4  Common Men, Uncommon Calling—Part 3: Andrew, James  (Luke 6:14b, c)

Andrew his brother; and James (6:14 b, c)

Chronicles of the past record numerous instances in which a small group of men facing overwhelming odds changed the course of history. Such events, often memoralized in books and movies, have become the stuff of legends. One of the earliest took place at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. during the Persian invasion of Greece. A small rearguard led by King Leonidas I of Sparta, consisting of 300 Spartans and several hundred men from other Greek city-states, faced hundreds of thousands of Persians led by Xerxes (the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther). Despite being hopelessly outnumbered, Leonidas and his men refused to retreat or surrender. In fact, when a Persian emissary demanded that they lay down their weapons Leonidas replied defiantly, “Come and get them.”Though Leonidas and most of his men died defending the narrow pass, their courageous stand allowed the bulk of the Greek army to escape and survive.

In the waning days of World War II, Adolf Hitler launched a last, desperate offensive against the Western Allies. He hoped to seize the key Belgian port of Antwerp and split the British and American forces. Hitler believed the Western Allies would then sue for peace, allowing him to concentrate all his forces against the advancing Soviet armies in the east.

Squarely in the path of the German offensive through the Ardennes region was the Belgian town of Bastogne. All the major roads in the area converged on Bastogne, making its capture essential to the Germans. The American 101st Airborne Division (with a few other smaller units) withstood the onslaught of vastly superior German forces for a week, until relieved by elements of General George Patton’s Third Army Despite the odds, they refused to give up. When the Germans demanded that he surrender his forces, the American commander, General Anthony McAuliffe, made a contemptuous, one-word reply that Leonidas would have appreciated: “Nuts!” The 101st’s stubborn, courageous defense delayed the German drive, which ultimately failed to reach its objectives.

Perhaps the most famous heroic stand in American history was that of the Texans at the Alamo. Less than 200 men, led by William Travis, James Bowie, and Davy Crockett, held out for nearly two weeks against thousands of Mexican troops under President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who was seeking to crush the Texas Revolution. That delay allowed the Texans time to declare their independence, form a government, and draft a constitution. Further, the heroism of the Alamo’s defenders, all of whom perished, and William Travis’s eloquent letter addressed “To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World,” inspired many men to join the Texas army. That army later routed Santa Anna’s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto, securing Texas’s independence.

The Bible illustrates the principle that God has often turned history using a few people, or even an individual, to accomplish His purposes. He chose Gideon to deliver the people of Israel from their Midianite oppressors (Judg.6:1–6).At God’s command, Gideon’s initial force of thirty-two thousand was reduced to ten thousand (Judg. 7:3). But lest the people boast that the deliverance was from their own strength (v.2), God directed Gideon to further reduce his force to three hundred men (vv. 6–8). The Lord used Gideon and that small force to rout the vast (v. 12) forces arrayed against them (vv. 16–25). Later in Judges, God used Samson to singlehandedly deliver the people of Israel from their perennial enemies the Philistines (Judg. 15:15–20). Still later in Israel’s history, Elijah alone was enabled to triumph over 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:17–40).

Less familiar, but no less significant, is the account of God’s deliverance of Israel through Jonathan and his armor bearer. As in Samson’s day the Israelites were being oppressed by the Philistines. Jonathan’s father, Saul, had already been disqualified as king because of his disobedience (1 Sam. 13:7–14).The Philistine invasion force was huge (v5), and the Israelites (except for Saul and Jonathan) had no weapons (vv. 19–22). Defeat seemed certain, leading many of “the people [to hide]themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits” (v. 6). Others fled and “crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead” (v. 7). Israel seemed on the verge of being annihilated as a nation.

But Jonathan did not share the people’s defeatism. Putting his trust in the Lord, he and his faithful armor bearer approached the Philistine camp and hailed it. Taking them for deserters seeking to surrender (1 Sam. 14:11), the Philistines called to the two men to come up to their camp. Jonathan, followed by his armor bearer, promptly attacked the Philistines, killing twenty of them (vv. 13–14). The result was panic in the Philistine camp, a panic heightened by an earthquake sent by God (v. 15). The Philistines fled in disarray (v. 16), and their flight quickly turned into a rout (vv. 20–23). The courage and faith of Jonathan and his armor bearer saved the nation (vv. 45–46). Jonathan’s words in verse 6, “the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few,” summarize not only his own exploits, but also those of Gideon, Samson, and Elijah.

