One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. (John 1:40)
I want to be more like the apostle Andrew. Have you ever thought about him as a role model?
Follow the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and you will find Andrew present on multiple occasions.
- Andrew was one of the first two documented disciples of Jesus (John 1:35-42)
- About a year later, Andrew personally heard Jesus’ “fishers of men” call (Mark 1:16-20)
- Andrew alone offered a solution at Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-14)
But there were also some truly monumental occasions when Andrew wasn’t included by Jesus.
- Andrew wasn’t among the three who witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration (Matt 17:1-21)
- Andrew wasn’t there when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mark 5:21-43)
- Andrew wasn’t hand-picked to follow Jesus further into Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42)
How might the carnal side in many of us reacted?
- Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice? (Eph 4:31)
- Enmity, strife, jealousy, rivalry, dissension, division? (Gal 5:19-21)
And yet, where else do we read about Andrew?
- Andrew continued to do what he could to connect people with Jesus (John 12:20-26)
- Andrew continued to devote himself to prayer with the other disciples (Acts 1:12-14)
I want to be more like Andrew. He’s a living reminder to me of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 19:30, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
This sermon was delivered on July 2, 2017.
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