Apostlebook_02

Chapter Two
The Apostle Andrew

Andrew, the son of Jonah and Joanna, was from Bethsaida in Galilee. He was a young man who had little interest in worldly pursuits. Though he was a fisherman by trade, his main interest in life was his God. He was a follower of John the Baptist when Israel was in expectation of the Messiah. John the Baptist showed Andrew and others who sincerely sought after righteousness, the terrible wickedness of the religious rulers of Israel. John the Baptist was the last of the faithful prophets to proclaim the promised "King of kings."

As a result of John the Baptist's ministry, Andrew grew more and more to think about the matters of the heart rather than the matters of fishing. Andrew's heart was being prepared for an event which would shortly change his life. It is quite possible that he witnessed the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Matt. 3:13-17

After Jesus was baptized, he went up into the wilderness to pray and be alone with God. This was a time when Jesus would receive instruction from God as to all that he was to do. It is very likely that Jesus would learn about selecting the twelve Apostles sent by special providence of God. On his journey back to Nazareth, Jesus passed by John the Baptist who was still preaching to his followers of God's kingdom. When John saw Jesus he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 NAS This so thrilled Andrew's heart that he left John the Baptist's ministry the very next day and began to follow Jesus. Andrew was probably one of the first who would witness to others about Jesus, for right after he talked to Jesus, Andrew ran to find Simon Peter, his brother, to tell him of Jesus. He said, "Simon, come! We have found the Messiah!" John 1:35 & 40-41

Shortly after Andrew introduced his brother Peter to Jesus, they were invited with Jesus to a wedding in Cana where they would witness the first miracle ever performed by their new Master. John 2:1-11 There, Jesus turned vessels of water into wine. This was truly a wonder for Andrew and Peter to observe, however, it was not until they witnessed a miracle performed especially for them that they sold their fishing business and gave up all else to follow Jesus. Andrew, Peter and their partners in the fishing business had been up all night fishing and they still had nothing caught in their nets. The next day, Jesus told them to cast their nets out and try again. To their amazement, they caught such a great haul of fish that their boats began to sink from the weight. This is what convinced Andrew and Peter that the man who was preaching in their midst was worthy of their very lives. This was a man sent of God! Matt. 4:18-22 & Luke 5:1-11

Andrew would witness many more of Jesus' miracles and teachings and would go on to perform miracles himself. He was present at the feeding of the five thousand by the Sea of Galilee, where he is mentioned as having introduced to Jesus the young boy who had the five loaves and two fishes. John 6:1-14 He was also present at the Mount of Olives where Peter, James, John and he inquired diligently about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age. Mark 13:1-4 Andrew was a privileged witness to Jesus' short but wonderful ministry and was faithful in sharing his love of Jesus to others.

Because of this faithful ministry in preaching the Gospel of Christ, Andrew is said to died a painful death on the cross. It is also said of Andrew that he brought the Gospel message to Ephesus with the Apostle John, and to Greece, Russia, and Asia. Of course, this is not recorded in the Bible and is only a history of the Apostle Andrew passed down from tradition. But this one thing is clear, Andrew was provided every experience needed to be a most capable Apostle of the Lamb and a faithful foundation of the Church.

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