Just as God used individuals such as Gideon, Samson, Elijah, and Jonathan, to change the course of Israel’s history, so also in the New Testament He used twelve men to change the course of the world’s history. Those common, ordinary men, chosen, trained, and commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ, are the subject of this section of Luke’s gospel. Having introduced Peter (see the previous chapter of this volume), Luke turned to the next two members of the Twelve: Peter’s brother Andrew, and James, the brother of John.

ANDREW

Andrew his brother (6:14b)

The designation of Andrew as his (Peter’s) brother is indicative of his situation. Consistently overshadowed by his more famous sibling (he is usually referred to in the gospels in connection with Peter; cf. Matt. 4:18; 10:2; Mark 1:16, 29; John 1:40, 44; 6:8), Andrew is the least known of the inner circle of the apostles. He did not enjoy the same intimacy with Jesus as did Peter, James and John. For example, Andrew was not present with the other three at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1), the healing of a synagogue official’s daughter (Mark 5:37), or with the other three in Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). The picture the gospels paint of him is of a person content to serve quietly in the background.

Like Peter, Andrew was originally from the village of Bethsaida (John 1:44). The brothers later moved to the larger city of Capernaum, where they shared a house (Mark 1:21, 29) and operated a fishing business (Matt. 4:18). Peter and Andrew were devout Jews, committed to theworship of the true God. They were among the first of the Twelve to encounter the Lord Jesus Christ. Having taken a sabbatical from their fishing business, they traveled to the region around the Jordan and become followers of John the Baptist. They were among those “looking for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25) by the coming of the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.

John’s gospel relates the story of Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus. Along with the apostle John, Andrew was with John the Baptist when he pointed out Jesus to them and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). After hearing that, the two followed Jesus and stayed with Him for the rest of that day (vv.37–39).That experience forever changed Andrew’s life. Convinced that Jesus was exactly who John the Baptist had said He was, Andrew “found first his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’“ (v. 41). Then, in what would become the pattern of Andrew’s life and ministry “he brought [Simon] to Jesus”(v.42). It was then that the Lord gave Simon the name Peter and began training him to be the leader of the Twelve, as noted in the previous chapter of this volume.

After their initial encounter with Jesus, Andrew and Peter returned to Capernaum and resumed their fishing business. Months later, Jesus came to Galilee after initially ministering in Judea and Jerusalem. Walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He found Peter and Andrew (Matt. 4:18), along with John and his brother James (v. 21). This time they did not seek the Lord; rather, He sought them. They became part-time disciples (vv. 19, 22), while still maintaining their fishing enterprise. Luke 5:1–11 records their final call to full-time discipleship, when they “left everything and followed Him”(v 11).

Two other incidents in John’s gospel provide further insight into Andrew’s character. In the sixth chapter, John records the feeding of the five thousand men (with women and children nearer twenty-five thousand), which began when “Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?’” (v. 5). Overwhelmed by the scope of the problem, “Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little’“ (v 7). As far as Philip was concerned, feeding such an enormous crowd with their meager resources was out of the question. Andrew, however, had been mingling with the people and had found “a lad … who [had] five barley loaves and two fish” (v. 9). Despite his own doubts, expressed in his rhetorical and perhaps cynical question, “What are these for so many people?” Andrew was always eager to bring people to Jesus. The Lord obliterated all cynicism and doubt when He used the small lunch to feed the vast crowd.

In his final appearance in the Gospels, Andrew, true to form, brought still more people to Jesus. In the tumultuous aftermath of the triumphal entry “some Greeks [most likely Gentile proselytes to Judaism] were going up [to Jerusalem] to worship at the feast [Passover]” (John 12:20). Seeking an audience with Jesus, they first approached Philip. They may have singled him out because he was from Bethsaida (v. 21), located near the largely Gentile region known as the Decapolis (Matt. 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31). Uncertain of how to handle the situation, “Philip came and told Andrew” about it, then “Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus” (John 12:22). There was no doubt or hesitation in Andrew’s mind; when people wanted to see Jesus, he brought them to Him.

The three scenes, in which Andrew plays a prominent role, reveal that he was first and foremost a missionary. The passionate commitment of his heart was to bring people to Jesus. He was without prejudice, willingly ushering Gentiles as well as Jews to the Savior. Andrew was also a man whose faith overcame doubt, as in trusting that the Lord could possibly use the seemingly inadequate lunch of a young boy to accomplish His purposes. Andrew also exhibited humility, being content to remain in the shadow of his famous brother and serve in the background. There are people who will not play in the band unless they can bang the big drum, but Andrew was not one of them. He was more concerned about bringing people to Jesus than about who got the credit. He was not a man pleaser, but a servant of Christ, committed to “doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6).

