Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!”

            The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus.  When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying?”

“Come and you’ll see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about 10 in the morning.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him.  He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which means “Anointed One”), and he brought Simon to Jesus.

When Jesus saw him, He said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which means “Rock”).  John 1:35-42

 

“Why aren’t you more like your brother?” I wonder if the apostle Andrew ever heard that. He was Peter’s brother. Peter who was the leader among the disciples. Peter who preached to crowds of thousands in Jerusalem. Peter who performed miracles of healing. Peter who wrote two books of the Bible. Peter who became the foundation of the church in Rome. Talk about a tough act to follow!

In scripture Andrew is often referred to as “Peter’s brother.” Like you wouldn’t know him apart from that, like he’s a sidekick. Compared to Peter, he’s an amazing underachiever. And, truthfully, we don’t know a lot about him. He only distinguishes himself a few times in scripture.  However, if you look at those occasions, what stands out is that he’s always introducing someone to Jesus. Andrew isn’t a great leader like his brother, but he understands the value of one, and the power of personal appeal. He doesn’t preach to huge crowds, he talks to individuals. The first person he talks to about Jesus? His brother.

Peter was an amazing man of God. But it was Andrew who led him to Jesus. Maybe God is calling you to be the next Billy Graham or the next T.D. Jakes; someone who leads and preaches to thousands of people at a time. Or maybe, just maybe, He’s calling you to talk to that guy or girl sitting across from you in the coffee shop, the cafeteria, the break room, calling you to tell that one person about Jesus.