John 1:40-42 We have found the Messiah

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  Before discussing Andrew, the one who is identified for us, remember from our commentary on the introductory passages that John the Baptist's unidentified disciple was none other than John, the writer of this gospel.  John never records his own personal discovery of Jesus outside of this indirect reference as the silent "other" of the two.  And John only reveals his identity throughout the rest of his gospel as "the disciple who Jesus loved."

 

He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  Andrew would have found his brother either involved in their family fishing trade, or in their hometown of Bethsaida on the north shore of Lake Galilee.  John does not provide the details about the Disciples which were already available in other gospels at the time of John's writing.  Matthew's gospel reveals that the two sets of brothers; James and John, and, Andrew and Simon, were the sons of two Galilean fishing families.

 

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. - Matthew 4:18-22

 

We find in Luke's account of this same day of the Disciples' calling, that the two families were in partnership with one another.  And we also find that Peter still had some last minute issues to deal with before leaving all to follow Christ.

 

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

 

So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. - Luke 5:1-11

 

John's gospel provides us with the additional information that both sets of these brothers were already acquainted with Jesus before the day recorded above by Matthew and Luke.

 

"We have found the Messiah"  It has been said that God doesn't have any grandchildren.  Each person is called to son-ship with the Father through Christ.  John and Andrew had witnessed the Baptist's testimony that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.  And they were witnesses the next day when John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God.  But after spending the previous evening alone with Jesus, they had come to their own conviction that Jesus was indeed their Savior.  The Baptist had pointed them to Christ; but they found Jesus to be everything the Baptist professed.  After getting to know Jesus personally they stated quite honestly; "We have found the Messiah."

 

And he brought him to Jesus.  Andrew brought his brother to Jesus.  It was not enough for Andrew to inform Peter that Christ had come into the world, and that Andrew had found Christ for himself.  Andrew wanted Peter to experience Christ personally just like he and John had done.

 

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  Jesus not only saw who Simon was, He also saw who he would become in Him.  Jesus assured Peter that He already knew his family background (son of Jonah) and his old identity - Simon.  But Jesus also saw the new man that Simon would become - Cephas, or Peter.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2nd Corinthians 5:17

 

On that day when these four disciples were called, Jesus knew the weight of sin and guilt that Peter thought would certainly disqualify him from following Christ.  Jesus even knew that Peter would deny Him on the night of His arrest.  And when Simon was confronted with the power of God by their great catch of fish, all he could see was his sin.  But Jesus answered, "Do not be afraid."

 

Herein we have the normal progression of Christian salvation:

• Someone who knows Jesus is compelled to profess that He is the Christ.
• The hearer seeks Jesus hoping to find Christ to be true.
• In getting to know Jesus they are confronted with the wretchedness of their sin.
• The love of God expressed by the cross persuades them, "Do not be afraid."
• They come to know personally that Jesus is the Christ.
• And the process is repeated for this - two thousand years!

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14