Friday 04 January 2013

Background

John the Baptist has been preaching to the people and pointing them toJesus as the Lamb of God, the Spirit-baptizer and the Son of God.As he repeats his message again the next day, his words begin totake visible effect: two of his disciples begin to follow Jesusinstead. This event would not have caused John to becomedespondent, but, on the contrary, it would have gladdened hisheart, because it was always his wish that he should "decrease" andJesus "increase" in importance (John3:30).

This story shows that Jesus had disciples while John was stillactive in ministry and before he began to call men to abandon allto follow him. We only know the name of one of those two discipleswho first followed Jesus, Andrew, a fisherman from Bethsaida, wholater became one of the twelve Apostles. Having spent a day withJesus he is convinced that Jesus really is the Messiah many Jewshad been waiting for, and immediately he tells his brother Simonand brings him to Jesus also. The good news was too good to keep tohimself.

Jesus looks at Simon and immediately sees his potential. Hegives him a new name to match his character and calling: Cephas(the Aramaic word for 'rock', 'Peter' in Greek), because he will bethe "rock" on whom, with others, Jesus will build his church (seeMatthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). Peter did not always turn outto be as stable a disciple as Jesus hoped (Mark8:31-34; 14:66-72), but on the day of Pentecost andthereafter Jesus' discernment was proved right after all: Peter'spreaching brought 3,000 to Christ (Acts2:41) and his leadership gave the early Church in Jerusalem afirm foundation.

To Ponder

• How do you react when others who are more gifted than you arecause you to be put in the shade?

• How eager are you to tell others of Jesus and bring them tohim?

• What role has Jesus given to you in the life of his Church? Howwell are you fulfilling it?