Holy Bible - Obsidian Study Guide

Andrew

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Andrew

Overview

  • Testament: New
  • Role: One of the Twelve Apostles; brother of Peter; the first disciple called by Jesus; consistently portrayed as one who brings others to Christ
  • Family: Brother of Peter; son of Jonas (John 21:15-17 names Peter’s father, implying Andrew’s as well); fisherman by trade
  • Key Books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts

Biography

Andrew was a fisherman from Bethsaida (John 1:44) and the brother of Simon Peter. Before his call by Jesus Christ, Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, indicating a man already serious in his pursuit of God. The Gospel of John records that Andrew was among those standing with the Baptist when he pointed to Jesus and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus, spent the day with him, and became the first to recognize him as Messiah: “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (John 1:41). Andrew’s first act after this recognition was to find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus — the defining pattern of his entire discipleship.

The Synoptic Gospels record a second, formal call at the Sea of Galilee. Walking by the sea, Jesus Christ saw Andrew and Peter casting a net, for they were fishers, and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Mark 1:17-18). Andrew and Peter thus share the distinction of being the first pair called at the beginning of Jesus’s Galilean ministry. Andrew is consistently listed among the first four in the apostolic lists (Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:16-18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13), though unlike Peter, James (son of Zebedee), and John (Apostle), he was not part of the inner three present at the Transfiguration, Gethsemane, and the raising of Jairus’s daughter.

Two further scenes in the Gospel of John illuminate Andrew’s character. When Jesus Christ sought to feed a great multitude, it was Andrew who located the boy with five barley loaves and two small fishes — and though he immediately acknowledged the apparent inadequacy (“but what are they among so many?”), he brought the resource to Jesus nonetheless (John 6:8-9). The Feeding of the Five Thousand followed. Then, when certain Greeks came to Philip (Apostle) seeking access to Jesus, Philip turned to Andrew, and “Andrew and Philip tell Jesus” (John 12:22). Andrew is again the one who opens a door — this time to Gentiles seeking the Lord, foreshadowing the universal scope of the gospel. He is also among the four disciples who privately asked Jesus about the signs of the end of the age (Mark 13:3-4).

Church tradition, lying outside the canonical record, associates Andrew with missionary work in Scythia, Asia Minor, and Greece. He is said to have been martyred at Patras in Achaia on an X-shaped cross — the so-called “Saint Andrew’s Cross” (crux decussata) — because he reportedly declared himself unworthy to die on an upright cross like his Lord. He is the patron saint of Scotland and Russia.

Key Events

Relationships

Important Verses

“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” — John 1:41 (KJV)

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” — Mark 1:17-18 (KJV)

“There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” — John 6:9 (KJV)

Cross-References

  • Peter — his brother; the one Andrew first brought to Jesus
  • James (son of Zebedee) — fellow apostle; part of the inner three Andrew was not included in
  • John (Apostle) — likely the unnamed second disciple present at John 1:35-40
  • John the Baptist — Andrew’s first master, whose testimony pointed him to Christ
  • Philip (Apostle) — collaborated with Andrew to bring the Greeks to Jesus (John 12:22)
  • Feeding of the Five Thousand — the miracle Andrew’s practical step made possible
  • Matthew — apostle list includes Andrew (Matthew 10:2)
  • Acts — Andrew listed among the eleven at prayer after the Ascension (Acts 1:13)

Notes

  • The name Andrew is Greek (Andreas), meaning “manly”; it is one of the few Greek names among the Twelve, perhaps reflecting the bilingual character of Galilean fishing communities near Gentile regions
  • Andrew’s repeated role as a bridge-builder — bringing Peter, the boy with the loaves, and the Greeks to Jesus — makes him a model of personal evangelism even though he left no epistle or Gospel
  • John 1:40 says Andrew was “one of the two which heard John speak, and followed” Jesus; the identity of the second disciple is never given, though tradition often suggests John (Apostle)
  • Andrew and Peter appear to have shared a house in Capernaum (Mark 1:29), suggesting they relocated from Bethsaida during the Galilean ministry

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