“Andrew followed Jesus” (John 1:40).
Andrew and his brother, Peter, were fishermen. Their hands were rough and chapped from throwing fishnets into the water hundreds of times. In those days, fishing was not a pastime or a sport; it was a hard, poor life.
Unlike his brother who had no patience for religion, Andrew was fascinated with the unpolished preaching of John the Baptist. John lived by the adage, “Plain talk is best understood.” John pointed out the sins of the people and called them to repent. One day, John pointed to Jesus and plainly said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The first thing he did was to find his brother, Peter, to bring him to Jesus. Andrew spent the rest of his life bringing people to Jesus.
Andrew wavered once. He doubted that a crowd of 5000 men could be fed with five loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus prayed, divided the meal, and fed everyone that day. He never doubted again.
Though he never became the leader of the apostles, Andrew faithfully continued bringing people to Jesus throughout his life. He understood Christ’s idea of greatness as being the servant of all. He served as a missionary to the Ukrainian peoples of the Caucasus Mountains where he was crucified on an X-shaped cross, now called Saint Andrew’s cross.