Andrew: A Good Man
There’s a lot of times we focus on the major characters of the Bible. Jesus Christ, Simon Peter, Paul, Moses, David, etc. I love character studies, I love the people we read about in the Bible. And there’s nothing wrong with focusing on those people; we ought to imitate Jesus and other godly men as best as we can. There’s so much to learn from them! But there are a lot of people we may skip past; there’s not as much said about them, they’re the minor characters, and we don’t tend to notice them. I want us to look at a good man we don’t often think about. He was the brother of Simon Peter (John 1:40), and the son of Jonah (Mat. 16:17). He’s mentioned a total of 13 times in the New Testament, and three of those times, he is just listed with the other apostles. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, by the sea of Galilee. He was a follower of John the Baptist (John 1:40). One of the greatest things he did was become the first evangelist of Jesus Christ. His name is Andrew, and I want us to look at three good things about this man, so we may add these things to our lives as we follow the Lord:
- Andrew had a good name.
- Andrew had a good heart.
- Andrew had a good teacher.
Andrew had a good name.
The name “Andrew” comes from the Greek “Andreas.” If you’ve ever heard of the city in California, San Andreas, it’s the same thing; that means “St. Andrew.” It means: “Manly”, “strong,” or “valor.” It has a root word, “aner,” or “andros,” which means: “man,” a masculine noun, meaning it refers to a male individual.
I believe Andrew’s parents meant to rear him in such a way he was like his name. How might they rear him to be manly?
Firstly, Andrew was godly.
Psa. 4:1-3: “1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. 3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.”
David called Him God of my righteousness; another way of putting this is: “My righteous God,” which was a common way the Hebrew people prayed. God had enlarged David in distress, and had done so many times. It means God set him free, and David knows God will do it again; he knows God will show him mercy. When David thinks of his enemies however, he knows they wish to shame him. They seek after leasing, an old English word for “lie” or “lying.” They sought to overturn his throne, but that course of action would prove to be a delusion.
Instead, David knows God will hear his prayer. God would hear his prayer, because he was a righteous man. He was a Scriptural man. He was a godly man.
I think Andrew was raised the same way: To be righteous and scriptural in the eyes of God. That means he sought to be in a state of right-ness with God. He sought to do the will of the Lord.
Secondly, I think the most manly one can be is if he fits the qualifications of an elder. This man, not seeking to be an elder, but seeking to be manly, does not have to have children or be married to be considered a man, but there are a lot of wonderful, godly characteristics found in those requirements.
1 Tim. 3:2-7: “2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
Blameless: unrebukeable; you can’t accuse him. Vigilant, sober: one who does not allow alcohol to control him, or any vice. He is ready at all times to meet Satan’s temptations and come out victorious. He is ready always to serve the Lord with gladness of heart. Of good behavior: not just “a good ol’ boy” but one who is good, when surrounded by people and when surrounded by no one. Given to hospitality, apt to teach: One who is willing to feed others, use their home for the glory of God. Hospitable to others. One who wants to teach others the Bible, and he knows what it says. He is a student of God’s Word. Not violent, not greedy, but patient. He allows the Lord’s plans to unfold on the Lord’s time, not his own. He is patient, peaceable, loving, willing to serve. He has a good report with those inside the church, and outside.
Friends, if you can think of a person more manly than this, I’d like to know. Because this is who the Lord says is manly: the man who is godly.
Here’s an application for us: We ought to have good names as well. I don’t mean the meanings of our names. My name is Cannon Matthew Taylor. Taylor refers to my ancestors: they were tailors. Matthew means: “Gift of God.” I have yet to find a definition for Cannon, other than heavy artillery.
What does the Bible say about a good name?
Pro. 22:1: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
Ecc. 7:1: “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”
My name, Cannon Matthew Taylor, may not really have a meaning. But depending on who you ask, it means something to them. And if my name does not mean something good, I’d like to know so I can fix it. If your name is not good, it can take a long time to make it good.
As Christians, we ought to have a good reputation with those around us. Do we have good names?
Andrew had a good heart.
Andrew was a good man, because of his good heart. He was interested in the well-being of others.
John 1:41: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
How many people do you know who wish to spread the Gospel with others? How many do we know who, when they are baptized into Christ, are on fire for God, and want to serve Him, want to save those whom they love? How many of us have good hearts, and want to save those around us?
Friends, you and I both know many of our friends, many of our neighbors, are lost. How much do we truly care about them? Have we tried to invite them to church? Have we tried to study the Bible with them? Have we even told them we are Christians? The Gospel is the cure to all spiritual ill, and we are surrounded by the spiritually diseased; How much of an effort have we made to help them, and serve the Lord? I cannot in good conscience sit by idly, being lazy, not caring for the souls I know. It scares me out of my mind to know there are people I haven’t reached with the Gospel that I can take it to. It should scare all of us.
We can be good men and women like Andrew; we can have a good heart that loves the Lord, and loves souls.
He was interested in seeking the Messiah; he cared for the important things.
Mark 1:14-18: “14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.”
Andrew and Simon were sane men; they were of a sound mind. If someone you loved quit their job to follow a spiritual teacher they hadn’t heard of before, that would be insane.
Andrew knew who Jesus was; Jesus was a teacher, and a preacher. They had heard of Him, and they wanted to investigate the truth. He was interested in the important things. More than money, more than fishing, more than his own livelihood, Andrew looked for greater things than this life. He cared for his own eternal wellbeing.
I think about the words of the Hebrews writer, in Heb. 9:27-28: “27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
That is, when Christ comes back, He will not be our sin offering anymore. Those who are ready will He save, not those who aren’t.
Andrew was a good man with a good heart; he cared for his own salvation, and that of others. I pray that we have hearts like his.
Andrew had a good teacher.
This man had a good name with a good heart, and was aided by a good teacher. Andrew was a disciple (follower and learner) of John the Baptist.
John 1:35-40: “35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”
We probably know that John the Baptist, or John the Immerser as some call him, was the forerunner of Christ. Luke 3:4 says of him: “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” He was a teacher sent of God. John 1:6-28 tells of his mission, being sent by God to bear witness of Jesus, and make straight the paths of the Lord. He prepared the way, he made sure people could better follow the Messiah to come, Jesus Christ.
If we want to be good teachers, we need to be like John. John taught people of Jesus, not to gain followers, but to make sure they followed Jesus. I’m just a teacher; I’m not special, I’m not of irreplaceable value like Jesus. There are others like me. I don’t ask for people to follow me, I want people to follow Christ. And if I seek for followers of me, God forbid I continue teaching until I make my life right.
John was also ready in his teaching. If we’re not ready to teach the Gospel, we had better get started on learning it.
John was a man of God, who prepared good men like Andrew to follow the one true Lord, Jesus Christ. So when John said in John 1:29: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” When John preached that message, the intended effect took place: People followed Christ. Andrew, and other good hearts and good people, followed the Lord.
Andrew was a good man with a good name, a good heart, and a good teacher. We can have the same characteristics as Andrew, and be good men and women for God. We can have good names, and live up to the name: “Christian.” We can keep our names pure, and people should know what kind of people we are when we tell them we’re Christians. We can have good hearts, and evangelize to others, loving their souls and loving others more than the embarrassment there may be of rejection. We can be good teachers, seeking the salvation of others rather than promoting our own names.