foolish, fickle, feeble, and faithless, but by the new name he
has prepared for me—victorious, wise, steadfast, strong, and faithful! That is good news to me in any language!
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