What Do We Know about Andrew the Disciple?

Andrew was the brother of Simon, also known as Peter. One thing that is safe to say is Andrew appears to have a different personality to Peter. The Bible records much of what Peter says, and he always seemed willing to speak his mind. However, the Bible records very little of what Andrew said. Perhaps it’s because he didn’t say much. Honestly, we don’t know. What we do know about Andrew is he was the one who brought his brother to Jesus. That is what we see him doing when we are first introduced to him in the gospel of John.

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’

They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’

‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 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” (John 1:35-42).

What I love about Andrew is he did what we should be doing. He followed Jesus, and as soon as he was convinced Jesus was the Messiah, the first thing he did was go and tell his brother Simon Peter. You could potentially draw a conclusion that Andrew was looking for the Messiah which is why he was so eager to tell Peter about him.

While Peter was much more visible in his role in building the church, Andrew was like that silent partner who might not say much publicly, but was essential in building the church and bringing people to Jesus. Andrew reminds me of my friend Willie. He might never stand in front of an audience and preach or teach, but he was an incredible witness for Jesus in his day-to-day life. I believe this is who Andrew was in the Bible.

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Prior to Andrew deciding to follow Jesus, he was a fisherman along with his brother Peter. We also learned from the Gospel of John that Andrew was one of John’s disciples. The Bible does not tell us how long he followed John, but the fact he was following John is why I would say he was possibly looking for the Messiah.

It could also be the reason that once he knew Jesus was the Messiah, he was very decisive in his decision to follow him. Remember, all John said was this is the Lamb of God, and that was all the persuasion Andrew needed to want to spend time with him. This is the reason I would call Andrew a seeker. He was ready for the Messiah to be revealed because he was looking for him all along.  

Andrew Was Decisive in Following Jesus

“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. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).

Andrew did not delay in following Jesus, which speaks to his decisive nature. The Bible does not tell us how long he was a fisherman or how successful he was, but that didn’t matter. When he knew Jesus was the Messiah, he left everything to follow him. This demonstrated his great faith and confidence in Jesus.

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When you look at Andrew’s life and search for what he did, as I said before there is not a lot mentioned about Andrew in the Bible. Outside of when Jesus called him, here are the few references to Andrew in his time with Jesus before the crucifixion.

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” (John 6:5-9).

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?’” (Mark 13:3-4).

“Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus” (John 12:20-22).

If you notice, there was nothing spectacular recorded about his life. No record of him doing anything miraculous. All we know is he followed Jesus, and maybe that was miraculous enough.

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After Jesus ascended, we find Andrew in Jerusalem praying with the other disciples. Again, nothing that brings attention to him.

“When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:13-14).

A Takeaway from Andrew in the Bible

What can we take away from Andrew’s life? Perhaps Andrew is more like us than we realize. Most of us will never be known outside of our peer group. Most of us won’t be famous or have volumes of books written about us. Most of us will serve Jesus with no fanfare attached to our name. We will serve in relative obscurity with no celebration or “greatness” connected to us.

The greatest thing we can say about Andrew is he brought his brother to Jesus, and he left everything to follow him. This will be the story of many of our lives – following Jesus and bringing people to him with only heaven recognizing and celebrating what you are doing. I guess what I am saying is in the church there will be a lot more Andrew’s than there will be Peter’s or Paul’s. People making decisive decisions to follow Jesus and serving with no mention of their names or no spotlight shining on their life.

Maybe it is time for us to acknowledge that Andrew’s life will probably be more representative of our life. By the way, if all you do is bring people to Jesus and follow him with all your heart, then you will have lived a good life and will have a great impact on the kingdom of God. I don’t know what you think, but that sounds like a life well lived.

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