“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 1:40–42).
It is well known that the great majority of believers are introduced to the Lord by a close friend or relative. This fact should highlight the importance of testifying one on one like Andrew.
Let us reflect on how Jesus deliberately took time during His ministry to reach out to individuals. In John 3 we find him alone with the Pharisee Nicodemus. Luke 19:3 tells of Jesus traveling with a large crowd pressing about him. Yet he stopped for the despised publican Zacchaeus: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house” (v.5). While the disciples had gone to find food, our Lord initiated a conversation with the Samaritan woman and ended up seeing her saved (John 4). Throughout his ministry he took the time for individuals who were sick, sorrowing, debilitated, demon-possessed, and rejected by the society of his day. From a rich young ruler, to the woman caught in adultery, to the thief on the cross; Jesus never ceased testifying to individuals and seeing lives transformed one at a time.
Perhaps the one that we hesitantly bring to Jesus will have a far greater spiritual impact on the world than we ourselves have. This was certainly the case with Andrew bringing Peter, as described in our text. Peter’s public work eclipsed that of Andrew. James 5:20 exhorts us that “he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” DW
