Andrew, the son of Jonah (or John),1
was a fisherman by trade, partnering with his brother Simon, James and John and their
father Zebedee, and hired servants (Matt. 4:18-2; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). Andrew was from Bethsaida in Galilee (John 1:44) and
lived near Capernaum with his brother’s family (Mark 1:29-30). The name Andrew (Greek Andreas) is derived from the Greek anēr
(“man”) and its genitive form andros
(“of a man”), meaning “manly” or “brave.” The fact that he had a Greek name and his brother
Simon (Heb. Simeon) had a Jewish name is indicative of the cultural diversity
of first-century Galilee.2
At the instigation of John the baptizer, Andrew
was the first of his fishing companions to encounter Jesus and to recognize him
as the promised Messiah, also bringing his brother to meet the Lord (John
1:35-42). Jesus must have made quite an impression on them. When the call to
discipleship was issued, both Andrew and Simon left their fishing nets to
follow him and to train as fishers of men (Mark 1:16-18).
Andrew appears to have been among the select
few who got to witness the healing of his sister-in-law’s sick mother (Mark
1:29-31), the experience of which no doubt contributed to the development of
his young faith. He was among the four who asked Jesus about the temple’s
destruction and the sign of his second coming (Mark 13:3). This prompted the
Lord’s prophetic discourse about Jerusalem’s imminent fall and the necessity of
always being ready for Christ’s unexpected return (Matt. 24:4–25:46; Mark 13:5-36;
Luke 21:8-36).4
As Jesus prepared to demonstrate his great
power and providential care by feeding 5,000 hungry people, it was Andrew who informed
him of the boy with five barley loaves and two small fish, though at the time
Andrew seems to have been oblivious to what the Lord was capable of doing (John
6:8-9). They happened to be near Andrew’s
hometown of Bethsaida (Luke 9:10), so Andrew could have known the boy
personally, introducing yet another individual to Christ. This feeding miracle is
significant in that it is the only supernatural work of Jesus (barring the resurrection) recorded in all
four Gospel accounts. In fact, there was something important to be learned from this incident that the apostles did not immediately grasp (Mark 6:52; 8:17-21).5 Mature
faith and spiritual insight obviously take time to develop.
On another occasion there were certain
Greeks (perhaps God-fearers or proselytes?) who desired to meet Jesus, and it
was Philip and Andrew (both of whom had Greek names) who served as intermediaries (John 12:20-22). Andrew is once
again involved in bringing people to the Lord.
In the biblical record, as well as in
subsequent church history, Andrew is markedly eclipsed by his older sibling. Even
though Andrew was among the first of the Lord’s disciples, it is Simon Peter who
is always listed before him, and more often than not Andrew is identified merely
as “his brother” (Matt. 10:2; Mark 1:16; Luke 6:14; John 1:40; 6:8). Simon Peter
consistently stands in the limelight, while Andrew remains hidden in the
shadows (cf. Acts 1:15; 2:14, 37; 5:12-15, 29; 15:6-7; etc.).
Andrew was a truth-seeker, eagerly
receptive to the preaching of John the baptizer and then of Jesus himself. He
left all to follow Christ (Luke 5:11) and is probably best remembered as one
who regularly brought others to the Lord. Like his fellow-apostles, Andrew
struggled with his faith (Mark 4:38-41; 6:51-52; etc.) and momentarily forsook
the Lord (Mark 14:15) before his penitent return to faithfulness (Acts
1:12-14).
According to tradition3 Andrew
went on to evangelize areas now known as Ukraine, Romania and Russia, dutifully
carrying out his ministry in places like Scythia, Georgia, Byzantium
(Constantinople), Thrace, and Achaia. He is believed to have died as a martyr
by crucifixion (possibly on a Latin X-shaped cross) in the city of Patras in
Achaia, northwest of Corinth.
From Andrew we learn the importance of
seeking and receiving and obediently responding to the message of Jesus Christ.
He demonstrates that public recognition is of far less value than
faithfully serving the Lord in whatever ways one is capable. He provides a
notable example of bringing souls to Jesus. Though significantly
overshadowed by his older brother, he is a great hero of the faith in his
own right whose life is worthy of emulation.
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Andrew’s brother is called Bariōna
(Aramaic “son of Jonah”) in Matt. 16:18, and [huios] Iōannou (Greek “son of John”) in John 1:42 and 21:15-17
(with textual variation). See The 12 Apostles (Part 2): Simon Peter.
3 See Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.1; also the Chronicle of Nestor.
5 Matthew (14:13-21; 15:32-39)
and Mark (6:30-44; 8:1-10) both include two feeding miracles, although Mark
devotes more space to the first than the other Gospel writers and more space to
the second than Matthew (omitted by the others). The feeding of the 5,000 was
in the Jewish territory of Galilee, while the feeding of the 4,000 was in the
predominantly Gentile area of the Decapolis.
Related Posts: The 12 Apostles (Part 1)
Image credit: http://fishermore.edu/chronicles/wp-content/uploads/St.-Andrew.jpg
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