For many years, the apostle Peter has been a hero for me. I've always been endeared to Peter's brashness. That all-or-nothing way he handled all his affairs; his ability to always say the first thing that pops into his head; his zeal for Jesus, sometimes to the point of being out of control. A characterization of St. John once called him "a walking bundle of outrageous extremes". In many ways, I've always wanted to be the best parts of Peter, because I see how God rewards that kind of leap-out-of-the-boat-and-walk-on-water faith. But the thing that's always singled out Peter to me is God's mercy on Him. As someone who has a tendency to project perfection onto others while micro-managing his own sinfulness, I've always found heartbreaking comfort in Jesus' tender forgiveness & discipling of Peter, and wanted that kind of dynamic with the Father as well.
This past week I've been reading a book entitled "Twelve Ordinary Men", and it’s really enlightened me in regards to Peter's quieter, less obtrusive, more thoughtful brother Andrew. The Holy Spirit has used this book to cause me to re-examine my motives in the Jesus-Peter dynamic, and He's used the story of Andrew to give me a more forward-thinking model of Christian servanthood that I should seek to emulate in my journey to Christ-likeness.
In John chapter 1, we read that Andrew was the first disciple Jesus called and that Andrew believed from the very beginning that Jesus was the Messiah. But the next thing that happens surprises me, in that, I've never considered what this says about Andrew's character. Here's what the book relates:
"Andrew lived his life in the shadow of his better-known brother [Peter]. Many of the verses that name him add that he was Peter's brother, as if that were the fact that made him significant. In such situations, where one brother overshadows another to such a degree, it is common to find resentment, strong sibling rivalry, or even estrangement. But in Andrew's case, there is no evidence that he begrudged Peter's dominance. Again, it was Andrew who brought Peter to Christ in the first place. He did this immediately and without hesitation. Of course, Andrew must have been fully aware of Peter's tendency to domineer. He must have known full well that as soon as Peter entered the company of disciples, he would take charge and Andrew would be relegated to secondary status. Yet Andrew brought his older brother anyway. That fact alone says much about his character." - Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur
Amazing...and there's about a hundred more little treasures in this book about all the disciples that will massage your gray matter. Andrew wasn't like Peter - loud, bold, domineering, out front. The Andrew of Scripture always brought one or two people before Jesus and no more. He was a man who believed in one-on-one discipleship. He wasn't the one to speak at Pentecost in front of thousands, but he did introduce the one who would speak to Christ. Almost every time Andrew is mentioned individually in scripture, he is bringing someone to Christ - what an amazing testimony. Andrew served behind the scenes ministering in the little things being happy to do it and God used that kind of service. God still uses that kind of service. Just as the widow in Luke 21 who gave all she had, it’s the faithfulness of the giver, not the size of the gift, that arouses the desire of the Master.
Andrew's name means "manly" and deservedly so. In the behind-the-scenes, thoughtful actions of Andrew, one can certainly see what Christ must've saw in him to call him first. And it’s a more realistic picture of what church leaders should be. Lately I've done a lot of thought & prayer about the next steps I should take as a Christian man. I want to be someone that seeks no attention or praise for myself but, like Andrew, quietly seeks out people to introduce to Christ. I want to be an Andrew, content to let others have the spotlight as "spiritual giants" or "dynamic leaders of the faith" - just give me Jesus and His wishes for me to serve today: would that that will always be enough for me.
Another point that the book drove home for me was how utterly unremarkable the disciples were. Not only were they not learned men, but the Scriptures hint that they weren't even that bright, logically or spiritually. A few of them were enemies beforehand, and didn't act much better after the fact. As characters in the Greatest Story Ever Told, it can be tempting to gloss over even their imperfections at times, to cave into the misguided notion that Jesus saw "diamonds in the rough" with these guys and honed them into hallowed saints of the faith. Bunk! Jesus didn't see diamonds in the rough, because rough was all that was there. These guys were no spiritual giants hiding out on the Galilean shores. If I may be so bold, they were primarily simple Jewish redneck folk with bass boats on the backside of nowhere...and I think that's the point. Jesus appears to have picked them in spite of all their shortcomings - to show us that He can do the same with us, warts & all. He doesn't want diamonds in the rough to polish & dazzle the world - he wants people that will become like mud in His hands, to be shaped into vessels to hold His Spirit & pour out His Love on humanity.
If you've got an extra 4 bucks, go to Amazon & buy a used copy of "Twelve Ordinary Men". If you've got money to burn, buy a couple of them and give one to somebody. If you got no money, come cut my grass and I'll give you my copy....sike. But seriously, I highly recommend this book. It's really taken the Twelve and made them more three-dimensional & approachable. But if it does nothing else for you, it will strip away any hint of stained-glass perfection you might mistake for Jesus' first followers and show you their humanity. And it's such an encouraging thing to remember that God's Holy Spirit can come inhabit these vessels of "rough" and use the highly imperfect such as ourselves to change the world. He did it first, He continues to do it every day, and He WILL do it through you if you'll allow Him.
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"God is all
strength
for his people, ample refuge for his chosen leader;
Save your people and bless your heritage.
Care for them; carry them like a good shepherd."
Psalm 28:8-9 (The Message)
"...so I wouldn't get
a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant
touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what
he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around
high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God
to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the
handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's
strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and
with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse,
accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the
weaker I get, the stronger I become."
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (The Message)
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