We Have Found the Messiah

To my son,

                Your middle name is Andrew, and so I thought I would write to you today about who Andrew was. He was in the New Testament and was a follower of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. John recorded this about how Andrew first met the Savior: “Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:35-42). I love that story for we see how willing Andrew was to follow the Savior immediately when he heard Him. The Lord invited them with this simple phrase: “Come and see.” And they indeed came and followed Him, and Andrew knew that it was the Messiah. He immediately thought of his brother and shared the testimony he had gained with Peter. Andrew was, like his brother, a fisherman, and apparently they continued that occupation for some time after this original introduction to Jesus. Matthew recorded this next encounter with Jesus: “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And I love this brief description of how these two brothers responded, “And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20). They left their professions to follow the Savior and both became apostles of the Lord.

We don’t have a lot more detail about his ministry as an apostle, but we do have three questions that he asked Jesus which are think are instructive for what we should seek for in our lives: 

·         Upon first meeting Jesus he asked, “Rabbi, where dwellest thou?” He wanted to know where Jesus dwelt so He could follow Him (John 1:38). He would spend the rest of his life seeking to follow the Savior as he helped take the gospel to the world. We too should seek to understand figuratively where the Savior dwells and how we can follow Him.  

·         On the day when Jesus taught a great multitude, He questioned the disciples how they were going to feed them all. Andrew answered saying this: “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” I think this represents his desire for more faith as he sought to understand the Savior’s power (John 6:9). We should seek to have the Lord’s power to help us, especially when we feel inadequate.  

·         During the last week of the Savior’s life “He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:3-4) Andrew and these other disciples sought to understand the teachings of the Savior. They wanted to comprehend truth and His divine teachings—in this case concerning the signs of the times—and we can also seek to understand the Savior’s gospel through prayer and the study of the scriptures. 

I believe that we should follow Andrew’s example, seeking to follow the Savior, receive His power, and understand His gospel. He ultimately died a martyr’s death for the cause of the Messiah. I hope that you will remember his example as you think of your name, remembering the questions he asked which helped him to "find the Messiah" serve Him faithfully. I hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Dad