Andrew Brings Peter To Christ (J6)

Oh, John Baptist, great was the help you gave,
Not only the Lamb of God to reveal,
But also His path to ministry pave,
And gave your workers when His need was real!
Had Andrew not left John for Jesus first,
Peter might never have left fishers’ rope;
The Pentecost harvest could have been worse;
And the church bereft her initial Pope!
The world is better for these two brothers,
Who followed Jesus’ call with no delay,
Bringing salvation to countless others,
Losing their lives working to show the way!
No scholars were they, nor leaders of men,
But Jesus made them champions who win!

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. … Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas (which, when translated, is Peter).' ” (John 1:35-42)

So Peter left his boat and quit fishing on the Sea of Galilee to follow Jesus. He was known to his family as Simon; as soon as Jesus saw him, He changed his name to “Cephas”, which translated into Peter. Jesus and His disciples spoke Aramaic, which was used instead of the more formal Hebrew or Greek. The latter language was common in Israel, dating back to Alexander the Great, who had conquered this land during the fourth century B/C. During Jesus’ time it was a part of the Roman Empire.

A man or woman who became a believer in Jesus as the Messiah is said to be His “disciple”. Many disciples returned to their homes, but approximately 120 men and women were with Him in Jerusalem when He was crucified, buried, and resurrected on the third day. However, Jesus chose 12 men to be His “apostles”; they were chosen specifically to spread the gospel around the world, and to establish His church. Peter and Andrew both became apostles, and Peter was the chief of the apostles. He took the lead, preaching the first sermon after the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. On that day 3000 souls were added to the 120, establishing the first church in Jerusalem. By 100 A.D. there were several hundred churches, large and small, scattered throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Asia Minor. The Roman Catholic church has named Peter the first Pope, or Bishop of Rome, although it is not historically confirmed that Peter ever went to Rome.

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)