SIMON and Andrew were young fishermen. They lived on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in the land which God promised to give to Abraham and to his children's children. They knew that God had promised that He would send One whom He had spoken of as Messiah, the anointed One, who should be a mighty King and deliver them from all their enemies, and they longed for the time when He should appear.
And then one day they heard that a man named John, clad like one of the prophets of old, in a rough garment made of camel's hair, with a leather girdle about his loins, was preaching in the wilderness, crying out and saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The King was coming, and John was the messenger sent to prepare the way before Him.
Andrew wanted to be ready when Messiah the King came, and he became a disciple of John the Baptist. That is what this preacher was called, because those who repented were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
One day "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."
Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What seek ye?" They said to Him, "Master, where dwellest thou?" Jesus said to 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 those two disciples, who heard John speak and followed Jesus, was Andrew.
Yes; Andrew was ready when the King came, even though He had come in such a lowly way that very few received Him. Andrew heard the words, "Behold the Lamb of God," and with his fellow disciple he followed Jesus. What a wonderful day that must have been to the two disciples, when Jesus spoke to them and invited them to go with Him, for they went and stayed with Him that day!
Has anyone ever pointed you to Jesus, the spotless, holy Lamb of God, who died for sinners? Are you following Him to the home above? He wants you to spend eternity with Him in the Father's house, an eternity which begins now.
That was only the first of many happy days that Andrew spent with Jesus; and he did not keep his happiness to himself. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messias," and he brought him to Jesus.
When Jesus saw Simon He gave him a new name. He said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas," or stone. It was just as though Jesus had said to Simon, "Thou shalt be called Stone."
Andrew did not understand all at once why Jesus had given his brother this new name; but when he did understand he must have been very glad indeed that he brought him.
Messages of the Love of God 8/3/1975