Remembering Andrew

Several years ago, I did a sermon series on the twelve. I found it interesting that Jesus called both Simon Peter and Andrew to become his apostles. The two brothers were professional fishermen. When people think of them, they rarely focus on Andrew, because Peter is the best known of Jesus’ disciples. Peter was loud, Andrew quiet. Peter was rowdy, Andrew steady. As different as the two were, at their defining moment when Jesus called them to leave their nets and follow him, both did precisely that.

Following Jesus involved more than merely going where he went, hearing what he taught and witnessing his miracles. It was a serious commitment. Nothing in scripture suggests Jesus offered them a salary or promised their lives would be easy. As Jesus’ disciples, Peter and Andrew walked away from their obvious means of supporting their families. But the brothers had seen and heard enough to know they wanted to follow him and they gave up the lives they had been living and totally committed themselves to following Jesus.

Life changed dramatically for both men though Peter was still the brother everyone noticed first. He was center stage, Andrew consistently played second fiddle.

It was Andrew who found Christ first, then eagerly told his brother about Jesus. Scripture records the story this way, “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means ‘Christ’”). (John 1:40-41, NLT).

Peter had always been a bit bigger than life. After meeting Jesus, he became part of his inner circle and an even more incredible force with which to be reckoned.

Being the kind of man Andrew was, I am sure he celebrated his brother’s commitment to Christ, but there must have been times when it was tough to see Peter getting all the attention. Though Peter was impressive, Andrew seems more like us.

Simon Peter is mentioned 153 times in the Bible; Andrew just twelve. After introducing Peter to Jesus, Andrew only appeared two more times in the Gospel of John and both times was bringing someone to Jesus.

Andrew did not have Peter’s magnetic personality but despite that, he made a remarkable impact. Some of us are outgoing, others are not. Whether you love being in front of a group or are more comfortable behind the scenes; if everyone knows your name or no one does, God sees your value and wants to use you in his kingdom.