Post by Admin on Jan 17, 2019 7:48:16 GMT
Tonight’s discussion began with talking about the qualities that we associate, or wish for, in a brother or sister. Answers focused on love, gentleness, honesty, loyalty, and friendship, perhaps summarized as “having our back.” This preparatory question was part of the set-up for tonight’s verses about Andrew. We learned first that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, so already a seeker of something spiritually new or deeper. When John the Baptist points out Jesus to Andrew, Andrew and his fellow disciple trail Jesus until Jesus is prompted to ask them what they want. They were seeking, they followed, when confronted Andrew asked to be with Jesus, rather than backing off. After spending the day with Jesus, Andrew was evidently excited, committed, or convinced – so much so that he took off immediately to tell his brother, Peter, and bring his brother right back to meet Jesus, too. Andrew was the brother who couldn’t wait to share with his brother and make sure his brother got the benefit.
We liked Jesus’ open-ended question, “What do you want?” which meant more than “why are following me?” Although Andrew initially went after Jesus because of what John the Baptist told him, the question is broader for Andrew, and for us. What did Andrew want? What was he looking for in John the Baptist and then in Jesus? What attracted him? That line of questions rolled into similar ones for us: what are we looking for, what attracts us to Jesus, or to the church? Was it curiosity, the invitation of a friend, the teaching of family? Several wonderful personal stories were told, often with a single influential person at the core of story.
Matthew 4:18-20 tells us: 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. We talked about whether this conflicted with the story in John or demonstrates that because of the earlier incident Andrew was ready and able to go when the Lord called. Andrew has few mentions in the Gospels, although he is always included in lists of names of the twelve. In their discussion, the young people also talked about two other incidents involving Andrew as recorded in John. One is John 6:5-13, the feeding of 5,000, in which Andrew is the one who points out that a boy has five small loaves and two small fish after Philip protests about buying food. In the other passage, John 12:20-22, some Greeks are seeking Jesus, and they approach Philip; Philip brings the Greeks to Andrew, who in turn takes them all to Jesus. Andrews looks and listens and takes people to Jesus. On a side note, Andrew was crucified in 70 A.D. on a cross shaped like an X. He had been in ministry for nearly 40 years and was executed for converting a Greek governor’s wife and brother to Christianity.
We liked Jesus’ open-ended question, “What do you want?” which meant more than “why are following me?” Although Andrew initially went after Jesus because of what John the Baptist told him, the question is broader for Andrew, and for us. What did Andrew want? What was he looking for in John the Baptist and then in Jesus? What attracted him? That line of questions rolled into similar ones for us: what are we looking for, what attracts us to Jesus, or to the church? Was it curiosity, the invitation of a friend, the teaching of family? Several wonderful personal stories were told, often with a single influential person at the core of story.
Matthew 4:18-20 tells us: 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. We talked about whether this conflicted with the story in John or demonstrates that because of the earlier incident Andrew was ready and able to go when the Lord called. Andrew has few mentions in the Gospels, although he is always included in lists of names of the twelve. In their discussion, the young people also talked about two other incidents involving Andrew as recorded in John. One is John 6:5-13, the feeding of 5,000, in which Andrew is the one who points out that a boy has five small loaves and two small fish after Philip protests about buying food. In the other passage, John 12:20-22, some Greeks are seeking Jesus, and they approach Philip; Philip brings the Greeks to Andrew, who in turn takes them all to Jesus. Andrews looks and listens and takes people to Jesus. On a side note, Andrew was crucified in 70 A.D. on a cross shaped like an X. He had been in ministry for nearly 40 years and was executed for converting a Greek governor’s wife and brother to Christianity.