Although the previous article already looked at John 1:40-42, I think that there’s more that we can learn from that passage. (In fact, I’m certain that there’s more that we can learn from all sorts of passages in the Bible, whether because the Holy Spirit has new things to teach us, because we missed something the first time, or because our own circumstances continue to change and the Scriptures speak to them differently than they did before.)
After Andrew (a former disciple of John the Baptist), hears John’s testimony about Jesus, and spends some time with Jesus, Andrew realizes that Jesus is the “real deal” (in contrast to plenty of others who had falsely claimed to be the Messiah that was promised to the Jewish people), so he goes and gets his brother Simon. I like how the Lookout (a study guide cited below) points out that Andrew was someone who brought people to Jesus, including a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fishes (see John 6:8-9), and some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus (see John 12:20-22).
Let’s review the following passage from John 1 again.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
John 1:40-42 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.1.40-42.NIV
What was Simon doing when his brother went and got him? I suppose that he could have also been following John the Baptist (but just not present on day then John pointed out Jesus), but I wonder if maybe Simon was just out doing something else, like fishing. Or – and I am speculating throughout this paragraph – I can imagine the two brothers sitting at the dinner table together, with Andrew talking about this guy named John who says that a special person sent by God is coming soon. So, when Andrew finds Jesus, he’s eager to share the fulfillment of that promise with his brother.
Regardless, I think that pretty much every Jewish person in that day knew about the promised Messiah, so when Andrew told Simon that the Messiah had arrived, Simon would definitely be curious (even if he was skeptical, since others had claimed to be the Messiah before, but this was still worth a look). Apparently, Andrew was trustworthy – or compelling – enough that Simon checked out the news that his brother shared.
If, you’re a follower of Jesus like me, what do we know to be true that other people are desperately seeking? Maybe they don’t know what a “Messiah” is, or they think that “Christ” was just Jesus’ last name, but people are definitely still seeking for the same kinds of things as those in first-century Judea:
- People today want freedom from what enslaves them, even if they don’t know that the ultimate bondage they are experiencing is from sin.
- People today want relief from their pain and suffering.
- People today want to understand why they are here, and what their purpose is.
- People today want hope that there will be something better.
- People today want to understand if there is more to this world than a mortal life, and if there is a God who is engaged with the universe.
So, in that light, what if we confidently (and humbly) shared with others that we knew the solutions to these needs, and offered them the answers that we have found in Jesus? Yes, some would likely be skeptical, especially if they have been disappointed previously by others (i.e., false “prophets” who promised solutions but failed to deliver on them). At some point, though, the ongoing pain of living in a broken, sinful world without any other resolution is often enough to make people willing to come find the correct answer, especially when they see joy and healing in those who have found and followed Jesus Christ.
When Simon shows up, I interpret Jesus’ reply as a prophecy about Simon. By identifying who Simon is, Jesus shows that He already knows him. Note that Jesus acknowledges Simon: “Jesus looked at him” (verse 42). Today, we might say that Simon was “seen” by Jesus. Jesus also makes this prophetic pronouncement of a new name for Simon, “Cephas” (or Peter, depending on the language).
Jumping ahead to a conversation between Jesus and His disciples recorded in Matthew 16 (specifically, verses 13-20), Peter later confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus confirmed Peter’s new name, and mentioned the rock upon which Jesus will build His church (see Matthew 16:18). I’m not positive whether this rock was Peter himself (perhaps as Peter spoke at Pentecost and helped lead the early church), or if this rock was the proclamation that Peter had just made (the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God). Regardless, though, Matthew 16:19 confirms that Peter will have a powerful role in the church.
I don’t know what God has in mind for you, whether His new name for you will be “Prophet”, “Friend”, “Encourager”, or something else. No matter how God has planned to let you participate in His plan, though, if you have found and experienced His hope for a hurting world, don’t keep it to yourself!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 4, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, February 4, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 