Andrew eventually paid the ultimate price for his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. According to tradition a provincial governor, angered that Andrew had led his wife to Christ, had him crucified on an X shaped cross. Despite the suffering he endured, Andrew continued to preach the gospel to the passersby for as long as he could speak. He died as he had lived—bringing people to the Savior.

JAMES

James (6:14c)

Like his brother John, James was the son of Zebedee, a prosperous fisherman (well off enough to have hired servants working for him [Mark 1:20]) on the Sea of Galilee. James and John were partners in a fishing business with the other pair of brothers that comprised the inner group of the Twelve, Peter and Andrew (Luke 5:10). James, like Andrew, is overshadowed by the other two apostles in the inner group, Peter and John. Scripture presents full-color portraits of them, but mere silhouettes of Andrew and James.

But the gospels’ relative silence about James does not mean he was insignificant. His name appears second in the list of the Twelve after Peter’s in Mark’s gospel (Mark 3:16–17). And except for two occasions, James is listed first when he and John appear together. The two are inseparable in the gospels; James is never mentioned apart from John. And James was present at several key events with Peter and John, as noted above, that Andrew was not.

A key to understanding James’s personality is the nickname Jesus gave both brothers. “Boanerges,” as Mark notes, means, “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17).That colorful term vividly describes their forceful personalities. James was zealous, passionate, and fervent. He may well have been the New Testament counterpart of Jehu, who declared, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord” (2 Kings 10:16). Jehu’s zeal, however, was nothing but selfish, worldly ambition, since he “was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin” (2 Kings 10:31).

James’s zeal too was sometimes misguided, and expressed in ways that were less than gracious or righteous. On His way to Jerusalem for the final Passover of His ministry (Luke 9:51), Jesus “sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him” (v. 52). The Samaritans were the descendants of Jews who had intermarried with Gentiles after the fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria. The Jews regarded them as a polluted, unclean race, and avoided contact with them whenever possible (John 4:9). Centuries of mutual animosity made the Samaritans unwilling to “receive [Jesus],” all the more so “because He was traveling toward Jerusalem” (v. 53).They had their own worship centered on Mt. Gerizim, where the Jews had destroyed the Samaritan temple during the intertestamental period. The people in this Samaritan village wanted nothing to do with Jews traveling to Jerusalem to worship there.

Outraged at this egregious insult to Jesus, James, along with John, exclaimed angrily” Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (v.54; cf.2 Kings 1:9–12).Andrew wanted to bring the unsaved to Jesus; James wanted to incinerate them. The brothers’ misguided zeal earned them a rebuke from the Lord, who said to them, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (vv. 55–56; cf. 19:10).Their zeal not to allow Christ to be insulted was commendable; however in this case it was not according to knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2).

A second incident reveals another side of James’s personality: On this occasion James and John added a new twist to the apostles’ ongoing debate over which of them was the greatest (cf. Mark 9:33–34; Luke22:24). Seeking the prominent places of honor beside Jesus in His glorious kingdom, the two audaciously requested that the Lord grant them the privilege of sitting on His right and left hand (Mark 10:37). Moreover, they brought their mother with them to make the initial request to Jesus. She was evidently the sister of Jesus’ mother Mary (as a comparison of Matt. 27:55–56, Mark 15:40, and John 19:25 suggests), making James and John Jesus’ cousins. They were thus shamelessly exploiting their family ties to Jesus for their own self-aggrandizement—which understandably outraged the other ten apostles (Matt.20:24).

Like the scribes and Pharisees, who “love[d] the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues” (Matt. 23:6) and Diotrephes, “who love[d] to be first” (3 John 9), James and John sought prestige, preeminence, and to be exalted above the rest of the apostles. Needless to say the Lord rejected their self-serving request (Matt. 20:23) and then gave all the disciples a much-needed lesson on the importance of humility (vv.25–28).

James sought power and prestige; Jesus gave him servanthood. He sought a crown of glory; Jesus gave him a cup of suffering. James was the first of the Twelve to die, and the only one whose death is recorded in the New Testament. According to Acts 12:1–2, “Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.” That Herod, seeking to halt the growth of the church, seized and executed James instead of Peter or John reveals that James had become a force for God. The erstwhile “Son of Thunder” had been mentored by Christ and molded by the Holy Spirit into a man whose zeal and ambition were redirected toward God and His kingdom.

Like Andrew, James led someone to Christ in his death. According to tradition, recorded by the early church historian Eusebius,

The life of James offers convincing testimony that a passionate individual, controlled by love, can be a powerful instrument in the hands of God.