Who Is Andrew?
Matthew 4:18-22
What do we know about Andrew, Simon’s brother?
Icon by Rubens
As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. - Matthew 4:18-22
We tend to think of Andrew as the brother of Peter (Simon), placing Peter above Andrew in importance, but it was Andrew who brought his brother to Christ, being the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Today, the church recognizes the anniversary of Andrew’s martyrdom at the hands of the Romans. The day was established as a day of remembrance by a group of wealthy Scottish businessmen in South Carolina in 1729.
The Scottish have a close relationship with Andrew, whose relics were purchased byBishop Acca of Hexham in 732. In 832, King Angus II, while in the heat of battle against the Saxons, prayed to St. Andrew and a sign appeared in the clouds, which championed the men to victory.
For us, Andrew represents the connector, the one who brought people to Jesus. He doesn’t appear much in the Gospels, but when he does, he is by Jesus’ side, bringing the boy with the fish and bread to feed the five thousand, and bringing the Greeks to Jesus.
He is remembered as the first Apostle, and yet, he is often mentioned second, behind his brother, who may have been older. It is believed Andrew was in his twenties when Jesus called him, old enough to have a family and to be a key player in his father’s fishing business.
I often wonder what happened to the business when both brothers left, but we find that they returned to fishing after the crucifixion, so they must have remained close to their father.
While we remember Andrew as a Saint, he was never canonized in a formal process, the way later saints were. He and the other apostles preceded those saints, and in a way that makes a lot of sense. It was the church, and its Eastern and Western orthodoxies, that got the ball rolling, so to speak.
I end this with the collect of Saint Andrew from Scotland.
The Scottish collect of St. Andrew
“Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son, Jesus Christ: give us, who are called by your holy Word, the grace to follow him without delay, and to be messengers of the good news of your kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.”
More to come...
Elegant collect.