S31P6 – The disciples’ lessons: Andrew
John 1:40-42
One of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first looked for and found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated Peter).”
Have you ever heard some news that is so good you have to tell someone else? Perhaps you have found a deal somewhere, and you want to make sure everyone you know can take advantage of it. Sometimes the knowledge we are dying to share with others has no eternal or mortal consequence. Other times this knowledge is quite serious. If you lived in an area where a certain illness was far too common, and you discovered the source of that illness, you would feel the urge to share that news with those who need to hear it. We would not expect you to simply relocate and never tell others of the danger they are in. This is the type of news that Andrew received from John the Baptist. What he heard John say was that Jesus was the Messiah they had awaited all these years. And the moment he heard this, he had to tell his brother.
Andrew’s excitement and motivation here is what we are to have toward those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is quite the mortal issue. We know that nothing awaits us but death if we do not have Jesus. In fact, those who do not have him are dead already even though they may be breathing and walking like us. The illness they have is sin, and we know the remedy. There is a certain urgency with which we should live because time is short. No one knows the hour or the day that Christ will return, and we do not know how many opportunities we will have to share the good news of the Gospel with any particular person. We see here that Andrew did not hesitate in bringing his brother to the feet of Jesus. In this same way, we should not hesitate in bringing the lost to his feet as well. People are searching for where to go, and all we need to do is direct them.
If we truly believe in the message of the cross and the significance of Jesus Christ and his life, then we would not be content in keeping this knowledge to ourselves. A hallmark of the true Christian is the desire to share the good news as we are instructed to do so by Jesus himself. But this goes further than merely telling of Jesus Christ in a moment. Discipleship is the natural next step in the conversation. For Andrew and Peter, that discipleship came from walking beside Jesus himself during his years of ministry. For us, we have been discipled through others so that we can disciple others ourselves. We not only tell of Jesus, but we also are to help others walk with him. Father, give us not only the desire to share your Son with others but the opportunity to do so with those who have receptive hearts.